Circle in the Sand

"Circle in the Sand" is a song recorded by American singer Belinda Carlisle for her second studio album Heaven on Earth (1987). It was written by Rick Nowels - who also produced it - and Ellen Shipley. The release was the third single from the Heaven on Earth album on May 1988. It was her third consecutive top-ten hit in the United Kingdom and United States, reaching number four and number seven respectively. But, in Australia the single wasn't released in that country at all. For this reason, it didn't make the charts there. But, in New Zealand it was able to reach #16.

"Circle in the Sand"
Single by Belinda Carlisle
from the album Heaven on Earth
B-side"We Can Change"
ReleasedMay 1988
Recorded1987
StudioOcean Way Studios
(Los Angeles, California)
Genre
Length4:26 (album version)
3:40 (single version)
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Rick Nowels
Belinda Carlisle singles chronology
"I Get Weak"
(1988)		 "Circle in the Sand"
(1988)		 "I Feel Free"
(1988)

Background and writing

"Circle in the Sand" was written by Rick Nowels and Ellen Shipley, who wrote many of Carlisle's hit singles in the late 1980s and into the early 1990s, including her signature song "Heaven Is a Place on Earth". The first known appearance of the song in progress is from the Lost Heaven Demos bootleg which features a solid drum beat, lead keyboard line and simple bass with no guitars present, and completed lyrics. The melody borrows from Mike + The Mechanics' "Silent Running (On Dangerous Ground)", specifically the "can you hear me calling" section. The final album version of the song features a unique lead keyboard theme provided by Thomas Dolby, combined with a thumping bassline and accentuated with swirling and shimmering guitar, including some played in reverse during the bridge. The combined effect has been compared to songs by the Shangri-Las, such as their "Remember (Walking in the Sand)".[1]

Music video

The accompanying music video for the song was directed by Peter Care[2] and features Carlisle singing with various beach scenes in the background. The video mirrors the lyrical content with "cold wind", "tide moves in", and "waves crash" throughout. It makes effective use of video editing tricks by displaying different images of Carlisle and the surf on large sheets of paper hanging on a clothes line, with waves crashing in the background. The combined effect gives the semblance of a video-based collage.

The music video uses the single edit version of the song and was released by MCA Records in March 1988. Universal Records later posted the video for free viewing on YouTube in March 2007.

The song is featured in the enhanced version of Grand Theft Auto V.

Track listing and formats
UK 7-inch single (VS 1074)
  1. "Circle in the Sand" — 3:40
  2. "Circle in the Sand (Seaside Mood Groove Mix)" — 3:51
UK 12-inch single (VST 1074)
  1. "Circle in the Sand (Beach Party Mix)" — 7:50
  2. "Circle in the Sand" (edit) — 3:20
  3. "Circle in the Sand (Seaside Mood Groove Mix)" — 3:51
UK CD single (VSCD 1074)
  1. "Circle in the Sand" (7" version) — 3:40
  2. "Circle in the Sand (Seaside Mood Groove Mix)" — 3:51
  3. "Circle in the Sand (Sandblast Multi-mix)" (Including "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" and "I Get Weak") — 5:18
  4. "Circle in the Sand (Beach Party Mix)" — 7:07

The remixes were made by William Orbit.

Credits and personnel

Charts

References
  1. AllMusicGuide review by Alex Henderson
  2. Circle in the Sand MVDbase entry
  3. "Austriancharts.at – Belinda Carlisle – Circle In The Sand" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  4. "Top Singles - Volume 48, No. 9, June 18, 1988". RPM. Archived from the original on August 28, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  5. "Adult Contemporary - Volume 48, No. 11, July 2, 1988". RPM. Archived from the original on August 15, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
  6. Danish Singles Chart 24 June 1988
  7. "Irish Singles Chart – Search for song". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
  8. "Italiancharts.com – Belinda Carlisle – I Get Weak". Top Digital Download.
  9. "Dutchcharts.nl – Belinda Carlisle – Circle in the Sand" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  10. "Charts.nz – Belinda Carlisle – Circle in the Sand". Top 40 Singles.
  11. "Notowanie nr 332" (in Polish). 16 July 1988. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  12. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  13. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  14. "Belinda Carlisle Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  15. "Belinda Carlisle Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
  16. "Offiziellecharts.de – Carlisle,Belinda – Circle in the Sand". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  17. "Top 100 Singles of '88" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 49 no. 10. December 24, 1988. p. 9. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  18. Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X.
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