"Key Largo" is a popular song recorded by

Bertie Higgins Elbert Joseph "Bertie" Higgins (born December 8, 1944) is an American singer-songwriter. In 1982, Higgins had a top 40 album with '' Just Another Day in Paradise''. It spawned the hit song "Key Largo", which referenced the Humphrey Bogart and ...

in 1981. Released as a

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 ...

in September of that year, it became, in early 1982, Higgins' only

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...

hit in the

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; it peaked at #8 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. The track spent 17 weeks in the Top 40 and was certified Gold by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

. In addition, "Key Largo" topped the

adult contemporary chart The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by sta ...

for two weeks. In the

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, it reached #60 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

Background and content

The song's lyrics plead with a lover to reconsider ending a romance the singer compares to that depicted by

Humphrey Bogart Humphrey DeForest Bogart (; December 25, 1899 – January 14, 1957), nicknamed Bogie, was an American film and stage actor. His performances in Classical Hollywood cinema films made him an American cultural icon. In 1999, the American Film In ...

and

Lauren Bacall Lauren Bacall (; born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress. She was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary Aw ...

, the stars of the

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

namesake film. The glamorous couple is recalled in the lyric ''We had it all / Just like Bogie and Bacall / Starring in our own late late show / Sailin' away to Key Largo''. The lyrics also draw from the film ''

Casablanca Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...

'', in the lines "Here's looking at you, kid" and "Please say you will / Play it again". The song "Key Largo" was included on Higgins' album ''

Just Another Day in Paradise ''Just Another Day in Paradise'' is the debut album by American singer-songwriter Bertie Higgins, released in 1982. Singles from the album include the title track, the Top 10 single "Key Largo (song), Key Largo" and "Casablanca", both tributes ...

''. In 2009,

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism of Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network based in New York City and owned by Paramount Global. It was created by Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment, at the time a division of Warner Commun ...

ranked "Key Largo" #75 on its program ''100 Greatest One Hit Wonders of the 80s''.

Music video

A promotional music video was produced in 1982, filmed in and around Tarpon Springs, Florida. It begins with Bertie Higgins leaning against a pole, smoking a cigarette, reminiscing. Later, the singer is seen walking with a young woman, played by then-17-year-old Patty Wolfe. The scene then cuts to the pair riding in a motorboat around Anclote Key, off Tarpon Springs. The video also shows them in a car on Fred Howard Park. The final moments depict the two walking along a beach at sunset.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

References

External links

Single release info at discogs.comKey Largo video on youtube.com
1981 debut singles Bertie Higgins songs Cultural depictions of Humphrey Bogart 1981 songs Epic Records singles 1980s ballads Key Largo {{1980s-pop-song-stub