Nothing compares to Annie Lennox

Annie Lennox of the Eurhythmics in the 1980s.

Source: https://loudwomen.org/2022/03/06/doing-it-for-herself-annie-lennox/

(May be subject to copyright)

Who really is best suited to pay tribute to the memory of Sinead O’Connor and her powerful rendition of “Nothing Compares”? It has to be someone with a powerful voice to match O’Connor’s. The organizers of this year’s Grammy awards chose very well when they selected Annie Lennox to do that job.

Hearing that strong voice belt out “Nothing Compares” reminded me of how great Annie Lennox has been for the past 40 years, and how prolific she and her band the Eurhythmics were in the ‘80s.

First look
The first time I ever saw Annie Lennox was pretty much exactly 40 years ago, at the 1984 Grammy awards. Back then she teamed up with Dave Stewart to form the band the Eurhythmics. In the days when “Boy” George dressed like a woman, Lennox appeared on stage dressed as a man complete with side burns, to sing the band’s first hit, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”.

The Eurhythmics had released the album “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” in 1983 and it yielded a number of hit singles. The first was the title track “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)”, which was their first release in the United States and their breakthrough single. It went all the way to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

The follow-up single to “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” was “Love is a Stranger”, which peaked at number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100.

With their next album, released later the same year, the hits just kept on coming.

Touching
The album was called “Touch” and it yielded a number of songs that hit the radio. There was “Who’s That Girl?”, which had this haunting quality that took full advantage of Annie Lennox’s voice. Actually, it is somewhat like Sinead O’Connor’s voice. “Who’s That Girl?” went all the way to number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100.

There was “Right By Your Side”, which was more upbeat and had Annie Lennox sporting an animal print in the music video. “Right by Your Side” peaked at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The biggest hit off that album though, was “Here Comes the Rain Again”. It is another haunting song, that uses an echo at times. It became the Eurhythmics’ second top 10 single in the States, going all the way to number four on the Billboard Hot 100. It remains my favourite Eurhythmics’ song.

1984
At the dawn of the year 1984, there was a lot of talk of talk about George Orwell’s book “1984” and how much, if any of it, had come to pass. The book paints a dystopic picture of the future. Needless to say, life in 1984 was not quite like the book, but the year did see a movie made from Orwell's masterpiece, starring John Hurt.

The Eurhythmics recorded the soundtrack for the movie. I remember watching something on TV about their first single “Sexcrime” and Annie Lennox explaining how sex was a crime in the world created by “1984”. The song did not fare that well in the States, going to number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart. It did better in Canada, cracking the top 20 and peaking at number 18.

All of this music was released before I really got into music. Not too much after, the Eurhythmics put out their next album, which was another hit.

“Be Yourself Tonight”
At the end of April 1985, the Eurhythmics released “Be Yourself Tonight”. I first heard about it on LA-107 FM from Lethbridge, which was an album-oriented rock station. That meant they talked as much about the album and often played more than one single from it.

The first single from “Be Yourself Tonight” was “Would I Lie to You?” and it was on the radio a lot. It was a catchy tune that had what sounded like a motorbike revving in it. “Would I Lie to You?” went all the way to number five on the Billboard Hot 100. As Wikipedia reminded me, this was the first album where the Eurhythmics went away from that synthpop style to rock and rhythm and blues. Ironic, considering they call themselves the Eurhythmics.

The second single slowed things down again. “There Must be an Angel (Playing With My Heart)” had some cool harmonies in it. The song went all the way to number one in the United Kingdom, and peaked at number 22 on the Billboard Hot 100.

The next single was a feminist anthem called “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves”. It was a duet recorded with Aretha Franklin, appearing on both “Be Yourself Tonight” and Franklin’s album “Who’s Zoomin’ Who?”. “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” went all the way to number 18 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

I recall in the summer of 1991, Channel 7 on the peasant vision dial using “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” to promote their syndicated reruns of “Murphy Brown” starting that Fall. Aretha Franklin was often mentioned in the show and was Murphy Brown’s favourite singer. Franklin even made a guest appearance as herself on the show.

The final single on “Be Yourself Tonight” was “It’s All Right (Baby’s Coming Back)”, which was another catchy tune, peaking at number 12 in the United Kingdom, but not faring as well in the States where it peaked at number 78.

The time had come for another album, and the Eurhythmics delivered.

Revenge
The Eurhythmics’ next album, “Revenge” was released in late June of 1986. The first single I heard off the album was actually the second song released. “Thorn in my Side” takes a jab at an unfaithful lover, and I quite liked the tone and style. However, it only managed to rise to number 68 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number 41 in Canada.

In the first few months of my first year of university, I hung out with this guy named Doug Armitage, who had a propensity to sing while in the shower, when he walked to class, and stood in line at the cafeteria. Doug sang “Thorn in My Side” all through the first part of that first year in the Fall of 1987, among other songs. But only the lyric, “Thorn in My Side”.

The next song I recall hearing was catchy single with a cool beginning. It was called “Missionary Man” and peaked at number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 13 in Canada. “Missionary Man” was the fourth and final single. It went on to win the Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1987.

I also remember spoofing “Missionary Man”, calling it “Mortuary Man” and singing, “Don’t mess with a mortuary man.” Weird Al Yankovic I am not.

Although the Eurhythmics kept recording right through the rest of the ‘80s and into the 21st Century, “Missionary Man” was the last song I listened to.

The years after
Annie Lennox embarked on a solo career in 1992. By far the two songs I recall best are “Walking on Broken Glass” and “Why”.

Her first actual solo hit was a duet with Al Green called “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” for the movie “Scrooged” in 1988. It starred Bill Murray as a modern-day, well, Ebenezer Scrooge. The song went all the way to number nine on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.

Her first purely solo hit was “Why” released in 1992, that peaked at number five in the United Kingdom and number 34 on the Billboard Hot 100. Later that same year “Walking on Broken Glass” peaked at number eight in the United Kingdom and number 14 on the Billboard Hot 100. Three years later she had a couple more songs I just loved. In 1995, “No More I Love Yous”, peaked at number two in the United Kingdom and number 23 on the Billboard Hot 100, while “A Whiter Shade of Pale” peaked at number 16 in the United Kingdom, but sadly did not chart in the States.

She keeps right on singing, including that touching tribute to Sinead O’Connor at the Grammys.

Parting thoughts
When I close my eyes I can picture myself sitting in a chair in my bedroom back on the farm. My Intellivision is hooked up to my Mom’s old TV sitting on the end of the red dresser, I have had forever, in the corner of my room. I am holding the controller in my right hand, playing “Space Armada”, a cheap knock-off of “Space Invaders”. My brand new ghetto blaster is sitting on top of the head board of my water bed, tuned to LA-107 FM.

The next song comes on. It’s the Eurhythmics.

“Would I lie to you? / Ohhh/ Would I lie to you honey …”

That scene replayed itself over and over and over.

I literally heard hundreds of songs that first year I got into music and listened to the radio while I played hour upon hour of video games.

Yet, one song that conjures up that memory more than any other is “Would I Lie to You?”

It really proves the Eurhythmics, and Annie Lennox, are part of the soundtrack of my life growing up.