45 RPMs 81: Madonna ~ La Isla Bonita

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Madonna ~ La Isla Bonita                             

45 rpm front cover                             

front cover photo by Herb Ritts                                 

       

On April 30, 1987, the song La Isla Bonita by Madonna, became her 11th consecutive top five single. I don't usually write about top 40 pop songs but this is one of the very best ones there is. I absolutely love this tune; I think it's the most musically interesting song ever recorded by her.          

Madonna ~ La Isla Bonita

45 rpm front cover

photo by Herb Ritts

         

Isla is from her third studio album True Blue released in 1986; she came up with the title for the song and added the lyrics to the music, written by Patrick Leonard and Bruce Gaitsch, which has Latin influences. Its instrumentation features flamenco guitar, Latin percussion, maracas, and includes four lines sung in Spanish. The lyrics talk about an island named San Pedro, whose location has been debated. Madonna said the song was her tribute to Latin Americans.      

      

Isla was her eleventh top five hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and second Adult Contemporary number one. It topped the charts in Canada and several countries in Europe, including the United Kingdom―where it became Madonna's fourth number one―France, West Germany, and Austria.        

        

La Isla Bonita was first offered to Michael Jackson, "The King of Pop," however, Jackson turned it down for some reason.          

         

In the music video, directed by Mary Lambert, for the song (link below), Madonna portrays two opposite characters: a young Catholic woman, and a flamenco dancer.           

 

 

La Isla Bonita - 2016

video still
 

 

 La Isla Bonita

 

[Intro]
¿Cómo puede ser verdad?

[Verse 1]
Last night I dreamt of San Pedro
Just like I'd never gone, I knew the song
Young girl with eyes like the desert
It all seems like yesterday, not far away

[Chorus]
Tropical the island breeze, all of nature wild and free
(Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah)
This is where I long to be, La Isla Bonita
And when the samba played, the sun would set so high
(Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah)
Ring through my ears and sting my eyes, your Spanish lullaby

[Verse 2]
I fell in love with San Pedro
Warm wind carried on the sea, he called to me
Te dijo, "Te amo"
I prayed that the days would last, they went so fast

[Chorus]
Tropical the island breeze, all of nature wild and free
(Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah)
This is where I long to be, La Isla Bonita
And when the samba played, the sun would set so high
(Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah)
Ring through my ears and sting my eyes, your Spanish lullaby

 

[Bridge]
I want to be where the sun warms the sky
When it's time for siesta, you can watch them go by
Beautiful faces, no cares in this world
Where a girl loves a boy, and a boy loves a girl

[Pre-Chorus]
Last night I dreamt of San Pedro
It all seems like yesterday, not far away

[Chorus]
Tropical the island breeze, all of nature wild and free
(Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah)
This is where I long to be, La Isla Bonita
And when the samba played, the sun would set so high
(Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah)
Ring through my ears and sting my eyes, your Spanish lullaby
(Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa)
Tropical the island breeze, all of nature wild and free
(Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah)
This is where I long to be, La Isla Bonita
And when the samba played, the sun would set so high
(Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah)
Ring through my ears and sting my eyes, your Spanish lullaby

[Outro]
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
Te dijo, te amo
La-la-la-la-la-la-la
Él dijo que te ama
Pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa (Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah)
La Isla Bonita
Ah-ah, ah-ah, ah-ah
Spanish lullaby

 

 

 

 

Madonna ~ La Isla Bonita

45 rpm, sides 1 & 2

        

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A - La Isla Bonita, written by Bruce Gaitsch, Madonna, Pat Leonard* - 4:01

Side 2:

B - La Isla Bonita (Instrumental Remix), written by Bruce Gaitsch, Madonna, Pat Leonard* - 4:20

Companies, etc.

    Record Company – Sire Records Company
    Copyright © – Sire Records Company
    Copyright © – WEA International Inc.
    Phonographic Copyright ℗ – Sire Records Company
    Phonographic Copyright ℗ – WEA International Inc.
    Marketed By – Warner Bros. Records Inc.
    Published By – Wb Music Corp.
    Published By – Bleu Disque Music Co., Inc.
    Published By – Webo Girl Publishing, Inc.
    Published By – Johnny Yuma Music
    Published By – Edge Of Fluke Music
    Mastered At – Future Disc
    Pressed By – Specialty Records Corporation

 

Credits:

 

    Photography By – Herb Ritts
    Producer [Produced By] – Madonna, Patrick Leonard
    Remix – Chris Lord-Alge (tracks: B)

 

Notes:

Back cover:
From the Madonna album True Blue. Available on the Sire LP, cassette and Compact Disc (1/4/2-25442).
© 1987 Sire Records Company for the U.S. & WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the U.S.
℗ 1986 Sire Records Company for the U.S. & WEA International Inc. for the world outside of the U.S.
Made in U.S.A.

Labels A/B:
WB Music Corp./Bleu Disque Music Co., Inc./Webo Girl Publishing, Inc. Adm. by WB Music Corp. ASCAP/Johnny Yuma Music BMI/Edge Of Fluke Music ASCAP
℗ 1986 Sire Records Company
Sire Records Company • Marketed by Warner Bros. Records Inc. • 3300 Warner Blvd. Burbank, Calif. 91510 • Made in U.S.A.

Label A:
From the Madonna album TRUE BLUE on Sire Records (1-25442)

Label B:
Original version available on the Madonna album TRUE BLUE on Sire Records (1-25442)

Barcode and Other Identifiers         

    Barcode (Text): 0 7599-28425-7
    Barcode (Scanned): 075992842570
    Rights Society: ASCAP
    Rights Society: BMI
    Matrix / Runout (Label side A): 7-28425-A
    Matrix / Runout (Label side B): 7-28425-B
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, etched - variant 1): 7-28425A-SR-3 Future Disc
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, etched - variant 1): 7-28425B-SR-3
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, etched - variant 2): 7-28425A-SR-1 Future Disc I - I
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, etched - variant 2): 7-28425B-SR-3 I - I
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, etched - variant 3): SP 7-28425A-SR-1 Future Disc I - I
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, etched - variant 3): 7-28425B-SR-3 I - 2
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, etched - variant 4): 7-28425A-SR-2 I - 1 Future Disc
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, etched - variant 4): 7-28425B SR-1 1 - 2
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side A, etched - variant 5): 7-28425A-SR-1 FuTuRE DISC 1-1 SP
    Matrix / Runout (Runout side B, etched - variant 5): 7-28425B SR-3 1-2 SRC
    Pressing Plant ID ('Specialty Records Corporation' logo in runouts): SRC

        

Madonna – La Isla Bonita
Label:    Sire – 9 28425-7, Sire – 7-28425
Format:    Vinyl, 7", 45 RPM, Single, SRC Pressing
Country: US
Released: 1987
Genre:    Electronic, Pop
Style:    Latin, Synth-pop

        

        

        

        

Viewfinder links:       

         

Bruce Gaitsch           

Michael Jackson              

Patrick Leonard           

Madonna           
Herb Ritts        
     
Net links:       

         

American Songwriter ~ The Meaning of La Isla Bonita by Madonna  

Billboard ~ Madonna’s Enduring Love Affair With Latin Culture    

Madonnapedia ~ La Isla Bonita (song)     

Repeating Islands ~ La Isla Bonita Tribute to Belize and San Pedro  

Set-Jetter ~ Madonna: La Isla Bonita     

Smooth Radio ~ The Story of... La Isla Bonita by Madonna         

Songfacts ~ La Isla Bonita     
     
YouTube links:      
        
La Isla Bonita         

        

        
        
         

         

"Spanish in another life!"

             ~ Madonna

        

Styrous® ~ Tuesday, April 30, 2024       

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Modest Mussorgsky ~ Pictures at an Exhibition

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Modest Mussorgsky ~ Pictures at an Exhibition - 1886

English: The cover of the first edition of Mussorgsky's Picture at the Exhibition (edited by Rimsky-Korsakov).

Русский: Обложка первого издания «Картинок с выставки» М. П. Мусоргского (под редакцией Н. А. Римского-Корсакова).

 

Deutsch: Das Titelblatt der ersten Ausgabe von Modest Mussorgskis „Bilder einer Ausstellung“ (bearbeitet von Rimski-Korsakoff). Die Aufschrift lautet:

Владиміру Васльевичу Стасову
Картинки съ выставки
Десять пьесъ для фортепіано
Модеста Мусоргскаго

A Monsieur Wladimir Stassoff
„Tableaux d’une exposition“
Série de dix pièces
POUR PIANO
PAR
MODESTE MOUSSORGSKY

  

  

Today, March 21, is the birthday of Russian composer, librettist, director, and playwright Modest Mussorgsky who was born in 1839. He was one of a group known as "The Five" and an innovator of Russian music in the Romantic period. He strove to achieve a uniquely Russian musical identity, often in deliberate defiance of the established conventions of Western music.       

Modest Mussorgsky
 date & photographer unknown

 

 

Many of his works were inspired by Russian folklore, history and other national themes some of which include the opera Boris Godunov, the orchestral tone poem Night on Bald Mountain and the piano suite Pictures at an Exhibition.       

 

Pictures at an Exhibition is based on paintings in an exhibition at the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg by the artist, architect, and designer Viktor Hartmann who with Mussorgsky, was devoted to the cause of an intrinsically Russian art. Each movement of the suite is based on an individual work from that exhibition.            

Viktor Hartmann

date & photographer unknown

 

As with most of Mussorgsky's works, Pictures at an Exhibition has a complicated publication history. Although composed very rapidly, during June 1874, the work did not appear in print until 1886, five years after the composer's death, when an edition by the composer's friend and colleague Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was published. This edition, however, was not a completely accurate representation of Mussorgsky's score but presented a revised text that contained a number of errors and misreadings.  

 

In 1922, Maurice Ravel wrote an adaptation for orchestra and it is the most recorded and performed. There have been dozens of interpretations of Pictures by world renown classical music conductors as well as popular musicians over the years.     

 

 

Maurice Ravel

photo by Vera Prasilova Scott

The suite has inspired covers in a broad range of popular musical styles. The Emerson, Lake & Palmer version incorporated elements of progressive rock, jazz and folk music. An electronic music adaptation by Isao Tomita was done in 1975 and in 2005, Animusic 2 created an amazing animation that included a track entitled Cathedral Pictures, which used only the first Promenade and the final two movements from the suite arranged by Tomita. On the topic of animation, one unforgettable endeavor was the 1940 Walt Disney animation Fantasia which used Night on Bald Mountain. I remember when I was a little kid I loved Fantasia but this segment totally creeped me out!       

         

In 1984 the metal band, Armored Saint, utilised the Great Gate of Kyiv theme as an introduction for the track March of the Saint in the album of the same name. In 1990 a heavy metal arrangement of the entire suite was released by the German band Mekong Delta; In 2002, electronic musician-composer Amon Tobin paraphrased Gnomus for the track Back From Space on his album Out from Out Where. In 2003 guitarist-composer Trevor Rabin released an electric guitar adaptation of the Promenade that was originally intended for the Yes album Big Generator but later included on his compilation album, 90124. The Michael Jackson song HIStory samples a short section of The Great Gate of Kiev.           

     

     

Viewfinder links:         

        

Viktor Hartmann           

Michael Jackson ~ HIStory                 

Modest Mussorgsky         

Trevor Rabin         

Maurice Ravel          

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov                 

Amon Tobin        

Isao Tomita        

        

Net links:         

        

Animusic 2        

         

         

         

         

        

YouTube links:         

Animusic 2 ~  Pictures at an exhibition                    

Armored Saint ~ March of the Saint         

Walt Disney - Night on Bald Mountain        

Emerson, Lake & Palmer ~ Pictures At An Exhibition (Complete album)     

Michael Jackson ~ HIStory        

Mekong Delta ~ Pictures At An Exhibition (Complete album)      

Trevor Rabin ~ Promenade            

Amon Tobin ~ Back From Space       

Isao Tomita ~ Pictures At An Exhibition (Complete album)     

           

         

         

         

         

         

Styrous® ~ Thursday, March 21, 2024       
        

 

 

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Music Notes 
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Sheen Easton articles/mentions

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mentions:      

Anita Mui ~ 淑女 (Lady)    

Prince ~ Batman     

     

     

     

     

     

     

Sheen Easton

date & photographer unknown

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

 

 

 

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Music People

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Halloween Greetings

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Halloween - 2022

photo by Isaac Amala
 

 

        

        

        

        

        

        

         

        

        

         

        

        

Viewfinder links:        

        

Dia de los Muertos        

Music & Mayhem        

         

Youtube links:        

         

Louis Armstrong ~ Spooks (1954)          

Blues Brothers - Ghost Riders in the Sky (1980)         

The Brian Sisters ~ Boogie Woogie Man (1942)           

Bill Buchanan ~ Beware (1962)       

The Calvanes ~ Horror Pictures (1958)       

Johnny Cash - Ghost Riders In The Sky (1987)         

Rosemary Clooney ~ Punky Punkin (1950)        

Bing Crosby ~ The Headless Horseman (1949)      

Baron Daemon and the Vampires ~ Transylvania Twist (1963)       

De Staat - Witch Doctor (2016)       

Golden Earring - Twilight zone (1982)      

Michael Jackson ~ Thriller (1983)       

Manhattan Transfer ~ Twilight Zone (1979)          

Metropolis - Dance Scene (1927)        

Mary Ann McCall ~ You've Got Me Voodoo'd (1940)        

Vaughn Monroe - Ghost Riders In The Sky (1987)         

Patsy Montana ~ Yodeling Ghost (1954)              

Napoleon XIV ~ They're Coming To Take Me Away Ha Ha (1966)  

The Naturals ~ The Mummy (1959)       

Bobby "Boris" Pickett & the Crypt Kickers ~ Monster Mash (1962)   

The Poets ~ Dead (1959)         

Saturday Night Live ~     

      Graveyard Song (2014)     

      Haunted Elevator (2016)     

      Vincent Price's Halloween Special (2010)    

David Seville - Witch Doctor (1958)          

Silly Symphony - Egyptian Melodies (1931)         

The Specials - Ghost Town (1981)          

Victoria Spivey ~ Spider Web Blues (1929)       

Zager & Evans - In the Year 2525 (1969)                

         

        

        

        

        

         

        

         

Styrous® ~ Monday, October 31, 2022       

      

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Events
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Elmer Bernstein articles/mentions

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A boy & his dinosaurs      

Michael Jackson ~ A 12" Thriller     

      

     

      

     

      

     

      

     

Elmer Bernstein     

date & photographer unknown     

      

     

      

     

      

     

      

     

      

     

      

     

      

 

 

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Music People

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20,000 vinyl LPs 257: Michael Jackson ~ A 12" Thriller

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On December 2, 1983, MTV aired the Michael Jackson Thriller video for the first time. I vivdly remember Jackson dancing with a horrific bunch of zombies and being TOTALLY blown away and maybe even a little freaked out!!!!!           

 

However, the dancing by the zombies is pretty spectacular! (link to short version below) The young girl (victim) in the video, Ola Ray, is an American model and actress who appeared in the film, 10 to Midnight (link below). She modeled for Playboy and was the Playmate of the Month for the June 1980 issue. There were royalties issues regarding her participation in Thriller.       

 

At the beginning of the video Jackson is wearing a red wool jacket with red and white knitted collar and cuffs and cream colored leather sleeves; I had one just like it in High School; actually, all the guys had them, it was the in thing.          

 

 

Michael Jackson ~ Thriller

12" vinyl single cover 

cover photo by Douglas Kirkland 

photo of cover by Styrous®

It was released as a single by Epic Records on January 23, 1984 as the seventh and final single from Jackson's sixth studio album of the same name.         

 

Michael Jackson ~ Thriller

12" vinyl single back cover 

back cover photo by Douglas Kirkland 

photo of back cover by Styrous®

 

 

Thriller is a mix of disco and funk. The song was produced by Quincy Jones and was written by Rod Temperton who wanted to write a theatrical song to suit Jackson's love of film. The music and lyrics evoke horror films, with sound effects such as thunder, footsteps and wind. It ends with a spoken-word sequence performed by horror actor Vincent Price. The scary music segments were coposed by Elmer Bernstein.      

Temperton's first version was titled Starlight. The production team, led by Quincy Jones, felt the song should be the title track, but that Starlight was not a strong album title. Instead, they wanted something "mysterious to match Michael's evolving persona". Temperton considered several possible titles, including Midnight Man, which Jones felt was "going in the right direction". Finally, he conceived Thriller, but worried that it was "a crap word to sing ... It sounded terrible! However, we got Michael to spit it into the microphone a few times and it worked."         

With the title settled, Temperton wrote lyrics within "a couple of hours". He envisioned a spoken-word sequence for the end of the song, but did not know what form it should take. It was decided to have a famous voice from the horror genre perform it, and Jones' then-wife, Peggy Lipton, suggested her friend Vincent Price. Temperton composed the words for Price's part in a taxi on the way to the studio on the day of recording.          

 

 

Michael Jackson ~ Thriller

12" vinyl single back cover detail

back cover photo by Douglas Kirkland 

detail photo of back cover by Styrous®

 

 

Thriller received positive reviews and became the album's seventh top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number four. It is certified 7x Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). It is one of the best-selling singles of all time, having sold over 9 million copies worldwide. In the week of Jackson's death in 2009, it was Jackson's bestselling track in the US, with sales of 167,000 copies on the Billboard Hot Digital Tracks chart. It charted on the Billboard Hot Digital Singles Chart at number two, and remained in the charts' top ten for three consecutive weeks.   

 

Thriller won a Grammy Award. It is often cited as a pop culture phenomenon and a Halloween anthem. It appears on several of Jackson's greatest hits albums and has been covered by numerous artists. The Thriller music video was directed by John Landis and premiered on MTV on December 2, 1983. In the video, Jackson becomes a zombie and performs a dance routine with a horde of the undead. Many elements of the video have had a lasting impact on popular culture, such as the zombie dance and Jackson's red jacket, and it was the first music video inducted into the National Film Registry. It has been named the greatest video of all time by various publications and readers' polls.             

       

 

 

 

Michael Jackson ~ Thriller

12" vinyl single, side 1

photo by Styrous®

 

 

 

Michael Jackson ~ Thriller

12" vinyl single, side 1

photo by Styrous®

  

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A     Thriller     5:56

Side 2:

B     Thriller (Instrumental)     5:56

Companies, etc.

    Phonographic Copyright (p) – CBS Inc.
    Copyright (c) – CBS Inc.
    Produced For – Quincy Jones Productions
    Mastered At – Allen Zentz Mastering
    Pressed By – Columbia Records Pressing Plant, Carrollton, GA

Credits:

    Co-producer – Michael Jackson
    Mastered By [Runout Etching ❀] – Brian Gardner
    Photography By – Douglas Kirkland
    Producer – Quincy Jones
    Written-By – R. Temperton*

Notes:

 Special 12" Dance Single

Taken from the Epic LP "Thriller" (QE 38112)
© 1982, 1984 CBS Inc./℗ 1982 CBS Inc./Manufactured by Epic Records/CBS Inc.

 
Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Barcode (Text): 0 7464-04961-1
    Barcode (Scanned): 074640496110
    Matrix / Runout (Side A, label): XSS 169545
    Matrix / Runout (Side B, label): XSS 169546
    Matrix / Runout (Side A & B, runout, etched): ❀
    Matrix / Runout (Side A & B, runout, stamped): MASTERED AT ALLEN ZENTZ L.A., CALIF.
    Matrix / Runout (Side A, runout, etched, variant 1): XSS-169545-1F B6 0G1
    Matrix / Runout (Side B, runout, etched, variant 1): XSS-169546-1E D5 0G1
    Matrix / Runout (Side A, runout, etched, variant 2): XSS-169545-1G G1
    Matrix / Runout (Side B, runout, etched, variant 2): XSS-169546-1E G1

 

Michael Jackson ‎– Thriller
Label: Epic ‎– 49-04961
Format: Vinyl, 12", 33 ⅓ RPM, Single, Carrollton Pressing
Country: US
Released: 1984
Genre: Funk / Soul, Pop
Style: Rhythm & Blues, Disco

 

 

   

         

Viewfinder links:        

         

10 To Midnight & Eugene M. Davis        

Michael Jackson        

Quincy Jones        

Vincent Price        

        

YouTube links:        

       

Michael Jackson ~ Thriller (Official Video) (13mins., 32 secs.)     

Michael Jackson ~ Thriller (Official Video) (short version)     

        

 

        

        
        

        

        

Styrous® ~ Wednesday, December 2, 2020       
       

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