Madonna | La Isla Bonita (1987)
"La Isla Bonita" (The Pretty Island) is a song by American singer Madonna from her third studio album True Blue (1986).
1987-02-25 19:00:00 - Madonna
Written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, with additional lyrics by Bruce Gaitsch, the song was originally presented by Leonard as an instrumental demo to Michael Jackson, who turned it down; Leonard then played it to Madonna, who liked it and wrote the lyrics and melodies.
"La Isla Bonita" is noted for being the first by the singer to contain Latin influences; its instrumentation features Cuban drums, Spanish guitar arrangements, maracas and harmonicas.
The lyrics talk about a "beautiful island" named San Pedro; according to Madonna, the song is a tribute to the beauty of Latinos. The song was released as the fifth and final single from True Blue on February 25, 1987. Afterwards, it was included on the singer's compilation albums The Immaculate Collection (1990), and Celebration (2009).
Upon its release, "La Isla Bonita" was positively received by music critics who, in retrospective reviews, have considered it one of Madonna's best songs. It was also commercially successful, becoming her 11th top-five hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and second Adult Contemporary number one; it topped the charts across several countries in Europe, including the United Kingdom, where it gave Madonna her fourth number one.
In the accompanying music video, the singer portrays two opposite characters: a Catholic young woman, and a "passionate" flamenco dancer; academics applauded the clip for using Hispanic fashion and symbology as icons of beauty and romanticism.
The song has been performed in seven of Madonna's concert tours, the last being 2019–2020's Madame X Tour, and has been covered by multiple artists across, including Ricky Martin and Alizée.