"Island in the Sun" is a song by the American rock 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 ...

. It is the second single from the band's second self-titled album ''

'', 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 ...

'' 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 Wel ...

''.

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 mainstream or commercial ...

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, an ...

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 musical symbols to indicate the pitches, rhythms, or chords of a song or instrumental musical piece. Like its analogs – printed books or pamphlets in English, ...

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 va ...

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 val ...

, 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 (ofte ...

of 116 beats per minute. "Island in the Sun" is composed in the key 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 com ...

, 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 st ...

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 progression, utilising the chords of E minor, A minor, D major and G major.

Reception

Melissa Bobbitt at About.com 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'' Weezer songs by '' The A.V. Club'', 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 Brian Wilson is a genius, called a genius for his novel approaches to pop music, pop composition, ex ...

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, nicke ...

'' 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. 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 f ...

, 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 Ho ...

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