Throwing back to the week of November 8, 1975, we find Elton John atop the Billboard Hot 100 with ‘Island Girl,’ the first single from his album Rock of the Westies.
This song has the distinction of being the only one of John’s nine U.S. #1 hits that I’ve never heard. Or at least I have no recollection of hearing it before learning it would be the subject of a Throwback Weekend post today.
The reason might be that John hasn’t performed the song live since 1990, presumably because the content is a tad problematic. The lyrics find a Jamaican man trying to coax the titular island girl from a life of prostitution in the “white man’s world.”
I could see how John might be a little uncomfortable with that. But it paid off for him in 1975.
I see your teeth flash, Jamaican honey, so sweet
Down where Lexington cross 47th Street
Oh, she’s a big girl, she’s standin’ six-foot-three
Turnin’ tricks for the dudes in the big city
[Chorus]
Island girl
What you wantin’ with your white man’s world?
Island girl
Black boy want you in his island world
He want to take you from your racket boss
He want to save you, but the cause is lost
Island girl, island girl, island girl
Tell me what you wantin’ with your white man’s world
[Verse 2]
Well, she’s black as coal, but she burn like a fire
And she wrap herself around you like a well-worn tire
You feel her nail scratch your back just like a rake
Oh, he one more gone, he one more john who make the mistake
[Chorus]
Island girl
What you wantin’ with your white man’s world?
Island girl
Black boy want you in his island world
He want to take you from your racket boss
He want to save you, but the cause is lost
Island girl, island girl, island girl
Tell me what you wantin’ with your white man’s world
[Chorus]
Island girl
What you wantin’ with your white man’s world?
Island girl
Black boy want you in his island world
He want to take you from your racket boss
He want to save you, but the cause is lost
Island girl, island girl, island girl
Tell me what you wantin’ with your white man
Tell me what you wantin’ with your white man
Tell me what you wantin’ with your white man
Meet Me In Montauk 
A bit surprised you hadn’t heard this before, though it’s not one of my favorites or one of Elton’s best.