"La Isla Bonita" (Spanish pronunciation: [la ˈizla βoˈnita]; English: "The Beautiful Island") is a song by American singer Madonna from her third studio album True Blue (1986). It was released as the album's fifth and final single on February 25, 1987, by Sire Records. The song was written and produced by Madonna and Patrick Leonard, with additional songwriting by Bruce Gaitsch. The initial composition of the song was first offered to Michael Jackson before Madonna both accepted it and wrote the lyrics and melody. "La Isla Bonita" is noted for being the first Madonna song to contain Latin influences, with arrangements of Cuban drums and Spanish guitar, maracas, harmonicas, and a mix of synthesized and real drumming. The lyrics of the song tell about a "beautiful island" and, according to Madonna, was a tribute to the beauty of the Latinos.
Upon its release, "La Isla Bonita" received positive reviews from music critics. The song became Madonna's fourth number-one single in the United Kingdom, giving her the record for most number-one singles for a female artist on the UK Singles Chart. "La Isla Bonita" additionally topped the charts in Austria, Canada, France, Germany, Iceland and Switzerland, while peaking within the top five in many other countries. In her home country, the song became Madonna's 11th consecutive top-five single on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. According to Music & Media, "La Isla Bonita" was the biggest single of 1987 in Europe.
In the accompanying music video, Madonna portrayed two opposite characters—a young, pious Catholic woman, and a glamorous, passionate Latina. The Latin style and the Andalusian flamenco red dress she wore became a fashion trend. It remains Madonna's most-viewed video on YouTube. "La Isla Bonita" is one of Madonna's most performed live songs, appearing on seven of her concert tours, the most recent being on the Madame X Tour (2019–2020). Her performances regularly incorporated its Spanish theme, sometimes with tribal or folk songs and remixes to accompany it. The song has been covered by various artists across the world, including Byanka (Mexico), Elvy Sukaesih (Indonesia) and Alizée (France).
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