I Took a Pill in Ibiza


"I Took a Pill in Ibiza" is a song by American singer Mike Posner. The song, originally acoustic guitar-based, was remixed by Norwegian production duo Seeb and released digitally as a single in the United States on April 14, 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 title references Ibiza, a Mediterranean island off the coast of Spain, while the pill was a "mystery" drug according to Posner. The lyrics reference Avicii, a Swedish DJ, who wrote a song with Posner called "Stay with You".
The 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 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", and was later nominated for a Grammy Award for Song of the Year.

Background

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." 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."

Composition

The original version of "I Took a Pill in Ibiza" by Posner is a folk pop song, and is written in the key of B major, while Seeb's remix is a tropical house song, and is written in the key of G minor in half time with a tempo of 102 beats per minute. It follows a chord progression of Gm – F – Emaj7 – B, and Posner's vocals span from B2 to D4.

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."
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."

Live 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.
English singer Tom Odell performed a cover of the song on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge, which received very good feedback from fans and critics.

Controversy

In April 2016, it was reported that tourism officials in Ibiza 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.

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. As of January 2020, this music video has received over 1.2 billion views on YouTube.
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". The music video was shot in Bateman's Buildings in London, an alleyway to the south of Soho Square Gardens, just off Oxford Street.

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

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Argentina 11
Australia 16
Austria 11
Belgium 3
Belgium 6
Brazil 27
Canada 5
CIS 41
Denmark 11
France 19
Germany 11
Hungary 32
Hungary 46
Hungary 11
Israel 14
Italy 7
Netherlands 1
Netherlands 2
New Zealand 12
Poland 5
Russia Airplay 42
Slovenia 17
Spain 10
Sweden 7
Switzerland 7
Ukraine Airplay 78
UK Singles 4
US Billboard Hot 10015
US Adult Top 40 25
US Dance/Mix Show Airplay 4
US Mainstream Top 40 5
US Rhythmic 24

Decade-end charts

Certifications

Release history