In the Middle of an Island

"In the Middle of an Island" is a popular song written by Nick Acquaviva and Ted Varnick and published in 1957.[1]

## Tony Bennett version

[edit]

The recording by Tony Bennett, with orchestral accompaniment by Ray Ellis, was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 40965. It first reached the Billboard magazine charts on August 12, 1957 and lasted 14 weeks on the chart. On the Disk Jockey chart, it peaked at number 13; on the Best Seller chart, at number 9; on the Top 100, which was an early version of the Hot 100, it reached number 9, becoming the last Top 10 hit of Bennett's long-lasting career.[2] With this song, Bennett had his all-time worst disagreement with Mitch Miller,[3] Columbia's pop music executive at the time, who absolutely wanted Bennett to record a version of the song; similarly, Bennett "[absolutely wanted] not to go anywhere" near it. Bennett had no response to Miller's question, "Am I going to have you put out a bad record?" Having not entirely gotten over his fear of losing his contract with Columbia, Bennett subsequently sang a half-hearted version of the song (which was never recorded). After the performance, Miller got disgusted and told Bennett to "just give [him] one take all the way through and we can all go home."

Bennett thought "To hell with it", so he took off his jacket and tied it around his waist like a hula skirt, started to do a hula dance, and managed to survive the take.

> That's all I would do. To my great annoyance, it actually got into the Top Ten. But I've never received one request for that song in all the years I've been performing since. That was the last time I sang something I really couldn't stand.

\- Tony Bennett to YouTuber Michael McKenna.[3]

## Other recordings

[edit]

* The recording by "Tennessee" Ernie Ford was released by Capitol Records as catalog number 3762. It reached the Billboard charts on September 23, 1957, its only week on the chart. On the Disk Jockey chart, it charted at number 23; on the composite chart of the top 100 songs, it reached number 56.[2]
* King Brothers' version peaked at number 19 on the UK Single Charts in 1957.[4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "In the Middle of an Island by Tony Bennett". Songfacts.com. Retrieved 28 May 2022.
2. ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2000-11-01). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (7th Rev. ed.). New York: Watson-Guptill Publications. ISBN 978-0-8230-7690-1.
3. ^ a b [1] [dead YouTube link]
4. ^ "KING BROTHERS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Official Charts.

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Tony Bennett

Discography

Studio albums|

| 1950s|

* Because of You
* Cloud 7
* Tony
* The Beat of My Heart
* Long Ago and Far Away
* In Person!
* Strike Up the Band
* Hometown, My Town

|

1960s|

* To My Wonderful One
* Tony Sings for Two
* Alone Together
* Sings a String of Harold Arlen
* My Heart Sings
* I Left My Heart in San Francisco
* I Wanna Be Around...
* This Is All I Ask
* The Many Moods of Tony
* When Lights Are Low
* Who Can I Turn To
* If I Ruled the World: Songs for the Jet Set
* The Movie Song Album
* Tony Makes It Happen
* For Once in My Life
* Snowfall: The Tony Bennett Christmas Album
* I've Gotta Be Me

1970s|

* Tony Sings the Great Hits of Today!
* Tony Bennett's "Something"
* Love Story
* Summer of '42
* With Love
* The Good Things in Life
* Life Is Beautiful
* The Tony Bennett/Bill Evans Album
* Together Again

1980s–90s|

* The Art of Excellence
* Bennett/Berlin
* Astoria: Portrait of the Artist
* Perfectly Frank
* Steppin' Out
* Here's to the Ladies
* Tony Bennett on Holiday
* Tony Bennett: The Playground
* Bennett Sings Ellington: Hot & Cool

2000s–20s|

* Playin' with My Friends: Bennett Sings the Blues
* A Wonderful World
* The Art of Romance
* Duets: An American Classic
* A Swingin' Christmas (Featuring The Count Basie Big Band)
* Duets II
* Viva Duets
* Cheek to Cheek
* The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern
* Love Is Here to Stay
* Love for Sale

Live albums|

* Tony Bennett at Carnegie Hall
* MTV Unplugged
* Tony Bennett Celebrates 90

Compilations|

* Mr. Broadway: Tony's Greatest Broadway Hits
* A Time for Love
* The Essential Tony Bennett

Singles|

* "Because of You"
* "Cold, Cold Heart"
* "Rags to Riches"
* "I Left My Heart in San Francisco"
* "Just in Time"
* "Living Together, Growing Together"
* "Body and Soul"
* "The Lady Is a Tramp"
* "Don't Get Around Much Anymore"
* "Anything Goes"
* "I Can't Give You Anything but Love"
* "Nature Boy"
* "I Get a Kick Out of You"
* "Love for Sale"

Live performances
and specials|

* Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga: Cheek to Cheek Live!
* Cheek to Cheek Tour
* One Last Time: An Evening with Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga

Documentaries|

* The Zen of Bennett

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz work

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