Fabulous Friday: Annie Lennox

I'm ending my Rock and Roll Woman tribute with my favorite rock singer, Annie Lennox. I was in high school when The Eurythmics hit the scene and I went nutty for them, like I had never gone for a contemporary rock group. I had their albums on LP and listened to them often. I was even a member of the Eurythmics Fan Club! I saw them at Alpine Valley in East Troy, WI in the summer of 1986, my first rock concert ever.

I was mostly into classical music and Broadway original cast albums so I'm curious about why The Eurythmics turned my crank as much as they did. Yes, the music, is great and Lennox's voice is distinctive, truly one of a kind. But I think just as much I was drawn to the gender ambiguity of her styling and the surrealism of some of their videos. Their first big album was Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) and the video for the title song featured...cows...?

That was actually their second album, their first was In the Garden. I spent a month in France in the summer of 1985 and saw In the Garden at a record store there. I was tempted to buy it but didn't want to take up space in my bag or risk it getting broken on the trip home. I got back to Wisconsin and instantly regretted not buying it, I was sure the album would be impossible to find in the US. Lo and behold, it was there for sale at our local Ben Franklin five and dime store. Hilarious.

Their greatest album is their third, Touch. The hits on that album are "Here Comes the Rain Again" and "Who's That Girl?" I think "Right By Your Side" also got some traction, at least on Friday Night Videos. My favorite song on that album, my favorite Eurythmics song ever, is "Regrets." I love the spare and immaculately crafted production, love Lennox's overdubbing vocals, love the strut, love the trumpet solo at the end.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-0JMFgFkx4