Club Tropicana
| "Club Tropicana" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Wham! | ||||
| from the album Fantastic | ||||
| B-side | "Blue (Armed With Love)" | |||
| Released | 23 July 1983 | |||
| Format | 12", 7" , 3" CD | |||
| Recorded | 1983 | |||
| Genre | Post-disco | |||
| Length | 4:28 | |||
| Label | CBS | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
George Michael Andrew Ridgeley | |||
| Producer(s) |
Steve Brown George Michael | |||
| Wham! singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Club Tropicana" is a song by British pop duo Wham!, released in 1983 on Innervision Records. It was written by members 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 holidays 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.
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! then achieved four UK #1 singles before splitting at their height in 1986.
The song is also included in the Japanese release of Twenty Five.[1]
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. It in fact appeared as a bonus track on the Japanese pic disc version of the album. 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 Heaven as well as the B-side of 1985's single release of "Last Christmas." The studio version of the song has not appeared on CD except for a reissue on 3" CD single in Japan. It was also overlooked for the 25th Anniversary rerelease of The Final, even though this version claimed to be accurate to the original release.
Music video
A 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, 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 Michael and Ridgeley were airline pilots and Dee and Shirlie were stewardesses.
As of July 2018, the music video has received 19 million views on YouTube.[2]
Track listing
| 7": Innervision / A 3613 (UK) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Club Tropicana" | George Michael, Andrew Ridgeley | 4:29 |
| 2. | "Blue (Armed With Love)" | George Michael | 3:50 |
| 12": Innervision / TA 3613 (UK) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
| 1. | "Club Tropicana" | George Michael, Andrew Ridgeley | 4:29 |
| 2. | "Blue (Armed With Love)" | George Michael | 3:54 |
| 3. | "Club Tropicana" (Instrumental) | George Michael, Andrew Ridgeley | 3:31 |
Charts
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[3] | 60 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[4] | 23 |
| Germany (Official German Charts)[5] | 13 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[6] | 4 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] | 14 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[8] | 25 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[9] | 10 |
| UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[10] | 4 |
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[11] | Silver | 200,000 |
|
^shipments figures based on certification alone | ||
References
- ↑ http://www.discogs.com/George-Michael-Twenty-Five/release/881717
- ↑ Whamtv (2009-10-24), Wham! - Club Tropicana, retrieved 2018-05-01
- ↑ David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Wham! – Club Tropicana" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Wham! – Club Tropicana". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Club Tropicana". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Wham! – Club Tropicana" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "Charts.nz – Wham! – Club Tropicana". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Wham! – Club Tropicana". VG-lista. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ↑ "British single certifications – Wham! – Club Tropicana". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Silver in the Certification field. Enter Club Tropicana in the search field and then press Enter.