Elton John's hit songs always make it to his concert's set list, except for "Island Girl."
John scored a historic win on Nov. 1, 1975, when his song, "Island Girl," became his fifth chart-topper. It outshined Neil Sedaka's "Bad Blood" in the US. But despite its popularity, the music icon has not performed the track since 1990.
Rolling Stone and Far Out Magazine explained the reason why the "creepy" song was never played again for over 30 years. According to the magazines, the song from John's 1975 album "Rock of the Wrestles" could create a buzz as it is a "racist, sexist and fetishistic portrait of a Caribbean woman who relocates to New York."
The first part of the song is seemingly vague. But in the chorus, John sings, "What you wanting with the white man's world? Black boy want you in his island world."
"Island Girl" savored success at that time due to the rise in popularity of Jamaican culture in the US. Bob Marley also started releasing reggae-infused songs.
Playing the song in the present time, according to the magazines, would be problematic due to the public's potential feedback about the track.
Aside from its controversial lyrics, John himself called the song a "not-so-great" track. The song also came from his first disappointing album after his continuous success, causing him to lose his win streak.
Elton John Savoring Success Even Without "Island Girl"
Although the reggae song was never heard again, John's countless hit songs made him more successful than ever. Even his current tour is enjoying success because of the singer himself.
In January, Billboard Boxscore (via Consequence) estimated that Elton John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour surpassed Ed Sheeran's The Divide Tour by having $817.9 million in gross sales after 278 shows so far.
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Previously, Sheeran enjoyed the top place after setting $776.4 million in sales from his 2019 tour. It surpassed U2's The 360 Tour ($736.4 million).
John's Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour, which started in 2018, also became the first tour to make over $800 million. The amount is expected to spike even more as the singer will still headline shows in several locations, including Glastonbury.
It remains unknown whether he would also visit Asia after his scheduled tour dates.
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