Who were Eurythmics, were they in another band, and did they split up?
Here at Magic Radio we love Eurythmics' songs. Here's the story of Dave and Annie's pop powerhouse.
From new wave to pop music domination, Eurythmics were one of the biggest duos of the 80s.
Who were Eurythmics?
Eurythmics were made up of singer Annie Lennox and multi-instrumentalist David A. Stewart. Lennox was born on Christmas Day 1954 in Aberdeen. At the age of 16, she won a place at the Royal Academy of Music but found it to be an unhappy experience.
David A. Stewart was born on September 9th 1952 in Sunderland. After forming a few bands while still in his teens, Stewart moved to London where he met Annie Lennox.
Didn’t they play in another group?
They did. Lennox and Stewart hooked up with Peet Coombes, an old bandmate of Stewart’s from Sunderland. They formed The Catch in 1976, which then morphed into The Tourists when bassist Eddie Chin and drummer Jim Toomey joined the band.
Despite releasing three albums and half a dozen singles, The Tourists managed to score just two Top 10 singles. One was a cover of Dusty Springfield’s ‘I Only Want To Be With You’ and the original song ‘So Good To Be Back Home Again’.
How did Eurythmics form?
Having split off together, Lennox and Stewart were bored with the idea of a band with fixed members. What they wanted was a group with them as the only permanent members, with guests coming in and out when they were needed. This was coupled with their interest in synthesizers. Decamping to Germany and working with Kraftwerk producer Conny Plank, Blondie’s Clem Burke on guest drums and variety of other musicians, Eurythmics released their debut album, ‘In The Garden’, in 1981. Sadly, it failed to set the world on fire.
Commercial breakthrough
Having set up their own studio, Eurythmics set about building their own studio and recorded their second album, ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)’. The first single, ‘Love Is A Stranger’ was a modest UK hit.
Released in early 1982, the title track took off and took Eurythmics to No. 2 in the UK charts. A moment of crossover perfection that bridged new wave with pop music, it was propelled by a video that played on Annie Lennox’s androgynous image. It also topped the US singles chart. ‘Love Is A Stranger’ was re-released and this time cracked the UK Top 10.
Wasting little time, Eurythmics released, ‘Touch’, their second album of 1983, in November. The singles ‘Who’s That Girl?’, ‘Right By Your Side’ and ‘Here Comes The Rain Again’ all went Top 10.
The video for ‘Who’s That Girl’ went on heavy rotation on MTV. A classic of the period, it plays on Lennox’s gender-bending image. Guest starring a host of female pop stars including Bananarama, Bucks Fizz’s Jay Aston and Cheryl Baker and Kiki Dee among others, the video climaxes with Annie Lennox in male mode snogging with Annie Lennox in female mode.
So what happened next?
After writing the soundtrack to the film version of George Orwells’ 1984, Eurythmics set about re-inventing themselves. Their next album, 1985’s ‘Be Yourself Tonight’, saw the duo move towards a more conventional band format with a sound that was more pop and R’n’B orientated.
Hugely successful, it yielded the hits ‘Would I Lie To You?’, ‘Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves’ (a duet with Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin) and the No. 1 smash, ‘There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)’, that featured a harmonica solo from Stevie Wonder.
Following the No. 5 hit, ‘Thorn In My Side’, Eurythmics wouldn’t grace the UK Top 10 singles chart again, though their albums, ‘Savage’ (1987) and ‘We Too Are One’ (1989), went to No. 7 and No. 1 in the UK album charts respectively.
Did they split up?
Though no formal statement was issued, Eurythmics quietly went their separate ways in 1990.
David A. Stewart went on to work a variety of acts including Shakespeare’s Sister (he co-wrote the smash hit, ‘Stay’) as well as producing albums for Alisha’s Attic and Jon Bon Jovi. He’s also worked with Fleetwood Mac’s Stevie Nicks and neo-soul singer Joss Stone.
Annie Lennox embarked on a highly successful solo career. Her first two albums, ‘Diva’ (1992) and ‘Medusa’ (1995) hit the top spot in the UK album charts and spawned the Top 10 singles ‘Walking On Broken Glass’ and ‘No More I Love You’s’. Her last album, ‘Nostalgia’ was released in 2014, and it was her third collection of cover versions.
Eurythmics have since reunited twice – once in 1999 for the album, ‘Peace’, and then in 2014 as a duo to celebrate The Beatles at a tribute concert in Los Angeles. Though nothing has been mentioned since, it would be unwise to rule out another get together somewhere down the line.