"Circle in the Sand" is a song by American singer Belinda Carlisle for her second studio album, '' Heaven on Earth'' (1987). It was written by Rick Nowels, who also produced it, and

Ellen Shipley Ellen Shipley (born March 24, 1949 in New York City, New York, United States) is an American musician and songwriter. Career At sixteen years old, Shipley got a NYC Cabaret license. She performed a duo act in Greenwich Village in the early 70's ...

. "Circle in the Sand" was the third

single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...

released from ''Heaven on Earth'' in May 1988. It reached No. 7, becoming Carlisle's sixth and last top-10 hit in the United States. It also charted at No. 5 in Canada, ending the year as the country's 69th-most-successful hit.

Background and writing

"Circle in the Sand" was written by Rick Nowels and

, who wrote many of Carlisle's hit singles in the late 1980s and into the early 1990s, including her

signature song A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a Handwriting, handwritten (and often Stylization, stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and ...

" Heaven Is a Place on Earth". The first known appearance of the song in progress is from the ''Lost Heaven Demos''

bootleg Bootleg or bootlegging most often refers to: * Bootleg recording, an audio or video recording released unofficially * Rum-running, the illegal business of transporting and trading in alcoholic beverages, hence: ** Moonshine, or illicitly made ...

which features a solid drum beat, lead keyboard line and simple bass with no guitars present, and completed lyrics. The final album version of the song features a unique lead keyboard theme provided by Thomas Dolby, combined with a thumping

bassline Bassline (also known as a bass line or bass part) is the term used in many styles of music, such as blues, jazz, funk, Dub music, dub and electronic music, electronic, traditional music, traditional, or classical music for the low-pitched Part ( ...

and accentuated with swirling and shimmering guitar, including some played in reverse during the bridge.

Music video

The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Peter CareCircle in the Sand
MVDbase entry in Half Moon Bay, California and features Carlisle singing with various beach scenes in the background. The video mirrors the lyrical content with "cold wind", "tide moves in", and "waves crash" throughout. It makes effective use of video editing tricks by displaying different images of Carlisle and the surf on large sheets of paper hanging on a clothes line, with waves crashing in the background. The combined effect gives the semblance of a video-based

collage Collage (, from the french: coller, "to glue" or "to stick together";) is a technique of art creation, primarily used in the visual arts, but in music too, by which art results from an assemblage of different forms, thus creating a new whole. ...

. The music video uses the single edit version of the song and was released by MCA Records in March 1988. Universal Records later posted the video for free viewing on YouTube in March 2007.

Track listing and formats

* UK 7-inch single (VS 1074) # "Circle in the Sand" — 3:40 # "Circle in the Sand (Seaside Mood Groove Mix)" — 3:51 * UK 12-inch single (VST 1074) # "Circle in the Sand (Beach Party Mix)" — 7:50 # "Circle in the Sand" (edit) — 3:20 # "Circle in the Sand (Seaside Mood Groove Mix)" — 3:51 * UK CD single (VSCD 1074) # "Circle in the Sand" (7" version) — 3:40 # "Circle in the Sand (Seaside Mood Groove Mix)" — 3:51 # "Circle in the Sand (Sandblast Multi-mix)" (Including "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" and "I Get Weak") — 5:18 # "Circle in the Sand (Beach Party Mix)" — 7:07 The remixes were made by

William Orbit William Mark Wainwright (born 15 December 1956),"William Orbit." ''Contemporary Musicians''. Vol. 30. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2000. Retrieved via ''Biography in Context'' database, 7 May 2017. Available onlinvia ''Encyclopedia.com'' known ...

Credits and personnel

* Belinda Carlisle - lead vocals * Charles Judge -

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

, drum programming * John McCurry - electric guitars * Thomas Dolby - keyboards * John Pierce -

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

* Rick Nowels - keyboards, drum programming

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

Discogs.com entry

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Circle In The Sand 1988 singles Belinda Carlisle songs Songs written by Rick Nowels Songs written by Ellen Shipley Song recordings produced by Rick Nowels 1987 songs MCA Records singles Pop ballads 1980s ballads