Addicted to Love (song)

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“Addicted to Love”
“Addicted to Love” cover
Single by Robert Palmer
from the album Riptide
A-side "Addicted to Love"
B-side "Remember to Remember"
Released 1985
Format 7"
Recorded 1985
Genre Rock
Length 4:23 (single version)
Label Island Records
Writer(s) Robert Palmer
Producer Bernard Edwards
Robert Palmer singles chronology
"Riptide"
(1986)
"Addicted to Love"
(1986)
"Hyperactive"
(1986)
“Addicted to Love (Live)”
“Addicted to Love (Live)” cover
Single by Tina Turner
from the album Tina Live in Europe
B-side "Overnight Sensation" (Live), "Legs" (Live)
Released 1988
Format 7" single
12" single
Genre Pop, Rock
Length 5:10 (single mix)
Label Capitol Records
Writer(s) Robert Palmer
Producer John Hudson
Tina Turner singles chronology
"Nutbush City Limits (Live)"
(1988)
"Addicted To Love" (Live)
(1988)
"Tonight (Live)"
(1988)

"Addicted to Love" is a song by Robert Palmer. It is the third song on the Riptide album. The most commonly heard version runs around four minutes, but the full album version runs a little over six minutes. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at #5 on the UK Singles Chart, and has now become known as his trademark song, thanks, in part, to a highly popular video.

The song is unusual in that the intro drum solo is in the 7/4 time signature, while the remainder is in a more conventional (at least for pop music) 4/4 time signature.

It was originally intended to be a duet with Chaka Khan. However, her record company at the time wouldn't grant her a release to work on Palmer's label, Island Records. Chaka Khan is still credited for the vocal arrangements in the album liner notes. The guitar part on the song is played by Andy Taylor, then a member of Duran Duran. Palmer met Taylor when they were both members of supergroup The Power Station.

Contents

[edit] Video

The music video was directed by Terence Donovan, in which Palmer's backing band is a group of models whose pale skin, strong makeup, and black hair makes them resemble the women in Patrick Nagel paintings. The video is notable for being the first (and last) one shown on long running UK music programme The Chart Show. Palmer recycled the video's "iconic models" concept for the videos of three other songs of his; namely "I Didn't Mean to Turn You On" (also from Riptide), "Simply Irresistible" and the animated "Change His Ways" (both from Heavy Nova).

VH1's Pop-up Video trivia about the video include the fact that a musician was hired to teach the models basic guitar fingering techniques, but "gave up after about an hour and left"[citation needed].

The video was very popular and was referenced/parodied in several videos, including Beyoncé's "Green Light", which shares many of the same elements. It is also referenced in Mr Blobby's music video for "Mr Blobby", Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!", in which Palmer's women are substituted for men dancing in the same way. Tone Lōc's "Wild Thing," Bowling for Soup's "1985" and "Weird Al" Yankovic's "UHF." In addition, Weird Al parodied the song itself in a song called "Addicted to Spuds". As well, Bill Nighy's character, Billy Mack, parodies the video in the 2003 romantic comedy Love Actually, and 13 years earlier Leslie Nielsen's character, Father Jebedaiah Mayii, parodies the same in the 1990 comedy "horror" film Repossessed. It was also used in a dream sequence of Dr. Joel Fleischman in an episode of Northern Exposure.

The 2006 Super Bowl spot of the TV series "Lost" featured an edited version of the video with inserted images of the show's first and second seasons and modified lyrics that changed the word "love" for "Lost" (hence the title, "Addicted to Lost"). The Video ranked at number 3 on VH1's top 20 videos of the 80's.

[edit] Charts

Charts (1986) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart 5
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 1
U.S. Mainstream Rock Tracks 1

[edit] Tina Turner version

Tina Turner has made "Addicted to Love" a regular feature of her live shows since 1986. A live recording from the 1986/1987 Break Every Rule Tour of the track was included on her Tina: Live in Europe album in 1988, and was also issued as the lead single to promote the album in certain territories - instead of "Nutbush City Limits" - and was a Top 20 hit in the Netherlands. The two singles had the same B-sides; live recordings of "Overnight Sensation" and ZZ Top's "Legs" and near identical picture sleeves. The version of "Addicted to Love" issued on the single was in fact an alternate mix of the track, the single mix was later included on the European editions of her 1991 greatest hits album Simply the Best as well as All the Best in 2004.

[edit] Versions and remixes (Tina Turner version)

  • Tina Live in Europe album mix - 5:22
  • Single Mix - 5:10

[edit] Chart performance (Tina Turner version)

Charts (1988) Peak
position
Dutch Singles Chart 19
UK Singles Chart 71

[edit] Other cover versions

Preceded by
"Living Doll" by Cliff Richard and The Young Ones
Australian Kent Music Report number one single
June 23, 1986 - June 30, 1986
Succeeded by
"Touch Me (I Want Your Body)" by Samantha Fox
Preceded by
"Kiss" by Prince and the Revolution
Billboard Hot 100 number one single
May 3, 1986
Succeeded by
"West End Girls" by Pet Shop Boys

[edit] External links