Annie Lennox On The Origins of Eurythmics' 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)' | The Big Interview
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ต.ค. 2024
- Annie Lennox talks with Dan Rather about how the hit group @Eurythmicstv came to be, the creative and technical process behind making the standout single "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," and more on The Big Interview!
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#annielennox #eurythmics #sweetdreams
Annie, in my opinion, has not gotten her due. Her voice is one of the most iconic voices in history and deserves more recognition than I think she's gotten. She is an F'ing legend!
Agreed
I agree! Thank you for not saying she’s under rated, the most over used word these days.
@@wyganter her solo stuff was amazing though...
yeah shes awesome. right up there with sinead and kate bush
@@tjwash2 Your comment is underrated.
Annie still looks and sounds great.
She is a beautiful soul.
I was just gonna say the same thing. 😁👍
Seriously! Such amazing bone structure, beautiful skin, and has an elegance to her that’s rare to find
How pandering...of course, she doesn't. Never did, actually.
She does. But just to clarify, it appears that this interview was filmed in 2014.
Dave is a musical genius, Annie was the perfect partner in crime
👍👍
Annie is pretty genius too!
They were a couple too
@@danimartin818 Annie is genius. I agree.
lets be honest dave has always been superior to preachy annie
"Love is a Stranger" and "Here Comes the Rain Again" are also excellent. They made the mid-80s more magical.
'Why...y.y.y.y.y.y.Y"
❤ thank you for the reminder!
Both great songs!! I was at a music festival and it was in danger of being shut down due to smoke from a nearby forest fire and amazingly it started pouring rain on the make or break night... one of the djs started playing a remix of here comes the rain.. what a moment!
Those are two awesome songs. Trendsetters in the 80s for sure.
Who am I to disagree?
This woman has aged beautifully, the industry needs to look at that.
As for the song, it may resonate, but it's her voice, and how she sings it that makes people want to pay attention.
She has very unique vocals, and lets face it, we tend to like unique things.
I'm old enough to remember seeing this video debut on MTV, you know back when Music Television was about music. In the states the song was different and unique. It was super catchy, and had very easy to remember lyrics. The lyrics were just edgy enough to be provocative without being offensive. And the name of the band was also interesting. Annie's orange hair also stood out and made the band visually compelling to a degree as well.
I remember those days well. I was a freshman in HS when MTV started out and brought all of these new bands to the front. I was not wild about the orange hair, but Annie's beauty and talent were undeniable.
This video is one of the earliest memories I have of MTV. That and Dire Straits!
Sweet Dreams does not get old. Neither does the video. You can’t say that about many songs or videos. It’s all so purely executed with such confidence and conviction. I think this is one of the main reasons that it stands the test of time. It also has something to do with being a unique and great song and of course Annie’s voice is undeniable. Musically, I believe the secret to the Eurythmics as well as Yaz is: Truly hooky and interesting electronic music combined with incredibly rich and soulful voices. It’s a juxtaposition that’s absolutely magic!
Yes! Electronic instrumentation with soulful human vocals is definitely a winning combo. Sweet Dreams, Touch, and the criminally overlooked "1984" all have this. That said, I love "Would I Lie to You?" from Be Yourself Tonight even though that saw them moving away a little from synth instrumentation.
I couldn’t agree more. Yaz had that combination of Vince Clarke’s icy synth made warm by Alison Moyet’s bluesy vocals. But then that’s also true of Soft Cell, which combined Marc Almond’s theatrical voice with Dave Ball’s “dirty” synthesizer sound.
Real class is timeless.
Isnt she Scottish
You can say that about an epic ton of other songs lol
Beautiful, intelligent woman, musical genius, phenomenal singer, still adorable in every respectful way.
As a musician, I have to say that this woman is one of if not the best vocalists I've ever heard. The amount of emotion she can make you feel through her lyrics and her tone is unmatched imo. I am almost brought to tears every time I hear "why". Thank you Annie!
Exactly, "Why"! I was reading the comments to see if someone had mentioned it. It's a masterpiece and, as a woman, I can say it's so accurate!
I too am often brought to tears by Annie Lennox's Voice! The Hurting Time,Pavement Cracks, Loneliness, Here Cones The Rain Again, COLD,The Gift,....
Agree, when I hear "Why" and also "I will always love you" by Whitney Houston, I almost can't help myself to take a pause at what I'm doing or at least shut my thought process down a little bit for a moment and just listen till it ends.
How modest of Annie... People didn't simply identify with the song, we fell under the spell of her voice. 🤩
It was also a truly haunting melody as well...but her vocals are awesome! She has such humility.
A very humble person like Annie seeks no recognition, but with all of her work bringing attention to humanitarian causes like children's HIV/AIDS in Africa with her Sing campaign, Green Peace, her efforts on women's rights, and Amnesty International, it's a wonder that she hasn't been knighted; they knighted members of The Rolling Stones....go figure...maybe King Charles II should bestow upon her the kudos she truly deserves!
Annie was before her time’ Eurythmics still holds up to this day and always will’ they are such a rad band 🙌
absolutely. her energy is such a clear magic
The song is a hit also because of its vibrant authentic message. The fact that it was born of real pain and frustration but at the same time riding on the wings of real talent and a love for nusic. That song is just like a mantra, it gives you the strength to carry on and the desire to celebrate.
the music world not be the same without this song... hands down !!! everybody knows it !!! and what is fascinating about this story is the there is a saying that your best work always comes out in your lowest moment !! so you can imagine how low she felt that day and born was this absolutely mind boggling piece of work!!!
"Hold your head up"...she was talking to herself and she wasn't kidding. You are correct. The song is a mantra.
Sweet Dreams is such a unique and timeless tune.That early 80s UK pop explosion of talented acts writing their own material was an absolute joy to witness and has sadly never been repeated.
I can still remember the first time I heard this song in 1983 as a 14-year-old, it was the music that spoke to me like none other, It represented the future, it excited me in a way I couldn't comprehend, me and my friends went wild over it and the entire album
I still remember the first time I saw the video for Sweet Dreams back in '83. I was home from school watching MTV. Both the song, and Annie, were mesmerizing. She had so much swagger in that video you really couldn't take your eyes off her. Here was a a woman dressed like a man, who looked like a white Grace Jones, yet sounded more like Aretha Franklin. Annie was truly an iconoclast. ❤
Great description! Such great music and what a magnificent video!
Same❤
This 💯!
Exactly. The woman has always fascinated me. I have wanted to look like her and channel her.... performative energy my whole life. I feel like she kinda represents my 'brand' of feminity which is edgy and powerful.
Perfect description! That song is a defining one for a generation. Still watch the video on occasion to this day
Can we take a moment to celebrate how wonderful Scottish women of rock are…three of my faves are Annie, Shirley Manson of Garbage and Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins. Creativity and authenticity off the charts with these women. Absolutely nothing fake or pretentious about them.
Her voice is so melodic. Just hearing speak sounds like song to me! 😊
All these years, I had no idea that she's Scottish. The Eurythmics are great, but Annie's looks and beautiful talent just made it. I love her solo work, even my girls love her music. I hope she comes out with another album. It's nice to see her live on the screen again.
shes Scottish and she is British as well
Annie is the queen. She looks absolutely phenomenal. Her voice is still amazing as it always has been. I only wish she would record more. ❤
Dave is a genius, no doubt about it, but it was Annie's unique, powerful, and haunting vocals that really put them on the map.
One of the most incredible singers I’ve seen perform live.
You're lucky!
Her solo albums are especially genius! I listened to “Bare” the other day from start to finish (for the first time in probably 15 years) and it was just stellar from start to finish! She has written some absolutely amazing songs!
...madonna!? ...THIS, is how you age, as a Music LEGEND...you look back, but you move FORWARD....Annie has NO REGRETS, and she looks stunning...and, like HERSELF.....
The Eurythmics was a fantastic band Brilliant written tracks. So many great songs.
The Eurythmics were so far ahead of their time. My teenage daughter (born in 2007) heard this in the car, loved it immediately and asked if it was new. I told her nope, it was made 40 years ago.
This song changed everything in popular music in the early 80’s. It was like nothing most people had heard at the time. It swept away the 70’s influence/boomer vibe that was still present in pop music up through 1982 and ushered in a whole new sound that came to define the 80’s.
It’s crazy how after being played so much for so many decades, this song is still enjoyable and still feels fresh.
same, my son (2006) had exactly the same reaction. Also in the car :)
i am a year younger but i used to listen to my moms CDs when i was really young this song has still stuck with me till this day i still play it often
A lot in the eighties were ahead of their time.
Her voice so good it makes you travel back in time
Annie, you STILL have your North East of Scotland twang. Excellent, and thank you for requesting your fave "Procol Harum - A Whiter Shade of Pale" when I was a very young ex-Royal Signal civilian DJ back then in Aberdeen. As a Scottish-born, I am so proud to see and hear you today. You fill me (age 73) with pride. Thank you so much.
Not afraid to say i had a massive crush on this woman back in the day, she was stunning, still is.
Yep for sure.
Same!!
* shake hands *
Great music is great music. Like all other great music it’s timeless. Both Annie & David are musical geniuses….
I remember first hearing Sweet Dreams and loved it because it felt futuristic in one sense and totally mysterious in another. The song transported me like into the pyramids of Egypt. It was and is all encompassing. It allows you to escape to another world. A fantasy. It never gets old. I didn't think about the lyrics at the time as much as how it made me feel. The rhythm and the beat. So exotic and other worldly. It was it's own thing and sound at the time as well. I had never heard anything like it and it was trance like mezmorizing and still is. They don't make them like they used to.
There are songs, films, books where you think "this must exist. It absolutely has to." Sweet Dreams is one of those songs.
Annie is such a beautiful woman. She seems so caring, to life, people and to her art.
I can almost say that Eurythmics was the 80s for me. I followed so many groups but Annie Lennox's voice is the sound that comes to me first. Her holiday album from a few years back still gives me chills every time I listen to it. Even though they are traditional carols, she has such raw, primal, pagan energy to celebrate the darkest time of the year and the rebirth of the world.
I wish Dan rather would come back and do the news the right way.... honestly, factually and straight to the point
Those days are gone forever ….😮. Thanks corporate media!
What a voice! The first time I heard the song I knew there was something special about Annie's voice. Truly an amazing and beautiful musician and singer!
One of the best voices out there!
Daaaaaaaamn. She ages like fine wine. Love the Eurythmics.
I was completing my PhD and had just been accepted into medical school, sweet dreams indeed. I remember dancing to this at a party the day I got the news. It encapsulated everything I had been working for all my life, and I was only 23. Love Annie Lennox.
no one came here hoping to hear all about you, how old you were, if you were in school, etc this isn't all about you though you think it is and everyone should be really interested in you
Yep.
Perfect text/mantra
Anybody can relate to this
in infinite ways
on infinite occasions
What a classy lady!💖
When I first saw Annie Lennox in the Sweet Dreams video, she looked so cold and distant , even a bit frightening... But then when you hear her being interviewed like she is here... she seems so down to earth...so real...I've always had such a profound crush on her...
Seeing Sweet Dreams came out when I was around 12 or so. I was raised in a cult, so that I got to see the video at all was very taboo. That video drove home that my sexuality wasn't so straight. I had always been a 'tom boy' of a girl. Bigger than most girls, related better to boys, preferred mechanics over dolls - I already wasn't well liked.
Sweet Dreams was my eureka video. It wasn't that I had a crush on Annie Lennox (though I was certainly looking, but c'mon, I was 12 in the early 80s, female, and had been brainwashed by religion) per se, but her look!
She was in a very public video that was screaming up the charts and she was in a man's suit. A SUIT. Her hair was cropped short! She was still feminine and gorgeous and yet androgynous. I didn't copy her, I took courage from her.
I didn't want to be male, I just didn't want to be girly. I had already taken scissors to my hair a couple years previously and was one of the very few girls with short hair I knew, but it was like I suddenly had permission to fight back against the stifling and pervasive patriarchal and misogynistic blanket I was being smothered with.
The first time I showed up at school in pants, I got sent home. I stopped wearing the flouncy blouses I was forced to wear to school and learned the art of a t-shirt with a skirt, and it was a teensy rebellion, but it was a start.
I made my first attempt at escaping the cult 4 years later at 16, and it took 2 more attempts before I got out for good.
Thanks for being different, Annie. You set me on a path I didn't even know I needed to travel.
Annie is such a beautiful and talented woman. Dave is a genius. A musical match made for perfection.
The birth of home recording right here, and probably the most iconic synth-pop song. Always loved her work.
Not the most iconic, we had tons of them in those days but definitely great!
Annie Lennox and Madonna, both powerful female icons of the 80's were comparable in many ways but now in 2023 there is only Annie, still strong, still powerful and still universally respected.
The Scottish saying
" You can tak the girl oot o' Aberdeen , but you canna tak Aberdeen oot o' the girl" !
You certainly have not lost your Aberdeen accent Lady 😂
A good Aberdeen quine...👌🏻🏴
I believe it was Midge Ure who said:
"Kids in bedrooms have better gear these days, than what we recorded with in expensive studio's"
Love Annie. Such an amazing vocalist and her magnificent face was so photogenic in many of her classic music videos from the 80s and 90s.
...Yes it was
Sweet dreams are made of cheese. Who am I to dis a Brie?
Annie and Dave wrote so many wonderful songs. Their music will live on across many generations
I remember The Tourists. It was a fresh sound after all the Glam Rock bands. Annie’s voice is still mesmerising after all these years. The Eurhythmics concentrated Dave and Annie into such a powerful, undiluted stream of exceptional music.
I always smile when I watch their old music videos. Annie was trying to look androgynous or masculine, but no one was fooled. She was stunning then and she’s still beautiful today.
Annie, Scotlands finest 🏴🏴
What a beautiful and classy woman. We don’t have the, anymore in music, yo
Annie Lennox, the most beautiful womens voice in the world ! Fan since I first heard her singing Sweet Dreams at age 14 ( 54 now ) .
She is stunning. The short hair suits her. Their music brought life to the 80s. I never say and dissected Sweet Dreams; now I will never hear it without hearing her story.
She is still beautiful. Growing up there were a few female heros that made me feel like it was ok to be me. Grace, Tina, Annie, Cyndie....thanks ladies. Powerhouses!!!
plus (as with Human League's Don't You Want Me one year earlier) it was the FOURTH single from the album which finally did the trick.
I fell in love with Annie first time I saw the would I lie to you video. She was so sexy and powerful and her vocal was a firehose! Will always be a huge fan
Top Ten Favorite Albums
1. Elvis Costello - Imperial Bedroom
2. Prince - (love symbol)
3. Eurythmics- Be Yourself Tonight
4. Parliament- Parliament Live
5. Radiohead - ok computer
6. Zero 7 - Warm Sounds
7. Bauhaus - In the Flat Field
8. Public Enemy - It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back
9. R.E.M. - Reckoning
10. Morrissey - Viva Hate
Love is a stranger is the best song. I play over and over.😊
Don't mess with the missionary man😊
Scotland 🏴 is proud she's a great singer 😊
- [00:06] 💡 Eurythmics emerged from the breakup of a previous band, The Tourists, providing valuable experience for Annie Lennox.
- [01:04] 🎹 Dave Stewart initiated the use of synthesizers, keyboards, and early computers, setting up a home studio for Eurythmics.
- [02:02] 🎵 "Sweet Dreams" was conceived during a low moment for Annie Lennox, highlighting the spontaneity of its creation.
- [03:33] 🌟 "Sweet Dreams" started with a self-deprecating concept but evolved into an aspirational anthem, unexpectedly resonating globally.
- [04:23] 🌍 The enduring appeal of "Sweet Dreams" lies in its universal quality, connecting with people across various contexts and celebrations.
Thank you Dave and Annie for the great music you made as it echos down the ages. ♥
And dont forget how stunning she was.
For me, Sweet Dreams has kind of an eerie quality, yet has an extremely catchy vibe. This song has haunted me since I first heard it as 8 year old, and it still haunts me now, and I mean that in the best possible way🤗.
Everyone pla take a close look at Annie, NO LIP FILLERS, no facial surgery. Simply beautiful then and now.
Her take on Sweet Dreams is revisionist claptrap. It's clearly about BDSM with her in the role of dominatrix. Why not have the bawlz to own it?
The song is brilliant, but let`s the other material of that album get often overlooked - Just listen to " The Walk" which has such a bone chilling atmosphere, vocals & arrangements to perfection. Or the playful "Monkey Monkey" which gives a hint of how far ahead of time they were.
What an awesome erudite interview. And she's not blowing smoke up her own butt. It's Dave, Dave, Dave. I'm glad I watched this.
They had a lot amazing songs….not just Sweet Dreams….cmon now….don’t belittle them like that…..they are legends
Wow... She doesnt age that much at all.. She is still look beautiful at age 68.. Knowing that the song is already 40 years
🌱 OK...STOP. A) Love Annie! Always have. Always will. So grateful to have resonated with her voice on so many levels throughout my brilliant life. So for that, a simple "thank you my dear". b) I shall unpause from the one-second mark and begin all over, again. BRAVO!
This, kids, is music. I hope that the younger generation knows about Eurrythmics.
Oh My dear, sweet Annie~ the object of many teen fantasies~ She is such an iconic and important figure of musical history in the era of MTv and its impact of music, art, drama and storytelling. An amazing period of evolution and impact. Annie and Dave were the right people at the right time in the right place for musical art and expression in a new dawn. Another example of "timing is everything" ~ they set the standard for a set of specific moments in time.
Love Annie, love Dave and really miss Eurythmics!
I adore her. She was such a big influence on my self-growth during my teens and twenties, especially. 🤩
Enjoy the Silence & Sweet Dreams are in my Top 🎱 British kuts EVER
Sweet dreams are made of this,
Who am I to disagrih?
I traveled the world and the seven sihs,
Everybody's searching for sometheeng.
Drum machines are so much more reliable than drummers. Drum machines don't get drunk or off their faces on heroin and coke or OD in a bathroom, or smash themselves up at the end of a number. Just plug them in and they work more or less every time.
She has been one of my favorites since the 80’s❤
Such a long & deep career, every corner of it is worth listening to. For just one example, her vocals on Into The West (the song over the Lord of the Rings closing credits) are unique and magnificent - and thats 20 years after Sweet Dreams.
For those wondering. This interview is from late 2013. Aired in 2014 on AXS.
The song is poetry. The interpretation can vary with each individual. I have mine.
I always thought she was saying "made of these" but "this" makes sense because the following line is "who am I to disagriss?".
Wow, she looks phenomenal!
Solemn and corny interview 🤷🏻♂️
I remember seeing this on my local music station at the time, for the first time. I knew they were going to be embedded into music history from that day. At one time in pop music history, they were the biggest selling artists of the day. Much respect 🙏🏼🎉
As a foreigner,the Scottish people are the most intelligent and genuine people out of all the UK"nations!!!
I had no idea Annie was Scottish! Her enunciation while singing is fantastic
It’s incredible well written, as a mantra she mentions..
Amazing how simple a beat and a synth part can turn into pure gold. It was self deprecating, however in turn it created a new style of music that is now part of our musical culture. Annie is an amazing songwriter and was able to purely put into words how she was feeling at that time and I think songs that come from the heart tend to be some of the best ones. I think that the combo of both Dave and Annie was that fated combo pack that doesn't happen that often.
Looking good Annie.
When music was ground breaking, inspirational, creative.....LOVE ANNIE and all of her music!!!
Exactly one great singer beautiful voice
You can tell she's humble.. and Scottish 😍
Maravilhosa, perfeitamente bela em todos os aspectos . DIVA DA MÚSICA. Está entra as nove primeiras no meu quadro pintado por pincéis que dá o brilho e a beleza de cada uma.
It's a complex mix of emotions delivered with honesty, confusion, yearning, skepticism, a bit of questioning hope and straight, laser beam seering attitude. The beat takes no prisoners and Annie shoots right through, and it is a mantra, bedazzled with tricky, clever little flourishes and persistent purpose.
There, that explains it.
One of the greatest female singers of all time. Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Shirley Bassey and Annie Lennox 🙌
Harder to name the great female singers of all time there's so many, easier with the guys, orbison, Elvis, Steve Perry, art garfunkel, Lou Gramm and Freddie and a handful of others....
Yes. Stevie Nicks. ✌️
@@onelovemon1784 yeah love Stevie...
Aberdeen, Scotland, turning 70 next year and interviewed by a texan.
Dave Stewart later married Siobhan Fahey, former Bananarama.
Honest simplicity and a catchy hook…..but it is the voice that made it.
Amazing what you can do when the music comes from a passion for music rather than profit……surrender is a powerful state of mind.