La Isla Bonita

Infobox Single
Name = La Isla Bonita


Artist = Madonna
from Album = True Blue
Released = February 25, 1987 (U.S.)
March 31, 1987 (U.K.)
Format = 7" single, CD video, 12" single, CD single
Recorded = 1985
Genre = Pop/Latin pop
Length = 4:01
Label = Sire, Warner Bros.
Writer = Madonna, Patrick Leonard, Bruce Gaitsch
Producer = Madonna, Patrick Leonard
Last single = "Open Your Heart"
(1986)
This single = "La Isla Bonita"
(1987)
Next single = "Who's That Girl"
(1987)
Misc = Extra track listing
Album = True Blue
Type = studio
prev_track = "True Blue"
prev_no = 6
this_track = "La Isla Bonita"
track_no = 7
next_track = "Jimmy, Jimmy"
next_no = 8Extra track listing
Album = The Immaculate Collection
Type = compilation
prev_track = "Open Your Heart"
prev_no = 10
this_track = "La Isla Bonita"
track_no = 11
next_track = "Like a Prayer"
next_no = 12

"La Isla Bonita" (English: "The Beautiful Island") is the fifth and final single by American singer-songwriter Madonna from her third studio album, "True Blue", and it was released on February 25, 1987 by Sire Records. The song later appeared remixed on the 1990 compilation album "The Immaculate Collection" and in its original form on the Japanese version of the 1995 ballads compilation "Something to Remember" as a bonus track.

ong information

It was written by Patrick Leonard and Bruce Gaitsch, and originally intended for Michael Jackson for his "Bad" album, who, according to Gaitsch, turned it down. Working with Leonard on the "True Blue" album, Madonna accepted it in Jackson's place, and wrote the song's lyrics, earning herself a co-writing credit. It was the fifth US top-five hit from the album (it reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in March, 1987) and Madonna's second #1 single on the adult contemporary chart, following 1986's "Live To Tell". Internationally, "La Isla Bonita" was a bonafide worldwide hit which reached number one in the UK, France and Germany. The song was the first Madonna song to employ Spanish motifs, going so far as to include Spanish lyrics. The Spanish theme would come to recur throughout her career, manifesting itself in lyrics for "Who's That Girl", "Pray for Spanish Eyes", "You'll See" with the version in Spanish: "Verás"; "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", "Be Careful (Cuidado con Mi Corazon)" a duet with Ricky Martin, "Sorry" and "Lo Que Siente La Mujer", which is the version in Spanish for her song "What It Feels Like for a Girl," and "Spanish Lesson" on the "Hard Candy" album, and concerts on the Drowned World Tour.

Lyrically, the song speaks of the simplicity and authenticity of boy-meets-girl love: yet another theme which has occasionally recurred in her lyrics as in "Impressive Instant" and "Forbidden Love". Much has been made of the song's reference to 'San Pedro' and the island to which the song title refers. Some believe the island is Ambergris Caye in the nation of Belize, as the song may also mention the principal village, San Pedro Town. However, Gaitsch has mentioned that at the time, Madonna was spending time in a US town of the same name, and both Madonna and then husband Sean Penn were good friends with San Pedro, California poet and novelist Charles Bukowski. [Ciotti, Paul. (March 22, 1987) Los Angeles Times "Bukowski: He's written more than 40 books, and in Europe he's treated like a rock star. He has dined with Norman Mailer and goes to the race track with Sean Penn. Mickey Rourke and Faye Dunaway are starring in a movie based on his life. At 66, poet Charles Bukowski is suddenly in vogue." Section: Los Angeles Times Magazine; Page 12.] Puerto Rico is thought to be "La Isla Bonita" due to the reference of salsa being danced in the streets by the island natives & also because of Puerto Rico's beauty. Madonna herself hasn't helped speculation, referring to the song as being only a tribute to Latin America and its people, to an island and to herself. However, in many Latin countries, the name is a reference for Manhattan.

Madonna and the song appeared in Japanese TV commercials for the "Mitsubishi F-23 Hi-Fi Video" VCR, as part of her ongoing commercial commitment to Mitsubishi in Japan at the time.

Trivia

In 2001, an extended version of "La Isla Bonita" was included on the remastered re-release of "True Blue".

"La Isla Bonita" was Madonna's first #1 in France, where the song spent three weeks at the top spot in July 1987, also making her the first American solo female singer to top the charts since its creation in 1984. It was also one of the biggest hits of the 80's in South Africa, where it spent 8 weeks at #1 in 1987.

Madonna has performed "La Isla Bonita" during many of her concert tours, most spectacularly during The Who's That Girl Tour, The Girlie Show, the Drowned World Tour, the Confessions Tour, and the Sticky & Sweet Tour. To many of her fans, "La Isla Bonita" is seen as an enduring and beautiful product of this fascination with Hispanic culture, whilst to others, "La Isla Bonita" was seen as a blue print for later female stars who would inevitably include the occasional Spanish styled songs on their albums (Tina Arena, Geri Halliwell, Kylie Minogue, Christina Aguilera or Alizée).

The Mexican Latin Pop singer Byanka sung the 1987 Spanish song of the same title.

Madonna performed "La Isla Bonita" during her Confessions Tour in a dance/tribal remix. She also has given the song a remix with Eugene Hutz and Sergey Ryabtsev from the gypsy punk band Gogol Bordello. Hutz and Ryabtsev performed the song with Madonna onstage at the London Live Earth concert on July 7th, 2007. The song was once again added to the set list of one of her tours in 2008, during the Sticky & Sweet Tour.

Music video

The music video was set in Los Angeles and was directed by Mary Lambert, who directed a string of her acclaimed 1980's videos including those for "Borderline" and "Like a Prayer". The video, rich in Spanish tones wearing a traditional flamenco dress, sees Madonna playing dual roles, alter egos as such, representing piety and passion. The struggle between the two forms the backdrop of the video, which juts back and forth between blue and red backdrops and scenes. A young Benicio del Toro appears in the video as a background character. The video world-premiered on MTV on March 6, 1987.

*Director: Mary Lambert
*Producers: David Naylor, Sharon Oreck
*Director of Photography: Bryan Loftus
*Editor: Glenn Morgan
*Production Company: O Pictures

Official mixes

*Album Version (4:01)
*Extended Remix (5:22)
*Remix Edit (3:58)
*Instrumental (5:17)
*7" Instrumental (4:21)
*Video Version/Fade (3:53)
*Remastered Version from "The Immaculate Collection" (3:45)

Charts

Alizée's version

Infobox Single
Name = La Isla Bonita


Artist = Alizée
from Album = Psychédélices (CD + DVD)
Released = 2 June, 2008 (México)
Format = Digital Download
Recorded = 2008
Genre = Pop
Length = 3:43
Label = Sony BMG
Writer = Madonna, Patrick Leonard, Bruce Gaitsch
Producer =
Last single = "Fifty-Sixty"
(2008)
This single = "La Isla Bonita"
(2008)
Next single = TBA

French pop singer, Alizée covered the song during her first promotional tours in Europe in 2001, but it wasn't until 2008 that a new studio version was recorded and included on a special edition for her album, "Psychédélices" in Mexico. The song so far has gone on to become a hit becoming Alizée's first top ten single on the national top ten airplay chairt. [ [http://www.lostiempos.com/noticias/26-06-08/26_06_08_ultimas_cul3.php Alizée's Top 10 in Mexico] ]

Charts

Other cover versions

* French punk/rockabilly band Happy Drivers recorded a cover for their 1990 album "War".
* The song was covered on "Dream", the debut album of TrueBliss, a New Zealand reality television pop band formed in April 1999.
* A eurodance version was recorded by the group Mad'House for the album "Absolutely Mad".
* A hi-NRG dance cover of the song by Who's That Girl was released through Almighty Records.
* Commercial Club Crew released several dance cover remixes of the song.
* A hip hop/reggae style cover of the song was released in 2005 by Squeeze Up featuring Rod Fame and Teishan.
* Finnish power metal band Twilight Guardians covered the song for their 2006 album "Sin Trade".
* Indie psychedelic folk singer/songwriter Jonathan Wilson recorded a cover for the 2007 Madonna tribute compilation "Through the Wilderness".
* German punk band Bitume included a cover of the song for their 2008 album "Punkrock Motorcity".
* American heavy metal band System of a Down has performed part of this song in their live shows.

ampling

* In 1999, female singer Deetah used elements of the song in her single "El Paraíso Rico".
* The song was sampled by rapper Black Rob, in his 2000 song "Spanish Fly" (included in his "Life Story" album), which features Jennifer Lopez. In the chorus of the song, Lopez sings the part which samples "La Isla Bonita".
* In 2004, rapper Mase sampled and interpolated it for his song "My Harlem Lullaby".

References in other media

On the Family Guy episode The Father, the Son, and the Holy Fonz when discussing Madonna at the end, Peter Griffin calls her a liar for singing about an nonexistent place (La Isla Bonita) stating that he couldn't find it in a map.

References

* [http://www.mad-eyes.net/disco/tb/la-isla-bonita.htm Mad-Eyes.net - "La Isla Bonita" Single Page]