I Took a Pill in Ibiza

"I Took a Pill in Ibiza"
Single by Mike Posner
from the album The Truth and At Night, Alone
Released July 24, 2015 (2015-07-24)
Format
Recorded 2015
Genre
Length
  • 4:40 (original version)
  • 3:19 (SeeB remix)
Label Island
Songwriter(s) Mike Posner
Producer(s)
Mike Posner singles chronology
"Be As You Are"
(2015)		 "I Took a Pill in Ibiza"
(2015)		 "Buried in Detroit"
(2015)

"Be As You Are"
(2015)		 "I Took a Pill in Ibiza"
(2015)		 "Buried in Detroit"
(2015)
Music video
Official Music Video on YouTube
Official Music Video (SeeB remix) on YouTube

"I Took a Pill in Ibiza" (also known by its censored title "In Ibiza" or its clean title "I Took a Plane to Ibiza") is a song by American singer Mike Posner. The song, originally acoustic guitar-based, was remixed by the Norwegian duo SeeB and released digitally as a single in the United States on July 24, 2015. The original version is on Posner's second EP The Truth, while both versions are on his second studio album At Night, Alone.

The famous SeeB remix reached the top ten of the charts in twenty seven countries, including number one in Belgium, Ireland, Israel, Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom. In the UK, the song remained at the top of the charts for four weeks. It has achieved high chart positions in Posner's native United States, where it reached number one on both the Billboard Dance/Mix Show Airplay Chart and the Billboard Pop Songs chart, also peaking at number four on the main chart Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks. The song became Posner's biggest single, outperforming his debut, "Cooler than Me" (2010), and was later nominated for a Grammy Award for Song of the Year.

Background

It was sort of a mystery pill. I was already under the influence of alcohol at the time. I had written a song with Avicii that week in Sweden called "Stay with You" and he was playing in Ibiza so I said, 'I will just go there with you,' because I was already in Europe. I don't have like a regular 9–5 job ... so might as well go to Ibiza, right? I had never been there before. So I went. We were at his show and I was drinking at the time. I just sort of moseyed out into the audience to watch Avicii spin from their point of view. I would go back and forth between the backstage and the VIP area and then where the actual kids were. And most people didn't know who the heck I was in Ibiza except for this one guy who recognized me. He was like, 'Are you Mike Posner?' and he was all excited. He holds up this little bag of pills and is like, 'You want one?' And drunk Mike Posner was like, 'F*** it, yeah.' So I took one and I had never done that before, and then I felt amazing. Then when I came down I felt 10 years older.[1]

— Mike Posner explaining the inspiration for the song, August 2015

Regarding their remix, SeeB told Official Charts: "We got it from Matt D'Arduini, VP A&R at Island Records. It was really slow and we only listened to the vocals on it. Matt sent us the multitrack of Mike's new EP and we picked "Ibiza" right away. Such a brilliant lyric and melody but it needed a new soundscape to be a hit."[2] Posner has called the success of the remix version both "ironic" and "beautiful": "I wrote this sad thing, and it was me processing some dark and heavy emotion, and now people seem to be having their own joyous memories out of my sadness. That’s a very beautiful thing as an artist."[3]

Composition

The original version of "I Took a Pill in Ibiza" by Posner is a folk pop song,[4] and is written in the key of B ♭ major,[5] while SeeB's remix is a tropical house song,[6] and is written in the key of G minor in half time with a tempo of 102 beats per minute.[7] It follows a chord progression of Gm – F – E♭maj7 – B♭, and Posner's vocals span from B♭2 to D4.[8]

Critical reception

Billboard ranked "I Took a Pill in Ibiza" #30 on its "100 Best Pop Songs of 2016: Critics' Picks" list, writing, "The weirdness of 2016 might be best encapsulated by Mike Posner earning his first Hot 100 top 10 in nearly six years—and ending the year with a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year—for a song lamenting his status as 'a singer who already blew his shot.' That's due in part to the power of SeeB's buoyant, tropical house-flavored remix, but the cautionary tale of post-fame and excess drives it home, even as it ironically became Posner’s biggest hit yet."[9]

Time was more negative toward the remix, stating, "Originally conceived as a folksy pop song in the vein of Jason Mraz, there was something clever about Posner's withering takedown of drug-taking EDM bro culture. But the much more popular SeeB remix sapped it of its wit, turning it into the exact thing it was satirizing. What a comedown."[10]

Performances

Mike Posner performs the song live in the style of SeeB's remix, but with a live band and adding the third verse on vocals and guitar only. He has performed the song on a number of talk shows including The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and The Ellen DeGeneres Show. In his rendition on the talk show Conan, he brought in a 10-piece string orchestra and 4 backing vocalists, and he introduced a new intro and final verse to the song, the latter of which talked about Posner's father having cancer. He also performed an acoustic version on Elvis Duran and the Morning Show at the Elvis Duran Performing Arts Center.

Artist Tom Odell performed a cover of the song on the BBC Live Lounge, which received very good feedback from fans and critics.

Controversy

In April 2016, it was reported that tourism officials in Ibiza (Spain) were "annoyed" by the song as they felt it contributed to Ibiza's reputation for drug-related debauchery due to lyrics in the song such as "I took a pill in Ibiza" and "You don't want to be high like me". The island's tourism director, Vicent Ferrer, stated, "We have invited the author of this song to discover Ibiza because we have much more to offer besides the nightlife which is known worldwide," and noted that the island had been "typecast" due to its reputation for nightlife and as a partying destination.[11]

Music videos

A music video featuring the SeeB remix was launched via Posner's YouTube Vevo account on February 26, 2016. It portrays Posner as a druggie whose face is replaced by a papier-mâchéd mask. The man spends the video becoming increasingly intoxicated as he mingles with girls and his equally self-destructive friends. The man sings about how his fame, having long since faded, left him completely empty inside and unable to feel any kind of fulfillment, causing him to attempt to fill the void with his rampant hedonism and material possessions.

A second music video featuring the original version was released on March 15, 2016. It features Posner with sheets of paper depicting lyrics of the song in a style similar to Bob Dylan's 1965 electric folk song, "Subterranean Homesick Blues".

Use in media

The song is featured in the television shows Scream, Superstore and Riverdale. It was also played during the swimsuit competition of Miss Universe 2016.

Track listing

Digital download[12]
No.TitleLength
1."I Took a Pill in Ibiza" (SeeB Remix)3:19

Charts

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/Sales
Australia (ARIA)[90] 3× Platinum 210,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[91] 7× Platinum 560,000^
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[92] 5× Platinum 120,000*
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[93] 3× Platinum 270,000^
France (SNEP)[94] Diamond 250,000*
Germany (BVMI)[95] 3× Gold 600,000^
Italy (FIMI)[96] 6× Platinum 300,000double-dagger
New Zealand (RMNZ)[97] 2× Platinum 30,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[98] 3× Platinum 30,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[99] 3× Platinum 60,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[100] 3× Platinum 120,000^
Sweden (GLF)[101] 8× Platinum 320,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[102] 2× Platinum 1,200,000double-dagger
United States (RIAA)[103] 4× Platinum 1,554,000[104]

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone
double-daggersales+streaming figures based on certification alone

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
United States July 24, 2015 Digital download Island [105]
United Kingdom [12]

References

  1. ↑ "Mike Posner – I Took A Pill In Ibiza". Genius.
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  4. ↑ Villa, Lucas (March 19, 2016). "Mike Posner pops into Billboard Hot 100 with 'I Took a Pill In Ibiza'". AXS TV. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
  5. ↑ "I Took a Pill in Ibiza by Mike Posner; sheet music". Musicnotes.com. 2016. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  6. ↑ "Popping the Drop: A Timeline of How EDM's Bubble Burst". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
  7. ↑ "BPM for 'i took' by mike posner | songbpm.com". songbpm.com. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
  8. ↑ Posner, Mike. "Mike Posner "I Took a Pill in Ibiza [remix]" Sheet Music in G Minor (transposable) - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
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  11. ↑ "Tourism chiefs invite singer of hit drugs song to see other side of Ibiza". the Guardian.
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  101. ↑ "Sverige Topplistan". Sverigetopplistan. February 2, 2017. Archived from the original on December 26, 2015. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
  102. ↑ "British single certifications – Mike Posner – I Took A Pill In Ibiza". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 12, 2016. Select singles in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type I Took A Pill In Ibiza in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  103. ↑ "American single certifications – Mike Posner – I Took A Pill In Ibiza". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved May 24, 2018. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
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  105. ↑ I Took a Pill In Ibiza (SeeB Remix) - Single by Mike Posner on iTunes
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