| "La Isla Bonita" | ||||
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| Single by Madonna | ||||
| from the album True Blue | ||||
| Released | February 25, 1987 | |||
| Genre | Latin pop | |||
| Length | 4:03 | |||
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| Madonna singles chronology | ||||
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| 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 of 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 praised its Latin-inspired sound. Retrospective reviewers ranked the song as one of Madonna's best, and it features on her compilation albums The Immaculate Collection (1990) and Celebration (2009). "La Isla Bonita" was commercially successful, becoming her eleventh top-five single 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, France, West Germany, and Austria.
In the accompanying music video, directed by Mary Lambert, 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. Madonna has performed "La Isla Bonita" on eight of her concert tours, the most recent being the Celebration Tour (2023–2024). Additionally, it has been covered by multiple artists, including Ricky Martin, Alizée, and The Bright Light Social Hour.