When The Stone Roses came to Lanzarote

Before they conquered the world, The Stone Roses took a trip to Lanzarote. The resulting videos, filmed for “Fool’s Gold” and “I Wanna Be Adored,” were a surreal fusion of cool swagger and otherworldly beauty that would help define an era.

In 1989 the Stone Roses had already had a moderate UK hit with I Wanna Be Adored, but it was the follow up single Fool’s Gold whose influence would echo through the decade to come and put Manchester at the centre of Britain’s musical map.

Stone Roses guitarist John Squire had holidayed on Lanzarote as a teenager, and his artistic eye had been caught by the island’s strange, volcanic landscapes. So it was at his suggestion that a film crew headed for the island to film videos to promote the new single and the US released of Adored.

Both videos are similar, the band play, walk and throw stones while Ian Brown does a bit of monkey dancing in front of scenes of Timanfaya, all beneath a sky that has been artificially transformed into a purple haze. It’s probably the introduction to Adored that captures Lanzarote’s peaceful beauty.