Obsession (song)

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"Obsession"

Single by Animotion
from the album Animotion
Released	1985
Format	7"
Genre	New Wave, synth-dance
Length	3:11–6:18
Label	Mercury
Writer(s)	Holly Knight/Michael Des Barres
Producer(s)	John Ryan
Chart positions
#6 (U.S.) #5 (U.K.)
Animotion singles chronology
–	"Obsession" (1985)	"Let Him Go" (1985)

Obsession is a 1985 song recorded by New Wave synth-dance group Animotion. The song hit number six in the US, and number five in the UK in early 1985, helped by a distinct video that received heavy rotation on MTV.

"Obsession" is a mainstay on '80s compilations, and was included on the '80s themed soundtrack of the videogame Grand Theft Auto: Vice City. In Vice City, it is on the fictional radio station Wave 103. It has also been used as the theme song for WWF Saturday Night's Main Event (aired on NBC) and Fashion Television Channel, as well as VH1's House of Style. Various artists have covered the song, including The Azoic in 2004, and the Sugababes, for their album - Taller In More Ways, in 2005.

[edit] Origins

It was originally written and recorded as a duet by songwriter Holly Knight and musician Michael Des Barres in 1983. Their recording flopped, possible due to the lack of a memorable video. This version was prominently featured in the 1983 film A Night in Heaven, most notably in a scene in which a male stripper gyrates his crotch in Lesley Ann Warren's face in sync with the rhythm of the song. The song was featured on the film's soundtrack, but did not receive enough attention to warrant much radio play or a place on any Billboard charts.

[edit] Music Video

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