"Island in the Sun" is a song by the American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
Weezer
Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing v ...
. It is the second single from the band's second self-titled album ''
Weezer
Weezer is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1992. Since 2001, the band has consisted of Rivers Cuomo (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Patrick Wilson (drums, backing vocals), Scott Shriner (bass guitar, keyboards, backing v ...
'', released in 2001. "Island in the Sun" was not originally planned to be on the album, but producer
Ric Ocasek
Richard Theodore Otcasek (March 23, 1944 – September 15, 2019), known as Ric Ocasek, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He was the primary co-lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, songwriter, and frontman for the rock ...
fought for its inclusion. It was a successful radio single and perhaps the band's biggest hit ever outside of the United States, reaching No. 31 in the
UK and No. 17 in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. In January 2002, the Australian
Triple J Hottest 100
The Triple J Hottest 100 is an annual music listener poll hosted by the publicly-funded, national Australian youth radio station, Triple J. Members of the public are invited to vote for their favourite Australian and alternative music of the ...
ranked the song 7 in its
2001 countdown. "Island in the Sun" is also the most-licensed track in the Weezer catalog. In 2009, ''
Pitchfork
A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves.
The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...
'' named it the 495th greatest song of the 2000s.
In late 2001, the band reworked the song's solo for their live show. In 2005, lead singer
Rivers Cuomo
Rivers Cuomo ( ; born June 13, 1970) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and songwriter of the rock band Weezer.
Cuomo was raised in a number of Buddhist communities in the Northeast U.S. until the age of 10, wh ...
would often open the band's encore by playing "Island in the Sun" alone on an acoustic guitar in the back of the venue they were playing.
The song is much lighter than the album's first single, "
Hash Pipe
"Hash Pipe" is a song by American rock band Weezer. Released in 2001, it was the first single off the band's third album ''Weezer'' (''The Green Album''), and the only one of the Summer Songs of 2000 songs to make it onto the album, although "D ...
." It is also a bonus track on some versions of Weezer's next album, ''
Maladroit
''Maladroit'' is the fourth studio album by American rock band Weezer, released on May 14, 2002, by Geffen Records. Produced by the band, it was their first album to feature bassist Scott Shriner, following the departure of former bassist Mikey We ...
''.
Composition
"Island in the Sun" is an
alternative rock
Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from Popular culture, mainstre ...
and
power pop
Power pop (also typeset as powerpop) is a form of pop rock based on the early music of bands such as the Who, the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds. It typically incorporates melodic hooks, vocal harmonies, an energetic performance, and ch ...
song that is about three minutes and twenty seconds.
According to the
sheet music
Sheet music is a handwritten or printed form of musical notation that uses List of musical symbols, musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chord (music), chords of a song or instrumental Musical composition, musical piece. Like ...
published at Musicnotes.com by
Hal Leonard Music, it is written in the
time signature
The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...
of
common time
The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...
, with a moderate
tempo
In musical terminology, tempo (Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (often ...
of 116 beats per minute.
"Island in the Sun" is composed in the
key
Key or The Key may refer to:
Common meanings
* Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm
* Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock
* Key (map ...
of
G major
G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor.
The G major scale is:
Notable compositi ...
, while Rivers Cuomo's
vocal range
Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of stud ...
spans one and a quarter
octave
In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...
s, from the low note of
E4 to the high note of
G5.
It follows the
vi–ii–V–I __NOTOC__In music, the vi–ii–V–I progression is a chord progression (also called the circle progression for the circle of fifths, along which it travels). A vi–ii–V–I progression in C major (with inverted chords) is shown below.
It is ...
progression, utilising the chords of E minor, A minor, D major and G major.
Reception
Melissa Bobbitt at
About.com
Dotdash Meredith (formerly About.com) is an American digital media company based in New York City. The company publishes online articles and videos about various subjects across categories including health, home, food, finance, tech, beauty, l ...
ranked "Island in the Sun" as the 12th best Weezer song, saying it "exemplified a relaxed Southern California spirit". It was named as one of the 12 best post-''
Pinkerton
Pinkerton may refer to:
Places
* Pinkerton, Ontario, named after surveyor and early settler Matthew Pinkerton
* Pinkerton's Landing Bridge, railroad bridge in Pennsylvania
People
* Allan Pinkerton (18191884), Scottish detective and spy
* Bill ...
'' Weezer songs by ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'', where they refer to it as "...a reminder that Cuomo really does deserve
Brian Wilson
Brian Douglas Wilson (born June 20, 1942) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who co-founded the Beach Boys. Often called a genius for his novel approaches to pop composition, extraordinary musical aptitude, and m ...
comparisons for reasons beyond being a hermetic weirdo with a solid grasp of pop songcraft". Emily Tartanella of ''
Magnet
A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, steel, nickel, ...
'' considers it the most overrated Weezer song, stating it should be "retired" from commercials and radio stations. Tartanella describes it as "so laid back it's practically catatonic".
Music videos
There are two different videos for "Island in the Sun".
Version 1: Mexican wedding
This video was directed by
Marcos Siega
Marcos Siega (born June 8, 1969, in New York City) is a film, television, commercial and music video director. He has also worked as a producer, a musician and an artist.
In the late 1980s, he helped to form the New York-based punk band Bad Trip, ...
. It shows Weezer playing the song at a Mexican couple's wedding reception and features all four band members. The groom in the video is played by actor/singer Tony Garcia.
Version 2: Animals
This video was directed by
Spike Jonze
Adam H. Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze, is an American filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes commercials, film, music videos, skateboard videos and television.
Jonze began his ca ...
. It features Weezer playing with various wild animals on a supposedly remote hill (though it was actually filmed a short distance outside of
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, thought to be in the hills near
Simi Valley
Simi Valley (; Chumash: ''Shimiyi'') is a city in the valley of the same name in the southeast region of Ventura County, California, United States. Simi Valley is from Downtown Los Angeles, making it part of the Greater Los Angeles Area. The ...
). Only
Brian Bell
Brian Lane Bell (born December 9, 1968) is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as the rhythm guitarist, keyboardist, backing vocalist, and occasional lead vocalist of the rock band Weezer, with whom he has recorded fi ...
,
Rivers Cuomo
Rivers Cuomo ( ; born June 13, 1970) is an American musician. He is the lead vocalist, guitarist, pianist, and songwriter of the rock band Weezer.
Cuomo was raised in a number of Buddhist communities in the Northeast U.S. until the age of 10, wh ...
, and
Pat Wilson
Pat Wilson (born Patricia Mary Higgins; 11 June 1948) is an Australian singer and journalist. Wilson wrote for ''Go-Set'', a 1960s and 1970s pop music newspaper, under the pen-name "Mummy Cool" during 1971–1972. Wilson released several s ...
appear in this video, as bassist
Mikey Welsh
Michael Edward Welsh (April 20, 1971 – October 8, 2011) was an American artist and musician who played bass for several bands, including the rock band Weezer. During Weezer's hiatus, he played with Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo in the band Homie ...
had left the band shortly before shooting.
Track listings
An erroneous short mix of "Always" ended up on the singles, and the correct mix (2:48) was released as an MP3 on the band's website.
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
Release history
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
2001 songs
2001 singles
Geffen Records singles
Music videos directed by Marcos Siega
Music videos directed by Spike Jonze
Song recordings produced by Ric Ocasek
Songs written by Rivers Cuomo
Weezer songs