Sun of Jamaica

"Sun of Jamaica"
Single by Goombay Dance Band
from the album Sun of Jamaica
Released December 1979 (1979-12)
Format 7", 12"
Recorded 1979
Genre Euro disco, schlager
Label CBS
Songwriter(s) Ekkehard Stein & Wolfgang Jass
Goombay Dance Band singles chronology
"Ring Ting Ting"
(1979)		 "Sun of Jamaica"
(1979)		 "Aloha-Oe, Until We Meet Again"
(1980)

"Ring Ting Ting"
(1979)		 "Sun of Jamaica"
(1979)		 "Aloha-Oe, Until We Meet Again"
(1980)

"Sun of Jamaica" is a song performed by German group Goombay Dance Band, written by Ekkehard Stein and Wolfgang Jass. The song was released at the end of 1979, and subsequently included on their debut album, Sun of Jamaica.

The lyrics recount the narrator's desire to visit Jamaica after seeing Mutiny on the Bounty as a boy. He explicitly mentions Marlon Brando in the lyrics, thus referring to the 1962 film version. When he visits, he falls in love with a woman, and vows to later return to be with her. The song was highly successful across Europe, reaching number 1 in no less than five countries. Goombay Dance Band have re-recorded the track a number of times later in their career.

Track listings

  • 7" Single (1979)[1]
A. "Sun of Jamaica" – 4:22
B. "Island of Dreams" – 3:26

Charts and certifications

Chart performance

Chart (1980) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[2] 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[3] 1
France (SNEP)[4] 38
Germany (Official German Charts)[5] 1
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[6] 1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[7] 19
Spain (AFYVE)[8] 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[9] 5
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[10] 3
Chart (1982) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[11] 14
United Kingdom (The Official Charts Company) 50

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Germany (BVMI)[12] Platinum 500,000^

^shipments figures based on certification alone

Cover versions

  • German singer Tony Holiday recorded a German version of the song in 1980, "Nie mehr allein sein".
  • In 1980, Czech singer Helena Vondráčková covered the song as "Léto je léto", which was a minor hit.
  • In 1983, German cross-culture band Cusco released an instrumental version of the song on their album Virgin Islands.
  • In 1980, Argentinian Jairo (singer) reached Number one in France with a French version (Le Jardins du Ciel), he also recorded a spanish version called "Nuestro Amor Será un Himno", which was a top 10 hit in Argentina.

References

  1. ↑ "Goombay Dance Band - Sun Of Jamaica (Vinyl) at Discogs". www.discogs.com. Retrieved 2015-02-10.
  2. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Goombay Dance Band – Sun of Jamaica" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  3. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Goombay Dance Band – Sun of Jamaica" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  4. ↑ "InfoDisc : Tout les Titres par Artiste". www.infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 2013-07-03. Retrieved 2015-01-31.
  5. ↑ "Musicline.de – Goombay Dance Band Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  6. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Goombay Dance Band" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  7. ↑ "Charts.nz – Goombay Dance Band – Sun of Jamaica". Top 40 Singles.
  8. ↑ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  9. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Goombay Dance Band – Sun of Jamaica". Singles Top 100.
  10. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Goombay Dance Band – Sun of Jamaica". Swiss Singles Chart.
  11. ↑ "Irish Singles Chart – Search for song". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved July 6, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Goombay Dance Band; 'Sun of Jamaica')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
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