"Obsessions" is the second single from the album '' A New Morning'' by

Suede Suede (pronounced ) is a type of leather with a fuzzy, napped finish, commonly used for jackets, shoes, fabrics, purses, furniture, and other items. The term comes from the French , which literally means "gloves from Sweden". The term was firs ...

, released on 18 November 2002 through Columbia Records.

Background

Though the single was another disappointment on the charts, reaching only 29 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, 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 Tony Hoffer is an American record producer, songwriter, and music mixer. Career Hoffer is credited for his work on multiple platinum-selling albums including The Kooks, The Thrills, Beck, Supergrass, Turin Brakes and Air. His records have bee ...

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

Trash Trash may refer to: Garbage * Garbage, unwanted or undesired waste material ** Litter, material discarded in inappropriate places ** Municipal solid waste, unwanted or undesired waste material generated in a municipal environment Arts, enter ...

". "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. 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 Grant Robert Gee (born 24 October 1964) is a British film maker, photographer and cinematographer. He is most noted for his 1998 documentary ''Meeting People Is Easy'' about the British alternative rock group Radiohead. Early life Gee was born ...

. 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 The O2 Academy Islington, formerly known as the Carling Academy Islington, is an indoor music venue situated in the N1 Shopping Centre accessible via Upper Street and Liverpool Road, in the London Borough of Islington. It is run by the Academy ...

Critical reception

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' 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 Echobelly are a British rock band, debuting in 1994 with their album '' Everyone's Got One''. They were often compared to Blondie and The Smiths; Morrissey becoming a fan of the group. The most prominent part of Echobelly's success formula wa ...

''. If Brett ndersonhasn’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." ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

s Pete Stanton was favourable, who wrote in his review: "Brett Anderson's vocals can often sound not unlike a cat complaining to be let inside, but on this track he's toned down his trademark wail from an 11 to about a seven. The song is a lot better for this decision and dips and soars in all the right places." In a more mixed assessment, Gareth Dobson of '' Drowned in Sound'' rated the single six out of ten. He felt that Suede's music and lyrics offered nothing new. While praising it as one of "Anderson’s best vocal performances," he said that the band produced "another sublime chorus of glittered sadness. Nothing changes in Suede world."

Track listings

References

{{Authority control 2002 singles Songs written by Brett Anderson Songs written by Richard Oakes (guitarist) Suede (band) songs