Fantasy Island (The Millionaires song)

"Fantasy Island"
Single by The Millionaires
B-side"Fantasy Island" (English version)
ReleasedMarch 1982 (1982-03)
StudioWisseloord Studios, Hilversum, Netherlands
Genre
Length2:56
LabelUtopia Music
Songwriter(s)
  • Piet Souer
  • Martin Duiser
  • J. van Asperen (Dutch language version only)
Producer(s)Piet Souer
The Millionaires singles chronology
"Boys from the Radio"
(1981) 		"Fantasy Island"
(1982) 		"Mickey's Monkey"
(1983)
Music video
"Fantasy Island" on YouTube

"Fantasy Island" is a song by Dutch pop group The Millionaires, released as a single in March 1982. It was a top-40 hit in the Netherlands;[1] however, the song is better known for the version released a month later by Tight Fit.

Background

The Millionaires participated with "Fantasy Island" (in Dutch "Fantasie eiland") at the 1982 Nationaal Songfestival, which decided who was going to represent the Netherlands at the Eurovision Song Contest. The song came second in the festival, with the winner being "Jij en ik", performed by Bill van Dijk.[2]

Charts

Chart (1982) Peak
position
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[3] 31
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[1] 32

Tight Fit version

"Fantasy Island"
Single by Tight Fit
from the album Tight Fit
B-side"Saturday Heartbreak"
ReleasedApril 1982 (1982-04)
Recorded1982
StudioBattery Studios, London
GenreNew pop[4]
Length3:23
LabelJive
Songwriter(s)
  • Piet Souer
  • Martin Duiser
Producer(s)Tim Friese-Greene
Tight Fit singles chronology
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
(1982) 		"Fantasy Island"
(1982) 		"Secret Heart"
(1982)

English pop band Tight Fit released their cover as the second single from their album Tight Fit. It peaked at number 5 on the UK Singles Chart.[5]

Reception

Reviewing the song in Record Mirror, Sunie Fletcher described the song as an "Abba impersonation that serves only to show 'Wimoweh' in a relatively good light.[6] Reviewing for Smash Hits, Martin Fry of ABC described it as "diluted Abba, but undoubtedly a hit" and that "the song goes around and around and beats you into submission".[7]

Track listings

7": Jive / JIVE 13 (UK)

  1. "Fantasy Island" – 3:23
  2. "Saturday Heartbreak" – 3:10

7": Jive / 6.13 463 (Germany)

  1. "Fantasy Island" – 3:23
  2. "Like Wildlife" – 3:31

12": Jive / JIVE T13 (UK)

  1. "Fantasy Island"
  2. "Saturday Heartbreak"

12": Jive / 6.20 149 (Germany)

  1. "Fantasy Island" – 5:09
  2. "Like Wildlife" – 3:31

Charts

Chart (1982) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[8] 49
Germany (GfK)[9] 23
Ireland (IRMA)[10] 3
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[11] 33
UK Singles (OCC)[5] 5

References

  1. ^ a b "The Millionaires – Fantasy Island" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  2. ^ "Netherlands: Nationaal Songfestival 1982". Eurovisionworld. Retrieved 2020-12-11.
  3. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – The Millionaires" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  4. ^ Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "See That Girl: Abba". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 389. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
  5. ^ a b "Tight Fit: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
  6. ^ "Singles". Record Mirror: 20. 1 May 1982. Retrieved 11 December 2020 – via flickr.com.
  7. ^ "Singles". Smash Hits. 29 April – 12 May 1982. p. 21. Retrieved 11 December 2020 – via sites.google.com.
  8. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 310. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  9. ^ "Tight Fit – Fantasy Island" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  10. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Fantasy Island". Irish Singles Chart.
  11. ^ "Tight Fit – Fantasy Island". Top 40 Singles.