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Obsession (Animotion song)

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"Obsession"
U.S. 7" vinyl
Single by Animotion
from the album Animotion
B-side"Turn Around"
ReleasedNovember 23, 1984
Recorded1983
Genre
Length5:34 (Album version)
3:58 (Single/video version)
LabelMercury
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)John Ryan
Animotion singles chronology
"Obsession"
(1984) 		"Let Him Go"
(1985)
Music video
"Obsession" on YouTube

"Obsession" is a 1983 song covered in 1984 by the group Animotion. The song hit number six in the United States, and number five in the United Kingdom in early 1985, helped by a distinctive video that MTV played frequently. "Obsession" also hit the Top 40 on the US dance chart, twice: once in 1984; then in 1986, as a double-sided hit, along with the track "I Engineer".

History

"Obsession" was originally written and recorded as a duet by songwriter Holly Knight and musician Michael Des Barres in 1983. This version was played in the 1983 film A Night in Heaven, during a scene in which Christopher Atkins bumps and grinds in Lesley Ann Warren's face in sync with the rhythm of the song. The song was featured on the film's soundtrack and was also featured in the theatrical trailer to the 1986 film 9½ Weeks, starring Mickey Rourke and Kim Basinger.[citation needed]

The Los Angeles-based synthpop band Animotion recorded a version of the tune for their self-titled debut album, released in 1984. This version became a success, and it remains Animotion's biggest hit.

Animotion's version is featured in the 2002 video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City on the fictional in-game new wave radio station "Wave 103" as well as in a Strip Club in the game called "The Pole Position Club". [citation needed] It has also been used as the theme song for World Wrestling Federation's Saturday Night's Main Event (aired on NBC as the introduction theme from May 1985 - Jan 1988) and FashionTelevisionChannel, as well as MTV's House of Style.[citation needed] The song has been used as the opening theme for the internationally syndicated Canadian program FT - FashionTelevision since it premiered in 1986. The Animotion version was also featured in 1985 episodes of the daytime soap operas Days Of Our Lives and Guiding Light. It also featured in the 2016 video game Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare as a part of the soundtrack to the zombies mode map "Zombies in Spaceland".

It was also featured prominently in the 2018 Australian film The Second, the first feature film ever produced by an Australian streaming service (Stan). The movie, about a troubling incident in the past of a successful novelist, used the song throughout to highlight the themes of jealousy, envy, and most obviously obsession.

The song features in the American Dad! episode "Shell Game" (2018).

Various artists have covered the song, including The Azoic in 2004 and the Sugababes.

Music video

The music video features the Animotion band members — focusing on the two singers, Bill Wadhams and Astrid Plane — dressed in various costumes (such as Mark Antony and Cleopatra) while performing the song next to a swimming pool and inside a luxury house.

Track listings

7": Mercury / 880 266-7 (US), PH34 (UK)

Side one
  1. "Obsession" - 3:58
Side two
  1. "Turn Around" - 3:54

12": Mercury / 880 266-1 (US), PH3412 (UK)

Side one
  1. "Obsession (Dance Remix)" - 6:00
Side two
  1. "Obsession (Special Dub Mix)" - 5:30

Chart performance

Chart (1985) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] 12
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[4] 17
Canada (RPM)[5] 7
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[6] 34
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[7] 42
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[8] 10
South Africa (EMA)[9] 9
UK Singles (OCC)[10] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[11] 6
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Disco chart[12] 35
West Germany (GfK)[13] 8
Chart (1986) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Disco-Club Play chart 27
Year-end chart (1985) Rank
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard)[14] 56

Sugababes version

"Obsession"
Song by Sugababes
from the album Taller in More Ways
Recorded2005
Studio
Genre
Length3:52
LabelIsland
Songwriter(s)
  • Holly Knight
  • Michael Des Barres
Producer(s)Dallas Austin

English girl group Sugababes covered "Obsession" for their fourth studio album Taller in More Ways (2005). Group member Heidi Range initially recorded it as a demo with Ashley Hamilton, although the Sugababes later decided to record it as a group. It was produced by Dallas Austin, one of the album's primary producers. The cover is similar to the original and had a polarizing effect on critics; some criticised it as mediocre, while others called it one of the album's standout tracks. The Sugababes performed it on their tours in support of Taller in More Ways and Overloaded: The Singles Collection (2006).

Background and production

The Sugababes' version of "Obsession" was produced by Dallas Austin, who collaborated with the Sugababes on various tracks on the album.[15] Group member Heidi Range initially recorded "Obsession" as a demo with Ashley Hamilton, although the Sugababes later decided to record it as a group. They spoke to Austin about their desire to record the song, and according to Range, "he was made up, because it’s one of his favourite songs."[16] "Obsession" was mixed by Jeremy Wheatley at TwentyOne Studios, London, with assistance from Richard Edgeler.[17] It was engineered collectively by Rick Shepphard, Graham Marsh (producer), Ian Rossiter and Owen Clark.[17] Tony Reyes provides background vocals for the song.[17] "Obsession" was recorded at DARP Studios, in Atlanta & Home Recordings, London.[17] It derives from the genres of synthpop[18][19] and electronic rock.[20] K. Ross Hoffman of AllMusic described it as "sugary synth pop".[19] Talia Kraines of BBC called the cover an "exact reworking" of the original.[18] The instrumentation consists of an electric guitar, bass guitar, drums and keys.[17] Alex Roginski of the Sydney Morning Herald noted that the song "thumps out analog synth and the glittering chord progressions of a 1980s nightclub".[21]

Critical reception

The Sugababes' cover of "Obsession" had a polarizing effect on critics. Harry Rubenstein of The Jerusalem Post felt that the group added nothing new to the track and instead stuck to a "straight up" cover, which he considered disappointing.[22] Nick Southall of Stylus Magazine regarded it as a "pleasant but unspectacular cover".[23] A journalist from The Scotsman considered it a "less engaging non-song" and criticised the group's decision to cover it.[24] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian felt that the Sugababes' version "sands off the edges rather than amps up the lunacy", and concluded: "what's left is like 1980s night at karaoke".[25] On the positive side, BBC's Talia Kraines named it the album's standout pop track.[18] Similarly, Peter Robinson of The Observer described the "spirited gambol" as one of the album's highlights.[26] Anna Britten from Yahoo! Music thought that the cover was even better than the original, and appreciated the "gorgeous, perfumed menace on the song's subject" which she felt resembled Sin City's "gun-toting Valkyrie-hookers".[27] Simon Price of The Independent praised the song as "instant pop",[20] and a writer from The Liverpool Daily Post & Echo considered it a "brilliantly seductive reworking" of the original.[28]

The Sugababes performed "Obsession" on the tours for Taller in More Ways and Overloaded.

Live performances

"Obsession" was included in the set list for the Sugababes' tour supporting Taller in More Ways.[29] It was one of three tracks from the album that was not released as a single to be performed on the tour.[29] Gurdip Thandi of Birmingham Mail regarded the song's performance at the NIA Academy as "polished".[30] "Obsession" was also included in the set list for their 2007 tour in support of Overloaded: The Singles Collection, the group's 2006 greatest hits album.[31]

Credits and personnel

Recording

  • Recorded at DARP Studios, Atlanta & Home Recordings, London

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Taller in More Ways, Universal Island Records.[17]

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ [2]
  3. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  4. ^ "Animotion – Obsession" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  5. ^ "Top Singles - Volume 42, No. 10, May 18, 1985". RPM. 18 May 1985. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  6. ^ "Animotion – Obsession" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  7. ^ "Animotion – Obsession" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  8. ^ "Animotion – Obsession". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  9. ^ "EMA Top 10 Airplay: Week Ending {{{date}}}". Entertainment Monitoring Africa. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  10. ^ "Animotion: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  11. ^ "Hot 100 – Week of May 04, 1985". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 4 May 1985. Retrieved 14 September 2012.
  12. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 21.
  13. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Animotion – Obsession" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 28 May 2019.
  14. ^ "1985 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 97, no. 52. December 28, 1985. p. T-21.
  15. ^ Cartner-Morley, Jess (16 September 2005). "Jess Cartner-Morley meets the Sugababes". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media. Archived from the original on 7 August 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2012.
  16. ^ "Taller In More Ways: Track by track". Sugababes.com. 4 October 2005. Archived from the original on 6 February 2007. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  17. ^ a b c d e f Taller in More Ways (album). Sugababes. Universal Island Records. 2005. pp. 14–15. 602498746264.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  18. ^ a b c "Sugababes - Taller in More Ways - Review". BBC Music. BBC. 23 September 2005. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 6 April 2010.
  19. ^ a b Hoffman, K. Ross. "Taller in More Ways - Sugababes". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  20. ^ a b Price, Simon (9 October 2005). "Sugababes - Taller in More Ways (Island)". The Independent. Independent News & Media. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 15 August 2012. (subscription required)
  21. ^ Roginski, Alex (23 January 2006). "Taller in Many Ways". Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 7 August 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  22. ^ Rubenstein, Harry (31 January 2006). "Disk Reviews". The Jerusalem Post. Mirkaei Tikshoret. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016. Retrieved 13 September 2006. (subscription required)
  23. ^ Southall, Nick (20 October 2005). "Sugababes - Taller In More Ways". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  24. ^ "The time is now, but the songs aren't here". The Scotsman. Johnston Publishing. 7 October 2005. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  25. ^ Petridis, Alexis (7 October 2005). "CD: Sugababes, Taller in More Ways". The Guardian. Guardian News & Media. Archived from the original on 6 August 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  26. ^ Robinson, Peter (18 September 2005). "The first ten: 2, Sugababes, Taller in More Ways". The Observer. Guardian News & Media. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 23 November 2011.
  27. ^ Britten, Anna (11 October 2005). "Sugababes - Taller In More Ways". Yahoo! Music. Yahoo! UK & Ireland. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007. Retrieved 16 August 2012.
  28. ^ "Back to form with full-throttle rock". The Liverpool Daily Post & Echo. Trinity Mirror. 7 October 2005. Retrieved 13 September 2012. (subscription required)
  29. ^ a b "Caught Live: Sugababes". Daily Mirror. Trinity Mirror. 16 April 2006. Archived from the original on 7 August 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  30. ^ "Sugababes @ NIA". Birmingham Mail. Trinity Mirror. 10 April 2006. Archived from the original on 28 April 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  31. ^ "The Set List; Caught Live! Sugababes". Sunday Mirror. Trinity Mirror. 22 April 2007. Archived from the original on 15 November 2018. Retrieved 14 September 2012. (subscription required)
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