Island Girl

For the Finnish film, see Saariston tyttö.

"Island Girl"
Sleeve for UK single
Single by Elton John
from the album Rock of the Westies
B-side	"Sugar on the Floor"
Released	29 September 1975 (1975-09-29)
Recorded	June–July 1975
Genre	Reggae[1]
Length	3:42
Label	MCA (US) DJM (UK)
Songwriter(s)	Elton John Bernie Taupin
Producer(s)	Gus Dudgeon
Elton John singles chronology
"Someone Saved My Life Tonight" (1975) "Island Girl" (1975) "Grow Some Funk of Your Own" / "I Feel Like a Bullet (In the Gun of Robert Ford)" (1976)
Official audio
"Island Girl" on YouTube

"Island Girl" is a 1975 song by English musician Elton John. It was written by John and his songwriting collaborator Bernie Taupin and released as the first single from the album Rock of the Westies (1975). It reached number one for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. (John's final No. 1 single as a solo artist for 22 years),[2] selling over one million copies. It also reached the top five in Canada and New Zealand, as well as the top twenty in Australia and the UK.

John has not performed the song since 1990. While no official reason has been given, Andy Greene of Rolling Stone surmises it is due in part to controversial lyrics about a Jamaican prostitute in New York City and a Jamaican man who wants to take her back to Jamaica.[3]

Background

The single's B-side was "Sugar on the Floor", 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".

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

Release

The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 on 11 October 1975 at number 49, and reaching the top in four weeks.[4]

The week of 4 October 1975, the week before the "Island Girl" entered the charts, marked the first week in over two years in which Elton John did not have a single on the Billboard Hot 100. Billboard's "Inside Track" column reported it as follows: "This week is the first time since August 1973 that Elton John hasn't had a single on the Billboard Hot 100. If Rocket had shipped the upcoming 'Island Girl' a few days earlier, Elton would still be in the running to beat Pat Boone's all-time record of just over four years on the charts."[5]

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.[6]

Upon the single release, Record World said "Tropically splendid Elton and Bernie entering the RW charts at 42 this week...need we say more?"[7]

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1975–1976) Peak position Australia 12 Canadian RPM Top Singles[8] 4 New Zealand[9] 4 UK Singles (OCC)[10] 14 U.S. Billboard Hot 100[11] 1 U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary[12] 27 U.S. Cash Box Top 100[13] 1

Year-end charts Chart (1975) Rank Canada[14] 38 U.S. Cash Box[15] 10 Chart (1976) Rank Canada[16] 143 U.S. Billboard[17] 64

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[18]	Gold	75,000^^
United States (RIAA)[19]	Platinum	1,000,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Breihan, Tom (12 August 2019). "The Number Ones: Elton John's "Island Girl"". Stereogum. Retrieved 26 June 2023. "Island Girl," with its steel drums and its chunky beat, sounds a bit like a reggae song...
2. "Weekly Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 Songs from the First 50 Years", Billboard. 2008.
3. "Flashback: Elton John Plays His Forgotten Number One Hit 'Island Girl'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
4. "Hot 100" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. 87 (44): 74. 1 November 1975 – via www.worldradiohistory.com.
5. "Inside Track" (PDF). Billboard Magazine. 87 (40): 71. 4 October 1975 – via www.worldradiohistory.com.
6. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 214.
7. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 11 October 1975. p. 1. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
8. "RPM Top Singles - Volume 24, No. 13". Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 15 November 2024.
9. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 26 January 1976. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
10. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
11. "Music: Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. 8 November 1975. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
12. "Elton John Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
13. "Top 100 1975-11-15". Cashbox. Archived from the original on 12 July 2021. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
14. "Image : RPM Weekly – Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
15. "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1975". Cashbox. Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
16. "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
17. "Top 100 Hits of 1976/Top 100 Songs of 1976". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
18. "Canadian single certifications – Elton John – Island Girl". Music Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
19. "American single certifications – John, Elton – Island Girl". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 22 November 2012.

External links

• Elton John – Island Girl on YouTube