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"Island Girl" is a song performed by English musician 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.

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"
Released29 September 1975
RecordedJune–July 1975
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

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.

John has not performed the song in over 30 years. 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 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



Sales and certifications


Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[13] 2× Gold 150,000^
United States (RIAA)[14] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.


Personnel



References


  1. "Weekly Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 Songs from the First 50 Years", Billboard. 2008.
  2. "American certifications – Island Girl". Recording Industry Association of America.
  3. "Flashback: Elton John Plays His Forgotten Number One Hit 'Island Girl'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  4. "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 26 January 1976. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  5. "Music: Top 100 Songs | Billboard Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. 8 November 1975. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  6. Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 122.
  7. "Top 100 1975-11-15". Cashbox. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
  8. "Image : RPM Weekly – Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  9. "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1975". Cashbox. Retrieved 17 January 2015.
  10. "Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 23 January 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  11. "Top 100 Hits of 1976/Top 100 Songs of 1976". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 10 October 2016.
  12. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 10 December 2018.
  13. "Canadian single certifications – Elton John – Island Girl". Music Canada. Retrieved 22 November 2012.
  14. "American single certifications – John, Elton – Island Girl". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 22 November 2012.




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