Obsessions

"Obsessions"
Single by Suede
from the album A New Morning
Released	November 18, 2002
Format	CD, DVD
Recorded	2002
Genre	Alternative rock
Length	4:11
Label	Columbia
Writer(s)	Brett Anderson, Richard Oakes
Producer(s)	Stephen Street, Suede, Alex Silva, Cameron Craig, Sean Genockey, Tony Hoffer
Suede singles chronology
"Positivity" (2002) "Obsessions" (2002) "Attitude/Golden Gun" (2003)

"Obsessions" is the second single from the album A New Morning by Suede, released on November 18, 2002 on Columbia Records.

Background

Though the single was another disappointment on the charts, reaching only 29 on the UK singles chart,^[1] the song is considered a favourite from this era among fans. The single had various producers: "Obsessions", "Cool Thing" and "ABC Song" were produced by Stephen Street, "Instant Sunshine" was produced by Suede and Alex Silva, "UFO" was produced by Suede and Cameron Craig, "Rainy Day Girl" was produced by Suede and Sean Genockey while "Hard Candy" was produced by Tony Hoffer.

The up-tempo song, whose lyrics focus on a relationship is somewhat reminiscent of Suede's biggest selling single "Trash".^[2][3]

"Obsessions" is a fan favourite of the later Suede and is notable as the only song from A New Morning that Suede performed at their 2010 reunion gigs.^[4][5] It was also the only addition from A New Morning to appear on the 2010 compilation The Best of Suede.

The video for the title song was directed by Grant Gee. The lead guitarist's brother, Stephen Oakes, worked as a runner on this video too. Suede invited fans to appear in the video shoot, which took place at the Marquee, now known as the O2 Academy Islington.

Reception

NME writer Julian Marshall appeared to be clairvoyant with the future of Suede's demise, stating in his 2002 review of the song "...The sad truth is that 'Obsessions' may be Suede's last half-decent single. Sounding like 'Trash' mark 2, it's the best pick from an album that remains about as troubling to the UK Top Ten as The Very Best of Echobelly. If Brett [Anderson] hasn’t made any resolutions for 2003 yet, let NME offer some advice - knock out the Greatest Hits and a final tour now, before everyone stops caring altogether."^[2]

Gareth Dobson of Drowned In Sound rated the single six out of ten. He felt that Suede's music and lyrics offered nothing new. He concluded by saying: "Suede's mascara may have smudged, like a beautiful one struggling to come to terms with the onset of age, and its undoubtedly rendered them less attractive for general public consumption, but that's not going to stop them doing what they've always done. They know nothing else."^[6]

Track listings

References