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"Not an Addict"
Single by K's Choice
from the album Paradise in Me
B-side	"Dad" "Something's Wrong" (live)
Released	July 1995 (1995-07)
Studio	Jet (Brussels, Belgium)
Genre	Grunge
Length	4:50
Label	Double T Music
Songwriter(s)	Gert Bettens Sarah Bettens
Producer(s)	Jean Blaute
Music video
"Not an Addict" on YouTube

"Not an Addict" is a song by Belgian rock band K's Choice from their second studio album, Paradise in Me (1996). It was written by the band's core members—siblings Gert and Sam (then known as Sarah) Bettens—produced by Jean Blaute, and recorded at Jet Studios in Brussels, Belgium.

The song was first released as a single in Belgium in July 1995 and was issued in other territories between late 1995 and mid-1997. It became the band's most successful hit, reaching the top 40 in several countries, peaking at number eight in the Flanders region of Belgium, and climbing to number five on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart. The song won a ZAMU Award for Best Single in 1995.

Background and meaning

The song's content originates from Sam Bettens' previous experiences with drugs and his views on substance dependence. He explained in an interview that he was addicted to cigarettes and experimented with acid and mushrooms but never tried any hard drugs, fearing that it would make him lose touch with his self-control. Bettens went on to explain that the song is not pro-drug and expressed his worry about fans of the song trying drugs because of the subject matter. However, he also revealed that the track is not anti-drug, saying, "At home, there's a lot of debate about legalizing soft drugs, like pot, to separate them from the criminality that sometimes surrounds hard drugs. The issue isn't black and white, and neither is the song".

Composition

"Not an Addict" is written in the key of E major and has a tempo of 169 beats per minute. It has a length of four minutes and fifty seconds.

Critical reception

The song was proclaimed the "single of the week" on the 23 December 1996 issue of Music & Media magazine. According to the entry: "Among all that talent pouring out of Belgium—dEUS, Moondog Jr., The Sands—it is possible to overlook the latest gem out of this small country. To pass up on K-Choice would be a major mistake. K-Choice's singer/co-writer Sarah Bettens is obviously inspired by US alternative rock queens such as the Deal sisters, Heather Nova and Johnette Napolitano. A little bit of Bangles pops up at the end, but the guitars remain loud and clear." Music Week rated it three out of five, describing it as "a brooding, bass-heavy torch song overlaid by breezy atmospheric vocals from the Belgian four-piece". In 1995, the song earned a ZAMU Award for Best Single.

Track listings

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the 1995 Benelux CD single liner notes.

Studio

• Recorded at Jet Studios (Brussels, Belgium).

Personnel

• K's Choice – performance
  • Gert Bettens – writing, artwork illustration
  • Sam Bettens (as Sarah Bettens) – writing
• Jean Blaute – production, mixing
• Werner Pensaert – mixing
• Jurgen Rogiers – photography
• King & Kong – artwork design

Charts

Release history

References

1. ^ "Bird's-Eye View of Belgian Talent" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 41. 14 October 1995. p. 8. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
2. Casalena, Em (November 18, 2024). "Grunge One-Hit Wonders From the 1990s That Should Have Been Bigger". American Songwriter. Retrieved November 19, 2024.
3. Bambarger, Bradley (17 May 1997). "The Modern Age" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 20. p. 41. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
4. "Key & BPM for Not an Addict by K's Choice". Tunebat. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
5. "K's Choice – Not an Addict Overview". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
6. "M&M Music – New Releases" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 51/52. 23 December 1995. p. 4. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
7. "Reviews" (PDF). Music Week. 30 March 1996. p. 10. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
8. "M&M News This Week – Bulletin Board" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 7. 17 February 1996. p. 7. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
9. ^ Not an Addict (Benelux CD single liner notes). K's Choice. Double T Music. 1995. DTM 501212-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
10. Not an Addict (Benelux CD single liner notes). K's Choice. Double T Music. 1996. DTM 501218-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
11. Not an Addict (European CD single liner notes). K's Choice. Columbia Records, Double T Music. 1995. COL 6624351, 01-662435-17.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
12. Not an Addict (European maxi-CD single liner notes). K's Choice. Columbia Records, Double T Music. 1995. COL 6624352, 01-662435-14.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
13. Not an Addict (Australian CD single liner notes). K's Choice. Columbia Records, Double T Music. 1995. 662435 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
14. Not an Addict (German maxi-CD single liner notes). K's Choice. Columbia Records, Double T Music. 1996. COL 663799 2, 663799 2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
15. "K's Choice – Not an Addict". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
16. "K's Choice – Not an Addict" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
17. "K's Choice – Not an Addict" (in French). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
18. "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 3236." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
19. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 28. 13 July 1996. p. 20. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
20. "K's Choice – Not an Addict" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
21. "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 7, 1996" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
22. "K's Choice – Not an Addict" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
23. "Hot 100 Airplay". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 24. 14 June 1997. p. 89.
24. "Alternative Airplay". Billboard. 14 June 1997. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
25. "Jaaroverzichten 1995" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
26. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles 1996". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
27. "Rapports annuels 1996" (in French). Ultratop. Retrieved 14 February 2020.
28. "Tops de L'année | Top Singles 1996" (in French). SNEP. Retrieved 12 September 2020.
29. "The Year in Music: Hot Modern Rock Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 52. 27 December 1997. p. YE-73.
30. "New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1199. 30 May 1997. p. 65.

• 1995 singles
• 1995 songs
• 550 Music singles
• Columbia Records singles
• English-language Belgian songs
• Songs about drugs