"Island Girl"
white (fading?) sleeve with Elton John's signature
Sleeve for UK single
Single by Elton John
from the album Rock of the Westies
B-side"Sugar on the Floor"
Released29 September 1975 (1975-09-29)
RecordedJune–July 1975
Genre
Length3:42
LabelMCA (US)
DJM (UK)
Songwriter(s)
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, and also reached the top twenty in Canada, New Zealand, 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

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

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[16] Gold 75,000^
United States (RIAA)[17] 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. ^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 26 January 1976. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  9. ^ "Music: Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. 8 November 1975. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  10. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 122.
  11. ^ "Top 100 1975-11-15". Cashbox. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  12. ^ "Image : RPM Weekly – Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  13. ^ "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1975". Cashbox. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  14. ^ "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  15. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1976/Top 100 Songs of 1976". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  16. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Elton John – Island Girl". Music Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  17. ^ "American single certifications – John, Elton – Island Girl". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 22 November 2012.

External links

Elton John songs
Authority control databases
Categories