Peak
3
Weeks
25
Score
3,795
Chart Year
1984
In this song, a man takes his wife/girlfriend for granted until she can't take it anymore and walks out. Now he's unable to cope with her rejection. Huey Lewis & the News had a hit the previous year with another song comparing a woman to an addiction: "I Want A New Drug." >> Chicago wrote most of their own songs, but they used outside writers on this one: Steve Kipner and Jon Parker. Kipner also wrote "Physical" and "Genie in a Bottle." Parker has written many songs as well as music for TV shows, including the game show Family Feud. This song makes great use of two very different voices in the band: Peter Cetera sings most of the verses, while Bill Champlin comes in for the chorus ("I'm addicted to you baby!"). David Foster produced this and the rest of the tracks on the Chicago 17 album. Foster had a longstanding relationship with Peter Cetera; when Cetera went solo, Foster continued to work with him, co-writing Cetera's hit "Glory Of Love." The Foster sound was hot, but it muted the band's famous horn section, which was a point of contention in the band and a disappointment to their longtime fans who were looking for an uptempo, brassy sound and not keyboard-driven ballads. Chicago were never MTV stars, but they did have a presence on the network. The video for this song was directed by Leslie Libman, who also did their clip for "You're the Inspiration."
I guess I thought you'd be here forever Another illusion I chose to create You don't know what you got until it's gone And I found out a little too late I was acting as if you were lucky to have me Doin' you a favor, I hardly knew you were there But then you were gone, and it all was wrong Had no idea how much I cared Now being without you takes a lot of getting used to Should learn to live with it but I don't want to Being without you is all a big mistake Instead of getting easier, it's the hardest thing to take I'm addicted to you babe, you're a hard habit to break You found someone else you had every reason You know I can't blame you for runnin' to him Two people together but livin' alone I was spreading my love too thin After all of these years I'm still tryin' to shake it Doin' much better, they say that it just takes time But deep in the night, it's an endless fight I can't get you out of my mind Now being without you takes a lot of getting used to Should learn to live with it but I don't want to Being without you is all a big mistake Instead of getting any easier, it's the hardest thing to take I'm addicted to you babe, you're a hard habit to break Can't go on, just can't go on, on Can't go on, just can't go on, on Now being without you takes a lot of getting used to Should learn to live with it but I don't want to Being without you is all a big mistake Instead of getting any easier, it's the hardest thing to take I'm addicted to you You're a hard habit to break (you're a hard habit to break) (just can't go on) Such a hard habit to break (such a hard habit to break) (just can't go on) I'm addicted to you You're a hard habit to break (you're a hard habit to break) (just can't go on) Such a hard habit to break (such a hard habit to break) (just can't go on) I'm addicted to you baby
| Week | Chart Date | Position | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 4, 1984 | 61 | 65 |
| 2 | Aug 11, 1984 | 46 | 80 |
| 3 | Aug 18, 1984 | 41 | 85 |
| 4 | Aug 25, 1984 | 32 | 94 |
| 5 | Sep 1, 1984 | 28 | 98 |
| 6 | Sep 8, 1984 | 24 | 102 |
| 7 | Sep 15, 1984 | 20 | 106 |
| 8 | Sep 22, 1984 | 14 | 112 |
| 9 | Sep 29, 1984 | 12 | 114 |
| 10 | Oct 6, 1984 | 6 | 120 |
| 11 | Oct 13, 1984 | 4 | 122 |
| 12 | Oct 20, 1984 | 3 | 123 |
| 13 | Oct 27, 1984 | 3 | 123 |
| 14 | Nov 3, 1984 | 4 | 122 |
| 15 | Nov 10, 1984 | 9 | 117 |
| 16 | Nov 17, 1984 | 13 | 113 |
| 17 | Nov 24, 1984 | 20 | 106 |
| 18 | Dec 1, 1984 | 23 | 103 |
| 19 | Dec 8, 1984 | 43 | 83 |
| 20 | Dec 15, 1984 | 62 | 64 |