Songs & Movies about Paradise!

It’s not just me who’s enamoured with Paradise. Hollywood, Bollywood plus singers and songwriters the world over often transport us to exotic and idyllic locations with their songs and movies.
How about you? Please email me so we can add to this list of titles.

Songs with ‘Paradise’ in the title or lyrics
Great Beach Songs
Movies set or filmed in a tropical Paradise

Songs with ‘Paradise’ in the title or lyrics

I’ve made a partial list of some of the more obvious mainstream ones I know about. There must be hundreds of others in other non-mainstream genres. Warning: this is a very eclectic list thus I make no apologies for including Barry Manilow on the list!

A Touch of Paradise -- John Farnham.
Adventures in Paradise – Ace of Base.
Almost Paradise – Ann Wilson/Mike Reno.
Amish Paradise – Weird Al Yankovich.

Angel Eyes -- ABBA (from S. Svensdottir, Stockholm.)
Another Day in Paradise – Phil Collins.
Another Girl’s Paradise – Tori Amos.
Big Yellow Taxi – Joni Mitchell.
Cheeseburger in Paradise – Jimmy Buffet.
Dancing in Paradise – Bruce Cockburn.
Evil Paradise – Bone, Thugs ‘n Harmony.

From Hell to Paradise -- The Mavericks (from Fred McCutheon, Texas.)
Gangsta’s Paradise – Coolio.
I’ve been to Paradise (but I’ve never been to me) – Charlene.
Let’s go to Paradise – Mental as Anything.
Paradise – 311.
Paradise – Bette Midler.
Paradise – Boyzone.
Paradise – Bruce Springsteen.
Paradise – LL Cool J.
Paradise – Nelly.
Paradise (Not for Me) – Madonna.
Paradise (Where you are) - Crowded House (from James Stephenson, Hong Kong).
Paradise by the Dashboard Light – Meatloaf.
Paradise Café – Barry Manilow.
Paradise City – Guns ‘n Roses.
Paradise is Here – Tina Turner.
Pastime Paradise – Stevie Wonder.

Power and the Passion -- Midnight Oil (from Pete Buckley, Brisbane.)
Return to Paradise – Elton John.
Run to Paradise -- The Choirboys.
Sleeping Child - Michael Learns to Rock
Stranger in Paradise – Sarah Brightman.

The One I Love -- David Gray (from James Noonan, Dublin.)

This Side of Paradise -- Bryan Adams.

Trouble in Paradise -- The Dynamic Hepnotics.

Trouble in Paradise -- Huey Lewis and the News.

Two Tickets to Paradise -- Eddie Money (from Total Kaos 2000)
Visions of Paradise – The Moody Blues.
Waterloo Sunset - The Kinks (from Maryanne Wiley, Sydney).
Welcome to Paradise – 10cc.
Welcome to Paradise – Green Day.

Great Beach Songs

Purely subjective! These are summer songs that I love that say ‘party!’ Email and tell me your favourite beach songs so we can add to the list (maybe we’ll make a GONE TROPPO compilation play list one day).

Boys of Summer – Don Henley.
California Girls – The Beach Boys.
Echo Beach – Martha and the Muffins.
Hawaii Five-O theme.
Love Shack – The B52s.
On the Beach – Chris Rea.
Surfing USA – The Beach Boys.
Walking on Sunshine – Katrina and the Waves.
Wipeout – The Surfaris.

Movies set or filmed in a tropical Paradise

Not all of these are ‘stranded-on-a-desert-island’ stories, but all draw on the lushness of the tropical scenery to evoke the emotions. I mention From Here to Eternity in the Hawaii chapter, and Jurassic Park gets a mention in Costa Rica, although parts of it were also filmed in Hawaii.

I’m missing a lot of movies, I’m sure, and some of the info is not complete so, movie buffs, do let me have corrections or additions ...

10 – Oahu, Hawaii.
50 Dates – Oahu, Hawaii.
Adventures of Robinson Crusoe – Canary Islands.
Blue Crush – Oahu, Hawaii.
Blue Hawaii -- Kauia’I, Hawaii.
Blue Lagoon – Nanuya Levu, Fiji.

Castaway -- Modrinki Island, Fiji.
From Here to Eternity – Oahu, Hawaii.
George of the Jungle -- Kauia’I, Hawaii.
Gilligan’s Island -- Kauia’I, Hawaii.
Girls Girls Girls – Hawaii.
Hook -- Kauia’I, Hawaii.
In Harms Way – Oahu, Hawaii.
Jurassic Park – Maui, Hawaii.
Mr Robinson Crusoe (1932) -- Tahiti, Fiji and Samoa.
Mutiny on the Bounty (1935) – Santa Catalina (California) and Tahiti.
Mutiny on the Bounty (1962) – Tahiti.
Paradise Found – Tahiti.
Paradise Hawaiian Style – Hawaii.
Pearl Harbour – Oahu, Hawaii.
Planet of the Apes – Big Island, Hawaii.
Raiders of the Lost Ark -- Kauia’I, Hawaii.
Swiss Family Robinson – Tobago Island, The Caribbean.
The Beach – Phi Phi, Thailand.
The Bounty – Tahiti, Pitcairn Island.
The Day the World Ended – Big Island, Hawaii.
The Hawaiians – Makua Beach, Oahu, Hawaii.
Treasure Island – Isle of Man, UK.
Waterworld – Big Island, Hawaii.