"La Isla Bonita" was written by Madonna, Patrick Leonard and Bruce Gaitsch. The initial composition was first offered to Michael Jackson for his "Bad" album, but he turned it down. While working with Leonard on the "True Blue" album, Madonna accepted the track and wrote the lyrics and melody. "La Isla Bonita" was the first Madonna song to employ Spanish motifs, going so far as to include Spanish lyrics. According to her, "In almost everything I do with Leonard, if it's uptempo, there's a Latin rhythm or feeling to it. It’s really strange [...] We both think that we were Latin in another life. She further explained: