Lewis Capaldi hit No.1 on the U.K. charts with “Forget Me,” a sad breakup song accompanied by a shot-for-shot recreation of Wham!’s 1983  “Club Tropicana” music video. Capaldi takes the part of George Michael as the heartthrob of the video, relaxing in a pool and at the beach while flirting with bikini-clad women. 

For a remake, the video is excellent. The camera angles, filters, and even the mannerisms are identical between the music videos. The first major difference, however, is Capaldi himself. He’s a far cry from the trim, handsome George Michael of the ’80s. Still, the music video treats them the same, giving Capaldi every second of female attention that Michael gets in the original music video. 

However, the song adds another layer to the lyrics. Instead of anything upbeat, light-hearted, and carefree like “Club Tropicana,” the “Forget Me” lyrics stick to the Capaldi formula, describing conflicting feelings after a tough breakup. “Days ache and nights are grey / My heart is still your place, babe,” Capaldi sings. As always, Capaldi succeeds in keeping the song relatable, especially for his young adult audience, but the combination of depressing lyrics and upbeat visuals makes for a confusing music video experience. 

Maybe Capaldi is trying for both. He wants a nostalgic callback to an ’80s classic, with an unconventional-looking lead to shake up stereotypical sex appeal, all tied together with fast-paced lyrics about a rough relationship. Whatever his intentions, the song has too much going on and too vague of a message to pull it together. 

Any of those ideas might have worked independently, but Capaldi played it too safe. Rather than stick with a fun, reimagined classic track that revamps the look of a teen idol, he kept the usual doom and gloom of his other breakup songs. 

Capaldi touched on his music formula in a statement released about his new single. “Lyrically it covers a lot of the same ground as before,” Capaldi wrote. “I meet lady, lady leaves me, I whine about it in a pop song. Textbook.” 

Considering the effort Capaldi put into capturing “Club Tropicana” frame-for-frame, surely the lyrics could have benefitted from creativity as well. Maybe before challenging the stereotypes of an ’80s icon, Capaldi should start challenging the stereotypes of his own songs.