"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. "Circle in the Sand" was the third
single released from Heaven on Earth in May 1988. It reached number seven, becoming Carlisle's fourth and last top-10 hit in the United States. It also charted at number five in Canada, ending the year as the country's 69th-most-successful single.
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 Demosbootleg which features a solid drum beat, lead keyboard line and simple bass with no guitars present, and completed lyrics. 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.
Music video
The accompanying
music video for the song was directed by
Peter Care[1] in Half Moon Bay, California 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.
Track listing and formats
US and Canadian 7-inch single; US cassette single[2][3]
^Circle in the Sand (US cassette single sleeve). Belinda Carlisle. MCA Records. 1988. MCAC-53308.{{
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^Circle in the Sand (South African 7-inch single vinyl disc). Belinda Carlisle.
Virgin Records. 1988. VS 734.{{
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^Circle in the Sand (UK & Australian 7-inch single vinyl disc). Belinda Carlisle. Virgin Records. 1988. VS 1074.{{
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^Circle in the Sand (European 7-inch single vinyl disc). Belinda Carlisle. Virgin Records. 1988. 109 954-100.{{
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^Circle in the Sand (UK & Australian 12-inch single vinyl disc). Belinda Carlisle. Virgin Records. 1988. VST 1074.{{
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^Circle in the Sand (European 12-inch single vinyl disc). Belinda Carlisle. Virgin Records. 1988. 609 954-213.{{
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^Circle in the Sand (UK 12-inch picture disc). Belinda Carlisle. Virgin Records. 1988. VSTY 1074.{{
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^Circle in the Sand (UK CD single liner notes). Belinda Carlisle. Virgin Records. 1988. VSCD 1074, 659 954.{{
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^Circle in the Sand (UK cassette single sleeve). Belinda Carlisle. Virgin Records. 1988. VSTC1074.{{
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^Circle in the Sand (Japanese mini-CD single liner notes). Belinda Carlisle. Virgin Records. 1988. VJD-12012.{{
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^Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book.
ISBN0-646-11917-6.