The Hot Sardines, Addicted To Love

Back in the mid 1980s Robert Palmer had a new song. It was intended as a duet with Chaka Khan. But he and Khan were on different record labels, and couldn't record together without permission. Permission wasn't given. Ah, those recording companies, always looking out for the musician's interest. Palmer went ahead on his own. Andy Taylor of Duran Duran played guitar. "Addicted to Love" was a hit, almost as well known for its music video featuring mannequin-like models mechanically pretending to be Palmer's back up band. One can only dream of what might have been.

Skip ahead a few decades and The Hot Sardines remade the song in their distinctive jazz style. Miz Elizabeth leads the band through a very different take on the song. Cover versions like this are the best-- where the artist puts their own mark on the song so completely that you don't at first realize they're doing someone else's song. As a cover recording this ranks with Devo's legendary remake of the Rolling Stones' "Satisfaction". The first time I played this version of "Addicted..." on the air someone called in and went into a monologue about how the song so closely matched up with a book they'd been reading about codependency. I don't think they knew it was a new version of an 80s hit.