Islands (Mike Oldfield song) explained

Islands
Cover:	Islands single (Mike Oldfield).jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	Mike Oldfield featuring Bonnie Tyler
Album:	Islands
Released:	^[1]
Genre:	Pop rock
Length:	(album version) (single version)
Label:	Virgin
Producer:	Mike Oldfield Tom Newman Alan Shacklock
Chronology:	Mike Oldfield
Prev Title:	In High Places
Prev Year:	1987
Next Title:	The Time Has Come
Next Year:	1987

"Islands" is a song by English musician Mike Oldfield, featuring Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler on vocals. It features on Oldfield's 1987 album of the same name. It was written by Oldfield, who co-produced the track with Tom Newman and Alan Shacklock. The track was released as a single in September 1987 by Virgin Records.

Writing and recording

English musician Mike Oldfield described "Islands" as "the high spot" of its parent album. In early 1987, he left his partner and children, and had moved to Megève in France. Oldfield wrote "Islands" during that time, while feeling "lonely, isolated and cut off". After struggling with the vocals, he invited Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler to record it, describing her performance as "spine-tingling, exactly the way it was supposed to be".^[2]

Critical reception

In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Mike DeGagne opined that Tyler's vocal "lifts the title track higher than any other cut [on the album]".^[3]

Formats and track listings

• UK 7-inch single^[4]

1. "Islands" (featuring Bonnie Tyler) – 4:18
2. "The Wind Chimes" (Part One) – 2:24

• UK 12-inch single^[5]

1. "Islands" (featuring Bonnie Tyler) – 5:35
2. "When the Nights on Fire" (featuring Anita Hegerland) – 6:42
3. "The Wind Chimes" (Part One) – 2:24

Charts

Chart (1987)	Peak position
Spain (AFYVE)^[6]	22
West Germany (GfK Entertainment Charts)^[7]	41

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of the Islands album.^[8]

Recording

• Mastered by Greg Fulginiti at Artisan Sound Recorders

Management

• Published by Oldfield Music Ltd. and Virgin Music (Publishers) Ltd.
• Bonnie Tyler appears courtesy of CBS Records

Personnel

• Mike Oldfield – bass, engineering, guitars, percussion, producer, songwriter, technician, vocals
• Bonnie Tyler – lead vocals
• Micky Moody – electric guitars
• Rick Fenn – acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Phil Spalding – bass
• Mickey Simmonds  – keyboards
• Raphael Ravenscroft – saxophone
• Andy Mackay – saxophone, oboe
• Pierre Moerlen – drums, vibraphone
• Tony Beard – drums
• Benoit Moerlen – vibraphone, percussion
• Tom Newman – production
• Alan Shacklock – production
• Richard Barrie – assistant engineer, assistant technician
• Serban Ghenea – mixing
• Tom Coyne – mastering

Notes and References

1. Web site: Music Week. 35.
2. Book: Oldfield, Mike. Mike Oldfield

   . Mike Oldfield. Changeling: The Autobiography of Mike Oldfield. 232. 2007. 978-0-753-51307-1. Virgin Books.

3. Web site: Islands – Mike Oldfield. AllMusic. DeGagne. Mike. 16 October 2022. 7 March 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220307134332/https://www.allmusic.com/album/islands-mw0000195403. live.
4. Islands. Mike Oldfield featuring Bonnie Tyler. 1987. sleeve. Virgin Records. VS-990.
5. Islands. Mike Oldfield featuring Bonnie Tyler. 1987. sleeve. Virgin Records. VS-990-12.
6. Book: Fernando Salaverri. Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002. 1st. September 2005. Fundación Autor-SGAE. Spain. 84-8048-639-2.
7. Web site: Deutsch Offizielle Charts . 29 September 2022.
8. Islands. Islands (Mike Oldfield album). Mike Oldfield. 1987. sleeve. Virgin Records. V-2466.