| "Island in the Sun" | |
|---|---|
| Single byHarry Belafonte | |
| from the albumBelafonte Sings of the Caribbean | |
| Language | English |
| B-side | "Cocoanut Woman" |
| Released | May 1957 |
| Genre | Calypso |
| Length | 3:15 |
| Label | RCA Victor |
| Songwriters | Harry Belafonte,Irving Burgie |
"Island in the Sun" is a song written byHarry Belafonte andIrving Burgie (Lord Burgess), and performed by Harry Belafonte for the 1957 filmIsland in the Sun and on his 1957 albumBelafonte Sings of the Caribbean.[1]
The song was one of two songs (the other song being "Lead Man Holler") written by Harry Belafonte and Irving Burgie for the 1957 filmIsland in the Sun, a film on racial tension and interracial romance. The song serves as the title song sung at the start of the film, which ends with Belafonte walking off to the humming of the song. Belafonte performed the song onThe Ed Sullivan Show on June 9, 1957 to promote the film.[2] It was also released as a single backed with "Cocoanut Woman" in May 1957;[3] both songs charted, and "Island in the Sun" reached No. 30 on theBillboard'sBest Sellers in Stores,[4] and No. 42 on Top 100 Sides.[5]
In 2017, Belafonte released the albumWhen Colors Come Together: The Legacy of Harry Belafonte for his 90th birthday with the intention of fostering racial harmony, which included a new version of "Island in the Sun" titled "When Colors Come Together (Our Island in the Sun)" performed by a multi-ethnic children choir.[6][7]
In 1999, the song was adapted into a children's picture book, illustrated with cut-paper collages by Alex Ayliffe and published byDial Books. The book was anAméricas Award commended title and received generally positive reviews.[8][9]
| Chart (1957–1958) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[10] | 5 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[11] | 9 |
| Canada (CHUMHit Parade)[12] | 21 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[13] | 6 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[14] | 3 |
| USBest Sellers in Stores (Billboard)[4] | 30 |
| USCash Box Top 100[15] | 32 |
| Chart (1989) | Peak position |
| West Germany (GfK)[16] | 69 |
The song has also been covered by many artists, includingThe Merrymen, John Rowles,[17]José Carreras,The Paragons,[18] andThe Righteous Brothers.[19]
In 1962, the song was performed byThe Brothers Four on the albumIn Person/Cross-Country Concert.
The song has been sung in other languages; as early as 1958,Henri Salvador wrote lyrics and sang the song in French.Caterina Valente performed the song in German as "Wo meine Sonne scheint ".[20]
Bo-Göran Edling wrote lyrics in Swedish, and asDe tusen öars land, the song was recorded by theStreaplers, releasing it as a single in October 1969 withEn enda kort minut acting as aB-side.[21] and their version also charted atSvensktoppen for 19 weeks between 28 December 1969[22]-4 May 1970,[23] and managed to top the chart. With these lyrics the song was also recorded in 1970 byNora Brockstedt,[24] byTage Öst in 1976,[25] andKällströms in 1985[26] and finally in 2005 byHans Martin.[27]
With lyrics in Swedish byMargot Borgström, asSol, öar, vind och hav, the song was also recorded bySchytts on the 1979 albumNya änglalåtar[28] and their version charted for 10 weeks at Svensktoppen between 13 April-24 August 1980, and also managed to top the chart.[29]
TheCroatian version sung byDarko Rundek was recorded in 2000 for albumU širokom svijetu[30] (rereleased in 2017 on compilationApoCalypso)
