Islands (Mike Oldfield song)

Last updated
"Islands"
Islands single (Mike Oldfield).jpg
Single by Mike Oldfield featuring Bonnie Tyler
from the album Islands
Released7 September 1987 (1987-09-07) [1]
Genre Pop rock
Length5:35 (album version)
4:20 (single version)
Label Virgin
Songwriter(s) Mike Oldfield
Producer(s)
Mike Oldfield singles chronology
"In High Places"
(1987)		"Islands"
(1987)		"The Time Has Come"
(1987)

"Islands" is a song by English musician Mike Oldfield, featuring Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler on vocals. It features on Oldfield's 1987 album of the same name. It was written by Oldfield, who co-produced the track with Tom Newman and Alan Shacklock. The track was released as a single in September 1987 by Virgin Records.

Contents

Writing and recording

English musician Mike Oldfield described "Islands" as "the high spot" of its parent album. In early 1987, he left his partner and children, and had moved to Megève in France. Oldfield wrote "Islands" during that time, while feeling "lonely, isolated and cut off". After struggling with the vocals, he invited Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler to record it, describing her performance as "spine-tingling, exactly the way it was supposed to be". [2]

Critical reception

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Mike DeGagne opined that Tyler's vocal "lifts the title track higher than any other cut [on the album]". [3]

Formats and track listings

  1. "Islands" (featuring Bonnie Tyler) – 4:18
  2. "The Wind Chimes" (Part One) – 2:24
  1. "Islands" (featuring Bonnie Tyler) – 5:35
  2. "When the Nights on Fire" (featuring Anita Hegerland) – 6:42
  3. "The Wind Chimes" (Part One) – 2:24

Charts

Chart (1987)Peak
position
Spain (AFYVE) [6] 22
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [7] 22
UK Singles (OCC) [8] 100
West Germany (GfK Entertainment Charts) [9] 41

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the Islands album. [10]

Recording

Management

Personnel

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References

  1. ↑ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 35.
  2. ↑ Oldfield, Mike (2007). Changeling: The Autobiography of Mike Oldfield. Virgin Books. p. 232. ISBN   978-0-753-51307-1.
  3. ↑ DeGagne, Mike. "Islands – Mike Oldfield". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 7 March 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  4. ↑ Islands (sleeve). Mike Oldfield featuring Bonnie Tyler. Virgin Records. 1987. VS-990.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  5. ↑ Islands (sleeve). Mike Oldfield featuring Bonnie Tyler. Virgin Records. 1987. VS-990-12.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ↑ Fernando Salaverri (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN   84-8048-639-2.
  7. ↑ "Mike Oldfield feat. Bonnie Tyler – Islands". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  8. ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  9. ↑ "Deutsch Offizielle Charts" . Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  10. ↑ Islands (sleeve). Mike Oldfield. Virgin Records. 1987. V-2466.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)


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