La Isla Bonita

"La Isla Bonita"
"La Isla Bonita"
Single by Madonna
from the album True Blue
Released	February 25, 1987
Genre	Latin pop
Length	4:03
Label	Sire; Warner Bros.;
Songwriter(s)	Madonna; Patrick Leonard; Bruce Gaitsch;
Producer(s)	Madonna; Patrick Leonard;
Madonna singles chronology
Music video
	"La Isla Bonita" on YouTube

"La Isla Bonita" (Spanish for "The Beautiful Island") is a song by American singer Madonna from her third studio album True Blue (1986). Patrick Leonard and Bruce Gaitsch created it as an instrumental demo and offered it to singer Michael Jackson, who turned it down. When Leonard met Madonna to start working on True Blue, he played the demo for her. Madonna came up with the title, wrote the lyrics and produced the song with Leonard. It is her first song with Latin influences. Its instrumentation features flamenco guitar, Latin percussion, maracas, and includes four lines sung in Spanish. The lyrics talk about an island named San Pedro, whose location has been debated. Madonna said the song was her tribute to Latin Americans.

Upon its release as the fifth and final single from True Blue on February 25, 1987, "La Isla Bonita" was positively received by music critics, who cited it as a highlight in the album. It was commercially successful, becoming her eleventh top five hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and second Adult Contemporary number one. It topped the charts in Canada and several countries in Europe, including the United Kingdom―where it became Madonna's fourth number one―France, West Germany, and Austria. In the accompanying music video, Madonna portrays two opposite characters: a young Catholic woman, and a flamenco dancer. The clip received mixed reviews from authors and contemporary critics: some saw the use of Hispanic imagery as a successful marketing strategy, while others accused the singer of cultural appropriation.

"La Isla Bonita" has been included on eight of Madonna's concert tours and covered by multiple artists, including Ricky Martin and Alizée. It has also been referred to as one of Madonna's best songs, and features on her compilation albums The Immaculate Collection (1990) and Celebration (2009).