We’ve long been advocates of the saying ‘what happens at Pikes, stays at Pikes’ but once or twice a decade, we’re happy to make an exception – especially when the exceptions in question result in some of the most iconic music video clips to have ever been produced. From the Wham! clip that helped put Pikes on the pop culture map in the early 80s, to a nostalgia and hedonism-fuelled film clip that encapsulated the Ibiza of the late 90s (thank you David Morales) to the most recent hyper-realistic representation of a night in Freddies complete with pop royalty (and one of our most famous guests, Kylie Minogue) and an iconic DJ (The Blessed Madonna), who needs Hollywood when we have such an abundance of inspiration right here on our doorstep?
Club Tropicana – Wham!
Let us take you to a place where membership’s a smiling face… It’s the film clip that catapulted Pikes onto the world stage back in 1983, after a very young and fresh faced George Michael (he was only 19 years old), Andrew Ridgeley (20) and their cohorts Dee C. Lee (22) and Shirlie Kemp (21) descended on the hotel to create the fictional world of Club Tropicana – yes, the place where drinks were free and there was enough fun and sunshine for everyone.
Our adventure begins with the unmistakeable sound of cicadas, as a Mehari makes its way up a dusty Ibiza camino at dusk. Cut to ‘the girls’ (as they’re named in the credits) strutting in through the big gates of Plaza Mayor, in off-the-shoulder tees, skimpy bikini bottoms and black pumps (complete with clip-clop sound effects), then heading into the bar area where they’re ‘welcomed to wonderland’ by Tony Pike ‘from beneath his Panama’. Cut to the pool, where a party is well and truly underway – a scene we’ve experienced many times over since then.
Directed by Duncan Gibbins, much of the video is centred around the pool, where the Wham! lads are floating about on lilos, sipping cocktails in martini glasses (and tipping them in the pool because they’re free, obviously), tooting on trumpets, gabbing on brick phones, swimming in the ice-blue water and more. We also see them riding donkeys around the property, singing in our outdoor poolside shower, crooning beneath an olive tree – one interesting difference to note is that the finca walls were all-white back then.
Fast forward to 2.51 minutes, and the party is over, as we see the gang primping, preening, shaving and moussing as they prepare to return to reality – scenes all filmed inside Room 16. The twist of course (and we’re pretty sure we’re not spoiling it for anyone at this point) is when ‘the boys’ and ‘the girls’ cross paths as they’re getting into their meharis at the end, and realise they’ll be on the next shift together, as pilots and air stewards. These were the days when film clips were like mini-movies, complete with plots and character arcs – if we knew then, what we know now about George Michael, it would have been a lot harder to believe! A magical moment in time, captured on camera – one we’ll always be grateful for.
Forget Me – Lewis Capaldi
Our adventure begins with the unmistakeable sound of cicadas, as a Mehari makes its way up a dusty Ibiza camino at dusk – sound familiar? The beauty of Lewis Capaldi’s 2023 film clip for Forget Me is that it’s not just inspired by Wham!’s Club Tropicana, it’s a scene-for-scene recreation of the iconic clip. Capaldi subs in as both ‘the boys’ (and is credited twice, accordingly!) – complete with Raybans, tighty whities, cocktails and a brick phone. The music of course, is a far cry from 80s pop, but the video is a masterclass in satire, nonetheless.
This was an experience it was hard to keep under wraps from the moment we knew it was going to take place – think NDAs, encouraging guests to spend the day away from the hotel with boat days, spa trips and other enticing experiences, and making sure no prying mobile phones were on ‘set’ throughout the entire day of filming – but we think we managed to keep a lid on it until release day. Luckily they recorded some behind the scenes footage! One thing’s for sure Lewis – we’ll never, ever, forget you!
Needin’ U – David Morales
Cast your minds back to 1998, if you will – and if you’re old enough – and you’ll recall the halcyon days of Ibiza clubbing, where anything and everything could happen in the course of just one day and NY house music was dominating the club scene. Our monthly resident, all-round international house music legend David Morales, was at the heart of it all and decided to make a video clip that encapsulated the hedonism, beauty, nature and people of Ibiza.
Needin’ U starts in the airport, where a young, buffed and visibly less-tattooed Morales is preparing to set off on his Balearic journey. He arrives to the white isle and dives straight into the action, stopping by the beach at Las Salinas, keeping up his fitness levels with a healthy job through the salt flats, and club-hopping his way through the nightlife scene. The video is an ode to the Ibiza of the late 90s, as is evidenced through the clubs (Space! Pacha! Amnesia!), the hairstyles, the sunglasses, the swimwear, the outfits… talk about nostalgia.
It’s at 2.10 minutes when our beloved home comes into focus, and we see Morales floating blissfully in the pool, a dreamy, hazy sequence that then sees him head over to the nearby west coast for sunset. If you’re eagle eyed, you’ll spy our tennis court at 2.38 minutes (only Morales could squeeze in time for another sports session), and then note the lush, green lawn and gardens (keep an eye out for our iconic mushroom lamps!), our top poolside terrace, and the terracotta-hued fields alongside the hotel (where he decides to go for yet another jog – there’s a reason the man is so ripped!).
If this track, and film clip, doesn’t give you goosebumps now, 26 years later, we don’t know what will. There’s nothing quite like the moment Morales drops this in during a set in Freddies, after teasing it in for hours… ah, sweet memories!
Edge of Saturday Night – The Blessed Madonna & Kylie Minogue
The excitement levels at Pikes HQ were palpable in the lead-up to the fateful day in July this summer when two very special guests would grace us with their presence for a day-to-night filming marathon. Once again, we were sworn to secrecy over the filming of a video clip and little did we know (at that time) that the collaboration between the wonderful Marea Stamper – aka The Blessed Madonna – and the princess of pop, Kylie Minogue, would be such a masterpiece. Perhaps the greatest ever representation of a night at Pikes, Edge Of Saturday Night, is so authentic you can almost feel the sweat dripping from the roof, you can taste the hierbas, and you can pre-empt the hangover.
Although the hyper-realistic video feels as if it was shot in real time, it was very carefully crafted, choreographed, styled, directed and edited by the incredibly talented Sophie Muller, with much of the action being filmed during the daytime, before our guests arrived for the Pikes Presents… The Blessed Madonna party. We can attest, however, that there are some parts of the clip that are 100% in the moment – for example, ‘Rave Kylie’ stomping her way into the booth, dancing on the decks and stagediving into the crowd (we really should be so lucky!), then Marea and Kylie diving into our swimming pool. The stamina Kiki and Marge (we learned their real-life nicknames on the night) showed was second to none – they were filming for over 16 hours and remained energised right until the moment we called ‘wrap’, around 4am. Consummate professionals.
If you’re missing Pikes parties this winter, we suggest you start again, shut the blinds and let the music (and visuals) save your life: the pulsating beat, the writhing crowd, the synthy melody, the echoey vocal, the blurriness, the drop, the Bathtub Club, the tennis court, the roller skate, the ceiling beams, the disco balls, a tempting plate of fries on the kitchen pass, pillow fights in a room – six deep in the bathroom stalls! Some extra things to watch out for: Freddie Mercury’s wildly patterned birthday shirt hanging in the bedroom (talk about an authentic prop) and our night and events manager Nick stepping in as an extra on the dancefloor (can we call him an authentic prop too?). What extraordinary women – both with their own unique connections to Pikes – and what an amazing piece of art they created for the world to see. We’re still buzzing to have played a part.
Photos: Art by Goldie
Of course, there have been others, and (we hope!) there will be more in the future – if you still have the urge to watch more, check out Robyn’s Between The Lines (another ode to the island – we see the Swedish songstress by Es Vedrá, at Café Mambo, in our Bathtub Club, bumping down our camino in a convertible, in our pool and jacuzzi, perusing Haribo in the supermarket and there’s even a video bomb by one of our cats), or Frankie Stew and Harvey Gunn’s Coconuts – a blissed-out day at Pikes traversing the pool, tennis court and grounds, if we’ve ever seen one!
And although we implemented a phone-free policy at Pikes this summer, we’re still pretty sure plenty of you are hoarding some footage from our summer beneath the disco ball. But, as we say, what happens at Pikes, stays at Pikes – keep those ones in the vault as precious memories.
