| Circle in the Sand | |
| Cover: | CircleintheSand.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Belinda Carlisle |
| Album: | Heaven on Earth |
| B-Side: | We Can Change |
| Released: | April 1988 |
| Studio: | Ocean Way Recording (Hollywood, California) |
| Length: |
|
| Label: | MCA |
| Producer: | Rick Nowels |
| Prev Title: | I Get Weak |
| Prev Year: | 1988 |
| Next Title: | I Feel Free |
| Next Year: | 1988 |
"Circle in the Sand" is a song recorded by American singer Belinda Carlisle for her second studio album, Heaven on Earth (1987). It was written by Rick Nowels, who also produced it, and Ellen Shipley. "Circle in the Sand" was the third single released from Heaven on Earth in May 1988. It reached number seven, becoming Carlisle's fourth and last top-10 hit in the United States. It also charted at number five in Canada, ending the year as the country's 69th-most-successful single.
"Circle in the Sand" was written by Rick Nowels and Ellen Shipley, who wrote many of Carlisle's hit singles in the late 1980s and into the early 1990s, including her signature song "Heaven Is a Place on Earth". The first known appearance of the song in progress is from the Lost Heaven Demos bootleg which features a solid drum beat, lead keyboard line and simple bass with no guitars present, and completed lyrics. The final album version of the song features a unique lead keyboard theme provided by Thomas Dolby, combined with a thumping bassline and accentuated with swirling and shimmering guitar, including some played in reverse during the bridge.
The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Peter Care[1] in Half Moon Bay, California and features Carlisle singing with various beach scenes in the background. The video mirrors the lyrical content with "cold wind", "tide moves in", and "waves crash" throughout. It makes effective use of video editing tricks by displaying different images of Carlisle and the surf on large sheets of paper hanging on a clothes line, with waves crashing in the background. The combined effect gives the semblance of a video-based collage.
The music video uses the single edit version of the song and was released by MCA Records in March 1988. Universal Records later posted the video for free viewing on YouTube in March 2007.
A. "Circle in the Sand" – 4:26
B. "Nobody Owns Me" – 3:12
A. "Circle in the Sand" – 3:20
B. "Circle in the Sand" (Seaside Mood Groove mix) – 3:51
A1. "Circle in the Sand" (Beach Party mix) – 7:50
B1. "Circle in the Sand" (7-inch version) – 3:20
B2. "Circle in the Sand" (Seaside Mood Groove mix) – 3:51
| Chart (1988) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[13] | 75 | |
| Denmark (Hitlisten)[14] | 4 | |
| Europe (Eurochart Hot 100 Singles)[15] | 13 | |
| Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[16] | 6 | |
| France (SNEP)[17] | 67 | |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio)[18] | 12 | |
| Sweden (Trackslistan)[19] | 4 | |
| US Cash Box Top 100 Singles[20] | 7 |
| Chart (1988) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Canada Top Singles (RPM)[21] | 69 | |
| US (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual)[22] | 94 |
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | April 1988 | MCA | ||
| United Kingdom | April 25, 1988 | Virgin | [23] | |
| Japan | July 21, 1988 | Mini-CD | [24] |