Living on an Island
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| "Living on an Island" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Status Quo | ||||
| from the album Whatever You Want | ||||
| Released | 16 November 1979[1] | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Vertigo | |||
| Songwriter | Parfitt/Young | |||
| Producer | Pip Williams | |||
| Status Quo singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Living on an Island" is a single released by the British rock band Status Quo in 1979. It was included on the album Whatever You Want[2] and featured Rick Parfitt on lead vocals.
Lyrically, the song is about band member Rick Parfitt having to take a "tax year" outside of the United Kingdom and the boredom and isolation he felt living on the Isle of Jersey; however he is also excited about a pending visit from a friend ("Cruxie") who is arriving shortly.[3]
The themes of the song are isolation, friendship, partying and drugs, specifically cocaine. Every verse ends with the 'line' (also referenced multiple times and a further indication of the drug theme) "and we'll get high".[3] The song reached no. 16 in the UK singles chart.[4]
The first 100,000 copies of "Living on an Island" were issued with a picture sleeve featuring several penguins enjoying Antarctic conditions.[citation needed] In addition, the music video features footage of penguins interspersed with footage of the band miming the song on a soundstage.