Showing posts with label Eurythmics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Eurythmics. Show all posts

Tuesday 22 December 2009

Sweet dreams (are made of this) - Eurythmics

'Sweet dreams (are made of this)' was the title track of the Eurythmics' second album and was released as its fourth single. Although the first two singles 'This is the house' and 'The walk' flopped and the third single 'Love is a stranger' only reached minor chart positions in the UK and Europe, the record company stuck with it. Quite a difference from the state of affairs these days...

The record company - and the artist - was rewarded: 'Sweet dreams' became a number 1 hit in the USA and Canada, and also reached number 2 in the UK singles chart and number 9 in the Dutch Top 40. Part of this success was caused by the iconic music video, starring Annie Lennox with her orange hair. My copy of the UK pressing of the single was stamped on the back of the sleeve with the words 'Not for resale'.

My collection: 7" single no. 191
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1983
Cost: 3,5 guilders
Tracks: 'Sweet dreams (are made of this)' / 'I could give you (a mirror)'

Sunday 13 December 2009

Never gonna cry again - Eurythmics

The Eurythmics were one of the most successful bands of the Eighties, but their debut single went by almost unnoticed - except by me. My sister bought 'Never gonna cry again' when it was released and for a long time it was a favourite of ours. The spooky sleeve and the sad, melancholic song appealed enormously to us.

The song was produced by Conny Plank and featured Holger Czukay from the band Can on French horn. Annie Lennox performed a flute solo, one of the few times that she actually used the instrument during her pop career, despite having studied it at the prestigious Royal College of Music in London. The single reached number 63 in the UK singles chart.

My collection: 7" single no. 215
Found: Disco Market, Den Haag, 1983
Cost: 2 guilders
Tracks: 'Never gonna cry again' / 'Le sinistre'

Friday 7 August 2009

There must be an angel (playing with my heart) - Eurythmics

The Eurythmics released 'There must be an angel (playing with my heart)' as the second single from their 1985 album 'Be yourself tonight'. The song features a harmonica solo by Stevie Wonder. It reached number 1 in the UK singles chart (the band's only number one hit in the UK to date) and number 4 in the Dutch Top 40.

The song's music video was one in a long line of innovative clips from the Eurythmics. In the clip, Stewart portrays Louis XIV of France in the Court of the Sun King, while Lennox appears as a singer brought forth to perform and entertain the King. Bored at first, Stewart eventually becomes enthralled with Lennox's performance as the song reaches its conclusion. The video clip was rotated endlessly on television at the time, causing me getting totally bored with the song. Fortunately that effect has worn off now.

My collection: 7" single no. 3941
Found: Record Exchange, London, August 5, 2009
Cost: 30p
Tracks: 'There must be an angel (playing with my heart)' / 'Grown up girls'

Thursday 6 August 2009

Beethoven - Eurythmics

One of the strangest singles in their career, the Eurythmics released 'Beethoven' in October 1987. It is a bizarre track with plenty of samples and drum loops and a lot of spoken word text by Annie Lennox. The lyric portrays a battle between voices in the head of a housewife suffering from mental disorders.

I didn't like the song when it was released and I'm still not sure whether I like it now. But in a record collection that's growing ever more 'complete', I decided I wanted to have every Eurythmics single, even the 'lesser' ones.

My collection: 7" single no. 3930
Found: Record Exchange, London, August 5, 2009
Cost: 30p
Tracks: 'Beethoven' / 'Heaven'

Saturday 1 August 2009

Would I lie to you? - Eurythmics

The Eurythmics changed their musical style from synthpop to a more rock-oriented sound in 1985, with the album 'Be yourself tonight' and the single 'Would I lie to you?'. The single peaked at number 17 in the UK singles chart, number 5 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number 23 in the Dutch Top 40.

I didn't buy the single at the time because I thoroughly disliked the song. Having grown accustomed to Eurythmics' synth-heavy tracks, this one was too boring for me to get through. Even now I don't think it's one of their best songs, but for 25 eurocents... What the hell. The single was very dusty but I cleaned it up while doing the dishes. It really helps, as you can hear.

My collection: 7" single no. 3916
Found: Plaatboef, Rotterdam, July 31, 2009
Cost: 0,25 euro
Tracks: 'Would I lie to you?' / 'Here comes that sinking feeling'

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