Club Tropicana
Encyclopedia
"Club Tropicana" is a song by British
pop duo Wham!
, released in 1983 on Innervision Records
. It was written by George Michael
and Andrew Ridgeley
.
The song was a mild departure from Wham!'s previous singles, which had all been motivated by social or political issues. "Club Tropicana", however, was a satire
of the boom for cheap package holiday
s for younger, single people of a hedonistic
nature. It was specifically seen in the UK as a swipe at the very popular Club 18-30
scheme and fruit drink Tropicana.
A memorable video directed by Duncan Gibbins
was made at Pikes Hotel in Ibiza
, with scenes of George and Andrew on the beach, making eyes at bikini
-clad girls played by their backing singers Dee C. Lee
and Shirlie Holliman
. They were also seen relaxing by a pool and sipping cocktails to promote the new Tropicana Tropicals range, along with the famous scene of trumpet
-playing taking place in the pool itself. A twist in the sexual tension between the two men and two women was revealed at the end, when it turned out that George and Andrew were airline pilot
s and Dee and Shirlie were stewardesses.
The song was released in July 1983 and peaked at #4 in the UK, going on to become the 39th best selling single of 1983. It was the fourth and final single to be taken from the album Fantastic. Wham! went on to dominate the UK charts, achieving four #1 singles before splitting at their height in 1986.
as well as the B-side of 1986's single release of "Last Christmas
."
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
pop duo Wham!
WHAM!
Wham! were a short-lived British musical duo formed by George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley in the early 1980s. They were briefly known in the United States as Wham! UK due to a naming conflict with an American band....
, released in 1983 on Innervision Records
Innervision Records
Innervision Records was an independent record label distributed by CBS Records. The label was established around 1981 by Mark Dean and Shamsi Ahmed which included Wham! on their artist roster, who scored four top-ten hits while signed to Innervision...
. It was written by George Michael
George Michael
George Michael is a British musician, singer, songwriter and record producer who rose to fame in the 1980s when he formed the pop duo Wham! with his school friend, Andrew Ridgeley...
and Andrew Ridgeley
Andrew Ridgeley
Andrew John Ridgeley is an English former pop singer-songwriter, guitarist and environmentalist. Andrew was a member of the 1980s pop music duo Wham!.-Early life:...
.
The song was a mild departure from Wham!'s previous singles, which had all been motivated by social or political issues. "Club Tropicana", however, was a satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
of the boom for cheap package holiday
Package holiday
A package holiday or package tour consists of transport and accommodation advertised and sold together by a vendor known as a tour operator. Other services may be provided like a rental car, activities or outings during the holiday. Transport can be via charter airline to a foreign country...
s for younger, single people of a hedonistic
Hedonism
Hedonism is a school of thought which argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize net pleasure .-Etymology:The name derives from the Greek word for "delight" ....
nature. It was specifically seen in the UK as a swipe at the very popular Club 18-30
Club 18-30
Club 18-30 is a holiday company owned by Thomas Cook that offers cut-price holidays for young men and women who seek a more lively holiday than those offered by many large package holiday providers. It takes around 110,000 guests each year with turnover of around £50m a year...
scheme and fruit drink Tropicana.
A memorable video directed by Duncan Gibbins
Duncan Gibbins
Duncan Gibbins was a British film and music video director, as well as a screenwriter. Gibbins was known for his romance and thriller films as well as for the various music videos he directed...
was made at Pikes Hotel in Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
, with scenes of George and Andrew on the beach, making eyes at bikini
Bikini
The bikini is typically a women's two-piece swimsuit. One part of the attire covers the breasts and the other part covers the crotch and part of or the entire buttocks, leaving an uncovered area between the two. Merriam–Webster describes the bikini as "a woman's scanty two-piece bathing suit" or "a...
-clad girls played by their backing singers Dee C. Lee
Dee C. Lee
Dee C. Lee is an English pop singer.-Career:Lee was a backing vocalist for the pop group Wham! in the early 1980s, but she left the group to work as a solo artist and also to join Paul Weller's band, The Style Council...
and Shirlie Holliman
Shirlie Holliman
Shirlie Holliman , is an English former pop singer, who found fame in the 1980s with Wham! and as part of the duo Pepsi & Shirlie....
. They were also seen relaxing by a pool and sipping cocktails to promote the new Tropicana Tropicals range, along with the famous scene of trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
-playing taking place in the pool itself. A twist in the sexual tension between the two men and two women was revealed at the end, when it turned out that George and Andrew were airline pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
s and Dee and Shirlie were stewardesses.
The song was released in July 1983 and peaked at #4 in the UK, going on to become the 39th best selling single of 1983. It was the fourth and final single to be taken from the album Fantastic. Wham! went on to dominate the UK charts, achieving four #1 singles before splitting at their height in 1986.
B-side
The B-side, "Blue (Armed With Love)", is a semi-instrumental dub track of higher quality than is generally expected for B-side material, and would not have been out of place on Fantastic. During their "Club Fantastic" tour in late 1983 and in 1985 in China, they performed this song live, complete with sung verses, and the result was released as "Blue (Live In China)" on their 1986 LP Music from the Edge of HeavenMusic from the Edge of Heaven
Music from the Edge of Heaven is the third and final studio album from the British pop duo Wham!, in 1986.The album was only released in Japan and the Americas; other territories got The Final instead...
as well as the B-side of 1986's single release of "Last Christmas
Last Christmas
"Last Christmas" is a song by British pop duo Wham!, released on Epic Records in 1984, on a double A-side with "Everything She Wants". It was written by George Michael, one half of the duo...
."
12": Innervision / TA 3613 (UK)
- "Club Tropicana" – 4:14
- "Blue (Armed With Love)" – 3:50
- "Club Tropicana [Instrumental]" – 3:32
Chart performance
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian singles chart | 60 |
| Dutch Top 40 Dutch Top 40 The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting... |
8 |
| Norwegian singles chart | 10 |
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
4 |