Infatuation (Rod Stewart song)

Last updated

"Infatuation"
Single by Rod Stewart
from the album Camouflage
B-side "She Won't Dance With Me" (US)
"Three Time Loser" (UK)
ReleasedMay 1984 [1]
Recorded1984
Genre Rock
Length5:13 (Album)
4:03 (single)
Label Warner Bros.
Songwriter(s) Rod Stewart, Duane Hitchings, Rowland Robinson
Producer(s) Michael Omartian
Rod Stewart singles chronology
"That's What Friends Are For"
(1983)
"Infatuation"
(1984)
"Some Guys Have All The Luck"
(1984)
Music video
"Infatuation" on YouTube

"Infatuation" is a 1984 song by Rod Stewart from his thirteenth studio album Camouflage, written by Stewart, Duane Hitchings and Rowland Robinson released as the first single from the album.

Contents

It features guitar playing by Jeff Beck, who makes a cameo in the video. It had two different B-sides. The US B-side was "She Won't Dance With Me", which is from his 1980 album Foolish Behaviour while the UK B-side, "Three Time Loser", is from his 1975 album Atlantic Crossing . [2]

Music video

The song's video, directed by Jonathan Kaplan, is a story filmed mostly in black in white. In the video, a woman (played by Kay Lenz [3] ) moves into an apartment complex where Stewart lives. Shortly after she settles in, Stewart is accosted by the woman's bodyguard (played by Mike Mazurki) asking about her, showing him a picture of her with two mobsters, one of the faces covered by the bodyguard's thumb; Stewart denies knowing the woman, though his apartment walls are covered with numerous pictures he took of the woman in various stages of dress (and undress); he is constantly snapping additional pictures or peering into the woman's apartment with his binoculars.

Eventually Stewart's obsession with the woman gets him in trouble; he is caught with his binoculars by the woman's bodyguard, who punches him in the face. After Stewart falls back on his pillow the film changes from black and white to colour, suggesting a dream sequence. The last scene takes a surreal turn, showing Stewart standing at a moving carousel with Lenz trapped in the center while one of the two mobsters (Dick Miller), riding a mount, taunts Stewart.

The video has two different endings. One ending shows the woman waving goodbye to Stewart as she and the other mobster (the one whose face was covered by the bodyguard's thumb in the picture) drive away in a blue convertible, leaving Stewart riding the carousel alone. [4] The other has the mobster driving away alone as Stewart and Lenz ride the carousel together in each other's arms. [5] In the first ending might, other 'mobster' is actually Stewart with his hair slicked down.

Mazurki later said that he got more fame in the making of this video than in any of the feature films or TV shows in which he'd starred. [6] [ better source needed ]

Charts

The song reached #6 on Billboard's Hot 100 charts. [7] On the US dance charts, "Infatuation" was the last of five entries to make the chart, peaking at #19. [8]

Chart history

Chart (1984)Peak
position
U.K. Singles Chart [9] 27
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 6
U.S. Billboard Hot Dance/Disco 19
West Germany (Official German Charts) [10] 27
Year-end chart (1984)Rank
US Top Pop Singles (Billboard) [11] 58

Parody

In the season 29 episode "Springfield Splendor" of The Simpsons , Kipp Lennon sings "Collaboration".

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rod Stewart</span> British singer-songwriter (born 1945)

Sir Roderick David Stewart is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold more than 120 million records worldwide. He has had 10 number-one albums and 31 top-ten singles in the UK, six of which reached number one. Stewart has had 16 top-ten singles in the US, with four reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100. He was knighted in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to music and charity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maggie May</span> 1971 single by Rod Stewart

"Maggie May" is a song co-written by singer Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton, and performed by Rod Stewart on his album Every Picture Tells a Story, released in 1971.

"(I Know) I'm Losing You" is a 1966 hit single recorded by the Temptations for the Gordy (Motown) label, written by Cornelius Grant, Eddie Holland and Norman Whitfield, and produced by Norman Whitfield.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Mazurki</span> American actor and professional wrestler

Mike Mazurki was a Ukrainian-American actor and professional wrestler who appeared in more than 142 films. Although educated as an attorney, his hulking 6 ft 5 in (196 cm) presence, craggy face, and croaking voice had him often typecast as brainless athletes, tough guys, thugs, and gangsters. Memorable roles included Moose Malloy in Murder, My Sweet (1944), Splitface in Dick Tracy (1945), Yusuf in Sinbad the Sailor (1947), and "The Strangler" in Night and the City (1950). He was the founder and first president of the Cauliflower Alley Club.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Let's Go Crazy</span> 1984 single by Prince and The Revolution

"Let's Go Crazy" is a 1984 song by Prince and The Revolution, from the album Purple Rain. It is the opening track on both the album and the film Purple Rain. "Let's Go Crazy" was one of Prince's most popular songs, and was a staple for concert performances, often segueing into other hits. When released as a single, the song became Prince's second number-one hit on the Billboard Hot 100, and also topped the two component charts, the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Dance Club Play charts, as well as becoming a UK Top 10 hit. The B-side was the lyrically controversial "Erotic City". In the UK, the song was released as a double A-side with "Take Me with U".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm Every Woman</span> 1978 single by Chaka Khan

"I'm Every Woman" is a song by American singer Chaka Khan, released as her debut solo single from her first album, Chaka (1978). It was Khan's first hit outside her recordings with the funk band Rufus. "I'm Every Woman" was produced by Arif Mardin and written by the successful songwriting team Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. The single established Chaka's career outside the group Rufus, whom she would leave after their eighth studio album, Masterjam, was released in late 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kay Lenz</span> American actress (born 1953)

Kay Ann Lenz is an American actress. She is the recipient of a Daytime Emmy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award, as well as nominations for a Golden Globe Award and a Saturn Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The First Cut Is the Deepest</span> 1965 song written by Cat Stevens

"The First Cut Is the Deepest" is a 1967 song written by British singer-songwriter Cat Stevens, originally released by P. P. Arnold in April 1967. Stevens's own version originally appeared on his album New Masters in December 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right</span> Song

"(If Loving You Is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right" is a song written by Stax Records songwriters Homer Banks, Carl Hampton, and Raymond Jackson. Originally written for The Emotions, it has been performed by many singers, most notably by Luther Ingram, whose original recording topped the R&B chart for four weeks and rose to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1972. Billboard ranked it as the No. 16 song for 1972.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Wear It Well</span> 1972 single by Rod Stewart

"You Wear It Well" is a song written by Rod Stewart and Martin Quittenton, performed by Stewart. It uses an arrangement markedly similar to that of "Maggie May", one of Stewart's hits from the previous year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Twistin' the Night Away</span> 1962 single by Sam Cooke

"Twistin' the Night Away" is a song written and recorded by Sam Cooke. It was recorded on 18 December 1961 and released as a single in 1962. It became very popular, charting in the top ten of both the Billboard Hot 100 (#9) and Billboard's R&B chart (#1). "Twistin' the Night Away" was successful overseas as well, peaking at #6 on the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Killing of Georgie (Part I and II)</span> 1976 single by Rod Stewart

"The Killing of Georgie (Part I and II)" is a song written and recorded by Rod Stewart and released as a track on his 1976 album A Night on the Town. The song tells the story of a gay man who was killed in New York City. A two-part song, Part I was the more popular hit and was blended into the more melancholy and sombre Part II.

"I Don't Want to Talk About It" is a song written by American guitarist Danny Whitten. It was first recorded by American rock band Crazy Horse and issued as the final track on side one of their 1971 eponymous album. It was Whitten's signature tune, but gained more fame via its numerous cover versions, especially that by Rod Stewart. Cash Box magazine has described it as "a magnificent ballad outing."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Only the Strong Survive (song)</span> 1969 single by Jerry Butler

"Only the Strong Survive" is a song written by Jerry Butler, Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff and originally sung in 1968 by Jerry Butler, released on his album The Ice Man Cometh. It was the most successful single of his career, reaching #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was #1 for two weeks on the Billboard Black Singles Chart, in March and April 1969, respectively.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stay with Me (Faces song)</span> Song by the band Faces

"Stay with Me" is a song by English rock band Faces, written jointly by lead singer Rod Stewart and guitarist Ronnie Wood. Released from the band's third studio album A Nod Is As Good As a Wink... to a Blind Horse (1971), it became their only major hit in the United States, although they had a further three Top 20 singles in the UK chart. The song has also appeared on various Faces compilations and on albums by both songwriters. The lyrics describe a woman named Rita, who has a face that she has "nothing to laugh about", and with whom the singer proposes a one-night stand, on the condition that she be gone when he wakes up.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forever Young (Rod Stewart song)</span> 1988 single by Rod Stewart

"Forever Young" is a song by British singer-songwriter Rod Stewart, first released on his 1988 album Out of Order. The song was a Top 20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #12, and #9 on the Canadian RPM Magazine charts.

"Some Guys Have All the Luck" is a song written by Jeff Fortgang. It has been a Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 twice, as the original by The Persuaders in 1973 reaching No. 39, then as the cover by Rod Stewart in 1984 where it hit No. 10 in the U.S. and No. 32 on the Adult Contemporary chart.

"The Tip of My Fingers", also titled "The Tips of My Fingers", is a song written and originally recorded by American country music singer Bill Anderson. First included on his 1962 album Bill Anderson Sings Country Heart Songs, the song was a Top Ten country single for him in 1960.

<i>Time</i> (Rod Stewart album) 2013 studio album by Rod Stewart

Time is the twenty-eighth studio album by Rod Stewart, it was released on 3 May 2013 in the UK, on 7 May in the US and Canada, and on 8 May in Japan under the title "Time: Toki no Tabibito" (タイム~時の旅人~). In May 2013, Stewart released Time, a rock album of his own original material. It marked a return to songwriting after what Stewart termed "a dark period of twenty years"; he said that writing his autobiography gave him the impetus to write music again. The album entered the top 10 in the US and entered the UK Albums Chart at No. 1, setting a new British record for the longest gap between chart-topping albums by an artist, as his last studio album to reach the top spot was A Night on the Town in 1976. The album was certified platinum in the UK on 16 August 2013 and double-platinum on 29 December 2017. Overall, the album was the No. 7 best-selling album of 2013 in the UK. In the United States, the album has sold 141,000 copies as of September 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Why Me? (Irene Cara song)</span> 1983 single by Irene Cara

"Why Me?" is a song written by Giorgio Moroder, Keith Forsey, and the song's performer, Irene Cara, that was the first official single to be released from Cara's 1983 album, What a Feelin', making it the follow-up to the songwriting trio's previous project for Cara, "Flashdance... What a Feeling". This new collaboration, however, was described as having more of a hard rock edge and had lyrics that conveyed the difficulties in a relationship.

References

  1. "Rod Stewart singles".
  2. "Rod Stewart – Infatuation". Discogs.
  3. Kay Lenz in Rod Stewart's Infatuation music video
  4. "Infatuation" video with ending where Stewart loses the girl
  5. "Infatuation" video with ending where Stewart gets the girl
  6. Other works for Mike Mazurki
  7. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 605.
  8. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Hot Dance/Disco: 1974-2003. Record Research. p. 246.
  9. "officialcharts.com". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  10. "Offiziellecharts.de – Rod Stewart – Infatuation" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 2 August 2023.
  11. "Talent Almanac 1985: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 96, no. 51. 22 December 1984. p. TA-19.