Animotion - Obsession (1984)

"Obsession" is a 1983 song covered in 1984 by the group Animotion. The song hit number six in the United States, and number ...

"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".

"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.

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". 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. 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.