Island Girl
| "Island Girl" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Elton John | ||||
| from the album Rock of the Westies | ||||
| B-side | "Sugar on the Floor" | |||
| Released | 29 September 1975 | |||
| Recorded | June-July 1975 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:42 | |||
| Label |
MCA (US) DJM (UK) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Elton John, Bernie Taupin | |||
| Producer(s) | Gus Dudgeon | |||
| Elton John singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Island Girl" is a song performed by Elton John that went to number one for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S.[1] and number 14 in the UK in 1975. In the U.S., it was certified Gold in 1975 and Platinum in 1995 by the RIAA.[2] It was the first single taken from the album Rock of the Westies. The song was written by John and his songwriting collaborator Bernie Taupin.
The song which "Island Girl" replaced at number one was "Bad Blood," by Neil Sedaka. Elton had provided uncredited backing and duetting vocals on this collaboration.
Lyrics
The lyrics are about a prostitute in New York City and a man who wants to take her back to Jamaica.
Music and single
The song is atmospheric, featuring gospel-ish piano behind the famous distorted slide-guitar intro. It also features a high-strung Caribbean guitar sound, marimbas, and a heavy bass guitar. Also notable is a shaky synthesizer solo played by James Newton Howard.
The single's B-side was "Sugar on the Floor", which was written by Kiki Dee, who would go on to duet with John on a number of occasions, most notably on their chart-topping 1976 single, "Don't Go Breaking My Heart".
Chart performance
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Sales and certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Canada (Music Canada)[11] | 2× Gold | 150,000^ |
| United States (RIAA)[12] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
|
*sales figures based on certification alone | ||
Personnel
- Ray Cooper – congas, tambourine, marimba
- Kiki Dee – backing vocals
- James Newton Howard – ARP synthesizer, Mellotron solo
- Davey Johnstone – Ovation guitar, slide electric guitars, banjo, backing vocals
- Elton John – piano, lead vocal, backing vocals (credited as "Ann Orson")
- Kenny Passarelli – bass, backing vocals
- Roger Pope – drums
- Caleb Quaye – acoustic guitar, backing vocals
References
- ↑ "Weekly Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 Songs from the First 50 Years", Billboard.com. 2008.
- ↑ "American certifications – Island Girl". Recording Industry Association of America.
- ↑ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1976-01-26. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- ↑ "Music: Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.com. 1975-11-08. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 122.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-11-02. Retrieved 2015-09-06.
- ↑ "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-10-21. Retrieved 2015-01-17.
- ↑ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- ↑ "Top 100 Hits of 1976/Top 100 Songs of 1976". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
- ↑ "Canadian single certifications – Elton John – Island Girl". Music Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
- ↑ "American single certifications – John, Elton – Island Girl". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 22 November 2012. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH.
