Addicted to Love (song)

This article is about Robert Palmer song. For other uses, see Addicted to Love (disambiguation).
"Addicted to Love"

Cover art for UK and European editions
Single by Robert Palmer
from the album Riptide
B-side "Remember to Remember"
Released January 1986
Format
Recorded 1985
Genre
Length
  • 6:01 (album version)
  • 4:04 (single version)
Label Island
Writer(s) Robert Palmer
Producer(s) Bernard Edwards
Certification Gold (RIAA)[1]
Robert Palmer singles chronology
"Riptide"
(1986)		 "Addicted to Love"
(1986)		 "Hyperactive"
(1986)

"Addicted to Love" is a song by English rock singer Robert Palmer released in 1986. It has become his signature song, thanks in part to a popular video featuring high fashion models.[2] Other artists have since released versions of it.

It is the third song on Palmer's Riptide album. The version released for commercial radio play is about four minutes long, while the album version runs a little over six minutes.

The song entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart the week ending 8 February 1986. The song ended up topping the Billboard Hot 100, as well as the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart. It was one of the last 45 RPM singles to receive a million-selling Gold certification. It also reached number one in Australia and number five on the UK Singles Chart.

Background

Originally intended to be a duet with Chaka Khan, the song was made without her because her record company at the time would not grant her a release to work on Palmer's label, Island Records. Chaka Khan, however, is still credited for the vocal arrangements in the album liner notes.

Andy Taylor of Duran Duran (and a bandmate of Palmer's from The Power Station) provides lead guitar. The other guitar part on the song is played by Eddie Martinez[3] and keyboards by Wally Badarou. The song is also notable for its unaccompanied drum opening, which has a time signature of 7/4. The rest of the song is in common 4/4 time.

Noddy Holder (the lead vocalist of English rock band Slade) stated in an interview that this song was the main track he wished he'd written himself. "The one main song that I wish that I'd written and recorded is 'Addicted to Love' by Robert Palmer. To me, that's a perfect pop song. Everything about it really hits the nail on the head."[4]

Music video

Palmer performing the song live.

The 1986 produced music video (which uses the shorter single version of this song), directed by British photographer Terence Donovan,[5] was one of the most iconic of the era. The video features Palmer performing the song with an abstract "band", being a group of female models whose pale skin, heavy makeup, dark hair and seductive, rather mannequin-like expression follow the style of women in Patrick Nagel paintings.

The five models in the video are Julie Pankhurst (keyboard), Patty Kelly (guitar), Mak Gilchrist (bass guitar) and Julia Bolino (guitar) and Kathy Davies (drums).[6]

Mak Gilchrist recalled to Q magazine:

"I was 21 and got the part on the strength of my modelling book. We were meant to look and 'act' like showroom mannequins. Director Terence Donovan got us tipsy on a bottle of wine but as we were having our make-up retouched, I lost balance on my heels and knocked the top of my guitar into the back of Robert’s head, and his face then hit the microphone."[7]

Palmer recycled the video's "iconic models" concept for the videos of three other songs of his : "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 fingering techniques, but "gave up after about an hour and left". The episode also pointed out several choreographic errors, including the models moving out of sync with one another, and moving during points with no back beat, such as the second chorus.

The music video ranked at number 3 on VH1's Top 20 Videos of the 1980s and was the last video shown on long running UK music programme The Chart Show.

In the romantic comedy film Love Actually (2003), written and directed by Richard Curtis, the video for Billy Mack's song, "Love Is All Around", is a tribute to "Addicted To Love".[8]

The models were also used in the spoof of the video in "Weird Al" Yankovic's UHF wearing glasses and moustaches. The music video was parodied in the video of Stardust's "Music Sounds Better with You," in Tone Lōc's "Wild Thing" and in Shania Twain's "Man! I Feel Like a Woman!".

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Chart (1986) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[9] 1
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[10] 34
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[11] 29
Canada (CHUM)[12] 2
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[13] 4
Ireland (IRMA)[14] 4
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[15] 34
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[16] 34
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[17] 2
South Africa (Springbok Radio)[18] 4
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[19] 5
US Billboard Hot 100[20] 1
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play[20] 36
US Billboard Top Rock Tracks[20] 1
US Cash Box[21] 1
Chart (2003) Peak
position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[22] 42

Year-end charts

Chart (1986) Position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[23] 10
Canada (RPM Top 100 Singles)[24] 36
US Billboard Hot 100[25] 10
US Cash Box[26] 11

Order of precedence
Preceded by
"Living Doll" by Cliff Richard and The Young Ones		 Australian Kent Music Report number-one single
23 June 1986 – 30 June 1986 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Touch Me (I Want Your Body)" by Samantha Fox
Preceded by
"Kiss" by Prince & The Revolution		 US Billboard Hot 100 number-one single
3 May 1986 (1 week) 		Succeeded by
"West End Girls" by Pet Shop Boys
US Cash Box number-one single
26 April 1986 – 3 May 1986 (2 weeks)
Preceded by
"All the King's Horses" by The Firm		 US Billboard Top Rock Tracks number-one single
22 March 1986 – 29 March 1986 (2 weeks) 		Succeeded by
"Why Can't This Be Love" by Van Halen

Tina Turner version

"Addicted to Love (Live)"
Single by Tina Turner
from the album Tina Live in Europe
B-side
  • "Overnight Sensation" (Live)
  • "Legs" (Live)
Released 1988
Format
Genre Rock
Length 5:10 (single mix)
Label Capitol
Writer(s) Robert Palmer
Producer(s) John Hudson
Tina Turner singles chronology
"Nutbush City Limits (Live)"
(1988)		 "Addicted to Love" (Live)
(1988)		 "Tonight (Live)"
(1988)

Tina Turner has made "Addicted to Love" a regular feature of her live shows since 1986, although her version did not make it onto the market until two years later.

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 and Tina! in 2008. Another live version was included in Tina Live in 2009.

Official versions

Peak positions

Charts (1988) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[27] 23
Belgium (VRT Top 30 Flanders)[28] 29
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[29] 19
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[30] 28
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[31] 71

Other cover versions

References

  1. ↑ "Gold & Platinum – Robert Palmer – Addicted to Love". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
  2. ↑ "#10 -- "Addicted to Love" by Robert Palmer -- #10". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  3. ↑ Blackett, Matt (1 February 2004). Guitar Player Magazine Interview at the Wayback Machine (archived 15 January 2013). Guitar Player. Myspace. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "Straight From His Own Gob – Noddy Holder interviewed by Andrew Darlington". Soundchecks. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  5. ↑ "Telling it how it really was". The Guardian. 15 March 1999. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  6. ↑ "The Girl in the Video: “Addicted to Love” (1986)".
  7. ↑ "Addicted To Love by Robert Palmer". Songfacts. Retrieved 10 September 2011.
  8. ↑ Abbott, Kate (16 December 2013). "How We Made Love Actually". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  9. ↑ "Australia No. 1 hits -- 1980's". World Charts. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  10. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Robert Palmer – Addicted To Love" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  11. ↑ "Radio2 top 30: 31 mei 1986" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  12. ↑ CHART NUMBER 1532 – Saturday, May 03, 1986 at the Wayback Machine (archived 7 November 2006). CHUM. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  13. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0670." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  14. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Addicted to Love". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  15. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Robert Palmer - Addicted To Love search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  16. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Robert Palmer – Addicted To Love" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  17. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Robert Palmer – Addicted To Love". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  18. ↑ "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (P)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  19. ↑ "Archive Chart: 1986-06-14" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  20. 1 2 3 "Riptide – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  21. ↑ CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending APRIL 26, 1986 at the Wayback Machine (archived 2 October 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  22. ↑ "Robert Palmer: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company. Retrieved 29 June 2013.
  23. ↑ "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts – 1980s". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  24. ↑ "Top Singles – Volume 45, No. 14, December 27 1986". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  25. ↑ "Top 100 Hits for 1986". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  26. ↑ The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1986 at the Wayback Machine (archived 2 October 2012). Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 11 July 2014.
  27. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Tina Turner – Addicted To Love (Live)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  28. ↑ "Radio 2 Top 30 : 16 april 1988" (in Dutch). Top 30. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  29. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Tina - Addicted To Love Live search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  30. ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Tina Turner – Addicted To Love (Live)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  31. ↑ "Tina Turner: Artist Chart History" Official Charts Company. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  32. ↑ Parker, Lyndsey (16 September 2015). "The Most Addictive, Most Simply Irresistible Robert Palmer Parodies of All Time". Yahoo!. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
  33. ↑ Torreano, Bradley. "Ciccone Youth – The Whitey Album". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
  34. ↑ Hilburn, Robert (2013). Johnny Cash: A Life. New York: Little, Brown and Company. p. 564.
  35. ↑ "Addicted to Love – Single by Florence + The Machine". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. 8 June 2010. Retrieved 27 February 2011.

External links

The Video Models

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