Sun of Jamaica

1979 single by Goombay Dance Band

"Sun of Jamaica"

Side A of the German vinyl

Single by Goombay Dance Band
from the album  Sun of Jamaica
Released| December 1979 (1979-12)
Recorded| 1979
Genre| Euro disco, schlager
Label| CBS
Songwriter(s)| Ekkehard Stein & Wolfgang Jass
Goombay Dance Band singles chronology
| "Ring Ting Ting"
(1979)  | "Sun of Jamaica"
(1979)  | "Aloha-Oe, Until We Meet Again"
(1980)

|
|

"Sun of Jamaica" is a song performed by German group Goombay Dance Band, written by Ekkehard Stein and Wolfgang Jass. The song was released at the end of 1979, and subsequently included on their debut album, Sun of Jamaica.

The lyrics recount the narrator's desire to visit Jamaica after seeing Mutiny on the Bounty as a boy. He explicitly mentions Marlon Brando in the lyrics, thus referring to the 1962 film version. When he visits, he falls in love with a woman, and vows to later return to be with her. The song was highly successful across Europe, reaching number 1 in no fewer than five countries. Goombay Dance Band have re-recorded the track a number of times later in their career.

## Track listings

[edit]

* 7" Single (1979)[1]

A. "Sun of Jamaica" – 4:22
B. "Island of Dreams" – 3:26

## Charts and certifications

[edit]

### Weekly charts

[edit]

| Chart (1980–1982)  | Peak
position

|

Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[2] | 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[3] | 1
France (SNEP)[4] | 38
Ireland (IRMA)[5] | 14
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[6] | 1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] | 1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[8] | 19
Spain (AFYVE)[9] | 1
Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[10] | 5
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[11] | 3
UK Singles (OCC)[12] | 50
West Germany (GfK)[13] | 1

### Year-end charts

[edit]

| Chart (1980)  | Position

|

Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[14] | 1
Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[15] | 7
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[16] | 8
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17] | 3
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[18] | 6
West Germany (Official German Charts)[19] | 1

### Certifications

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Region  | Certification | Certified units/sales

|
|

Germany (BVMI)[20] | Platinum  | 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Goombay Dance Band - Sun Of Jamaica (Vinyl) at Discogs". www.discogs.com. 1979. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
2. ^ "Goombay Dance Band – Sun of Jamaica" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
3. ^ "Goombay Dance Band – Sun of Jamaica" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
4. ^ "InfoDisc : Tout les Titres par Artiste". www.infodisc.fr (in French). Archived from the original on 3 July 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2015.
5. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Sun of Jamaica". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
6. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 19, 1980" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
7. ^ "Goombay Dance Band – Sun of Jamaica" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
8. ^ "Goombay Dance Band – Sun of Jamaica". Top 40 Singles.
9. ^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
10. ^ "Goombay Dance Band – Sun of Jamaica". Singles Top 100.
11. ^ "Goombay Dance Band – Sun of Jamaica". Swiss Singles Chart.
12. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
13. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Goombay Dance Band – Sun of Jamaica" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
14. ^ "Jahreshitparade Singles 1980". austriancharts.at. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
15. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1980". Ultratop. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
16. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1980". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
17. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1980". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
18. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1980". hitparade.ch. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
19. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
20. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Goombay Dance Band; 'Sun of Jamaica')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.

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* MusicBrainz work

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