Magic Fingers Vibrating Bed Inventor Dies at 92

An obscure Jimmy Buffett song is being referenced today in news articles. John Joseph Houghtaling, the inventor of the “Magic Fingers Vibrating Bed”, died on Wednesday at his home in Florida. Buffett’s single “This Hotel Room”, written by the late Steve Goodman, mentions the bed:

They got a room service menu for food and drinks
A porcelain throne and an aluminum sink
Two big pillows to rest my head
A magic fingers and a king size bed
Put in a quarter, turn out the light
Magic fingers makes you feel alright
Feel alright, feel alright
Magic fingers makes you feel alright

The Fox News Channel’s Brit Hume is apparently a parrothead. In a January interview, Hume sang the lyrics to “This Hotel Room” to former President George W. Bush and his father when they mentioned a vibrating chair in the Oval Office.

Read more on Houghtaling and the Magic Fingers bed here.

The single “This Hotel Room” appeared on the 1976 album Havana Daydreamin’. Download the song now from iTunes or Amazon MP3.