Pete Ellison is back with the 6th entry in his 80’ies remix series. Pete’s sound fuses perfectly with the flow of the original, adding a subtle, tight and danceable structure to the classic.
Animotion’s “Obsession” is a defining artifact of the 1980s—a song that’s both a snapshot of its time and a statement about the intoxicating pull of desire. But its story begins before Animotion. Written by Michael Des Barres and Holly Knight in 1983, the song first surfaced as a raw, sultry piece for the film A Night in Heaven. That version, steeped in art-rock minimalism, simmered with seductive restraint.
When Animotion took it on in 1984, they reimagined it entirely. Their version turned the track into a high-octane, synth-fueled juggernaut, with Bill Wadhams and Astrid Plane trading verses like a theatrical sparring match. The band gave the song a new pulse, capturing the era’s glamour and hedonistic undertones in every note. Its music video—full of mythic costumes and surrealist imagery—only deepened its allure, making it an MTV staple.
Released as a single, “Obsession” soared to #6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1985. But its real power lies beyond the charts. The song is pure ’80s excess, a glittering collision of longing and artifice that resonated then and still lingers now, a permanent fixture in the collective memory of a decade drenched in neon and possibility.
