Search - Madonna :: Isla Bonita / Gambler / Crazy for You

A Very Good CD

MaverickDGA | Oakwood, GA | 09/29/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This cd is Very good, except that all the songs, you can get on other collections/Cd's. It would have been nice if there was some songs that were not on other collections, here, but oh well it is still hot!!



1)La Isla Bonita (Extended Mix): A very good mix of this song, I love the song and an Extended mix is great, but it could have been longer, like 10 minutes.



2)Open Your Hear (Extended Mix): I really like this version, it is a good mix of the orginal. And it also sounds a little differnt than the orginal.



3)Gambler: I adore this song and it is wonderful that is song is on an easily to obtain EP. Truly a marvelous 80's classic.



4)Crazy For You: The classic ballad appears here to accompy the other Vison Quest, song. This is a Madonna classic. This version is a little bit longer than the one that appaers on the Immaculate collection.



5)La Isla Bonita (Instrumental): A nice ending to this EP. I love the song and the Music. This is not a real true instrumental, it has a few background vocals. This is the instrumental to the Extended Remix, not the album version, so that is a plus



This is a very good cd, to complete you collection and is priced better than the True Blue Ep @19.99."

Always Ahead of her Time

John Steylter | South Africa | 07/15/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Flashback:1986. Madonna records a song entitled, "La Isla Bonita", a mid-tempo, care-free and somewhat meloncholic tune laced with latin sounds and instruments.
Fast-Forward:1999. Ricky Martin wins the Grammy for Best New Artist. His album was a cross-over smash brining the "latin" sound into the mainstream. Miss Martin becomes "THE ONE WHO BROUGHT LATIN MUSIC TO THE FOREFRONT OF POPULAR MUSIC"???!!!
Flashback:1989. Madonna records a track entitled, "Pray For Spanish Eyes". Yet another song with a strong Latin-sound and absolutely gorgeous.
Fast-Forward:1999-2001. Jennifer Lopez, Marc Anthony and most of American Pop artists jump on the band-wagon "embracing" the latin sound and get praised for it!?
Why do people so often forget that Madonna was one of the pioneers in brining the latin flavour to the consciousness of the Western world? Many of her songs, including spanish versions of "You'll See" and "What It Feels Like For A Girl" has been released without any fanfare?
I guess that's what makes Madonna a pioneer in the TRUE sense:
Unselfishly bringing a style and/or idea to the forefront without any ego or gain.
An ICON of our time, ahead of her time."

Still Fresh After All These Years

Busy Body | London, England | 05/02/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"La Isla Bonita was the fifth and final single to be released from Madonna's multi-million selling No.1 third album True Blue. The song went straight to No.1 in the UK in April 1987 where it spent 11 weeks on the chart. The song is a much-loved Madonna classic, is known throughout the world and was a massive global chart success, making Madonna a more credible artist with a more interesting and mature sound through lyrics and an overall more interesting texture to her work.



La Isla Bonita opens with the tapping of drums to a very Spanish beat. This then breaks out into a heavier, more striking beat complete with some interesting instruments that make the song what it is and give it that distinctive freshness and quality. Madonna begins singing her first verse with the lyrics, "Last night I dreamt of San Pedro. Just like I'd never gone, I knew the song. A young girl with eyes like the desert. It all seems like yesterday, not far away." These lyrics are perhaps the most descriptive and vivid of Madonna's 1980's period. They are very good lyrics as well, considering Madonna was singing songs about virgins and angels but two years ago. Madonna then moves into the excellent chorus. "Tropical the island breeze. All of nature, wild and free. This is where I long to be, la isla bonita. And when the samba played, the sun would set so high, ring through my ears and sting my eyes, your Spanish lullaby," sings Madonna in the chorus, her vocals strong and filled with feelings of a lost lover from way back. The second verse then kicks in, complete with the second chorus. Madonna then sings a great section of the song with the lyrics "I want to be where the sun warms the sky. When it's time for siesta you can watch them go by. Beautiful faces, no cares in this world. Where a girl loves a boy, and a boy loves a girl." This is then followed up with an excellent guitar solo that breaks free shining its radiance upon the song, making it even more enjoyable. Madonna then sings her choruses a few more times as the backing singers gracefully take over bringing the chorus to a close with Madonna whispering Spanish words to the listener.



The video to La Isla Bonita is excellent, and one of Madonna's best of this particular stage in her career. A man plays his Spanish guitar in the street as Madonna watches from her bedroom window. She dances around in her room, too shy to face the man. He then beckons her down and she dances in the street in a colourful red dress with many other people to the beat as she thinks about her long lost lover. Overall, La Isla Bonita is one of my top Madonna songs of the 1980's and will always have a special place within me because of the memories it brings back to me everytime I hear it. Another classic."