B-side "Sugar on the Floor" Recorded June-July 1975 Length 3:42 | Released September 29, 1975 Genre Rock, disco | |
"Island Girl" is a song performed by Elton John that went to number one for three weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 in the U.S. 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. It was the first single taken from the album Rock of the Westies.
Contents
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. (Counting "Bad Blood", "Island Girl" was Elton's 4th single appearance to hit #1 in 1975).
Lyrics
The lyrics are about a prostitute in New York City and a man who wants to take a prostitute back to Jamaica.
Music and single
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".