George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley of Wham!
“Pack your bags, and leave tonight…” Yeah, you’ll be singing it too in a few minutes! To tell you the truth, I’ve been waiting months to share this video as a Friday Video Pick.
On vacation with Wham!
But I just knew it was the only pick that could effectively help Mirror80 kick off the summer. And the first week of summer it is!
In this gem of a tropical video, Wham! bandmates George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley enjoy a working vacation. “Working” because during the video it’s revealed that their characters are in fact airline pilots, and the women they’ve been pursuing are flight attendants. It just doesn’t get better than this. After viewing the stills, wouldn’t you agree?
This video for Wham!’s 1983 hit “Club Tropicana” was filmed in Ibiza, and it very well may have taken a shot or two at “tropical vacation package” marketing targeting young singles. Not only did the video feature George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley, it featured their back-up singers Dee C. Lee and Shirlie Holliman as potential love interests.
Fun Facts: Dee C. Lee went on to marry Paul Weller of The Jam, while Shirlie Holliman married Martin Kemp of Spandau Ballet. For many years, Andrew Ridgeley has been the partner of Bananarama’s Keren Woodward. Yes, love connections abounded in the world of ’80s music!
But enough talk! Let’s watch the video…
And if that weren’t enough fun for the first official Friday of summer, watch the clip below to see Wham! performing on a Japanese television show, reminding us of the simplicity of the backup singer/dancer concept of yore in comparison with today’s adrenaline-infused performances.
And here’s a glitzier version from Top of the Pops:
I hope Wham! has added a little happy to your Friday!
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