"Sun of Jamaica" is a song performed by German group

Goombay Dance Band Goombay Dance Band is a German band created in 1979 by Oliver Bendt, named after a small bay on the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia. Their music has a distinctive sound (somewhat similar to Boney M.), which is a mixture of soca, calypso and west ...

, written by Ekkehard Stein and Wolfgang Jass. The song was released at the end of 1979, and subsequently included on their debut album, ''

Sun of Jamaica "Sun of Jamaica" is a song performed by German group Goombay Dance Band, written by Ekkehard Stein and Wolfgang Jass. The song was released at the end of 1979, and subsequently included on their debut album, '' Sun of Jamaica''. The lyrics recount ...

''. The lyrics recount the narrator's desire to visit

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...

after seeing ''

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'' as a boy. He explicitly mentions

Marlon Brando Marlon Brando Jr. (April 3, 1924 – July 1, 2004) was an American actor. Considered one of the most influential actors of the 20th century, he received numerous accolades throughout his career, which spanned six decades, including two Academ ...

in the lyrics, thus referring to the 1962 film version. When he visits, he falls in love with a woman, and vows to later return to be with her. The song was highly successful across Europe, reaching number 1 in no less than five countries. Goombay Dance Band have re-recorded the track a number of times later in their career.

Track listings

*7" Single (1979) :A. "Sun of Jamaica" – 4:22 :B. "Island of Dreams" – 3:26

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Cover versions

*German singer

Tony Holiday Tony Holiday (born Rolf Peter Knigge; 24 February 1951 – 14 February 1990) was a German pop and schlager singer and songwriter. Career Knigge was born in Hamburg. He began his career initially as a textile businessman and fashion designer. ...

recorded a German version of the song in 1980, "Nie mehr allein sein". *In 1980, Czech singer

Helena Vondráčková Helena Vondráčková (born 24 June 1947, in Prague) is a Czech people, Czech singer whose career has spanned five decades. Early life/career Beginnings Vondráčková spent her childhood years in the town of Slatiňany. She took piano lesso ...

covered the song as "Léto je léto", which was a minor hit. *In 1980, Slovak band Expres covered the song with Slovak lyrics by Albín Škoviera under the name "Náhrdelník z perál". *In 1983, German cross-culture band

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released an instrumental version of the song on their album ''

Virgin Islands The Virgin Islands ( es, Islas Vírgenes) are an archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. They are geologically and biogeographically the easternmost part of the Greater Antilles, the northern islands belonging to the Puerto Rico Trench and St. Croix ...

''. *In 1980, Argentinian

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reached Number one in France with a French version (Les Jardins du Ciel), he also recorded a Spanish version called "Nuestro Amor Será un Himno", which was a top 10 hit in Argentina. *In 1982, Croatian singer Darko Domijan made song 'Ruze u snijegu' as a copy of this song *In 1980, Belgian Band "The Strangers" recorded a Flemish version in the Antwerp dialect "'t Strand Van St-Anneke"

References

{{Authority control 1980 singles Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Goombay Dance Band songs Number-one singles in Austria Number-one singles in Germany Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles Schlager songs CBS Records singles 1980 songs Songs about Jamaica Cultural depictions of Marlon Brando