portrait of this blog's author - by Stephen Blackman 2008

Monday, September 04, 2017

I first saw Eurythmics on the Old Grey Whistle Test and was struck by the band I went straight out and bought 'Belinda' a b side of 'Never Gonna Cry Again' most notable for Holgar Czukay's French Horn solo credited with "French Horn and walking"! 
I had liked the Tourists but this set on the OGWT blew me away . . . . . loved everything since but check 'Belinda' for one the greatest performances by our greatest singer . . . . .. stat!

On this day in music history: September 3, 1983 - “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” by Eurythmics hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 1 week. Written by Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart, it is the biggest hit for the British/Scottish synthpop duo. The duos’ second album “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” is recorded in a makeshift studio housed above a timber factory on an eight track analog tape machine. Because of the noise generated by saws cutting timber during the day, all vocals for the album have to be recorded at night. After their first release, the 1981 album “In The Garden” fails to make an impact in the US, “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” is released fifteen months later in January of 1983. The record gets off to a slow start in the US, languishing until American audiences get their first view of the duo when the music video begins receiving play on MTV. Captivated by Lennox’s strikingly androgynous image and soulful voice, the buzz received from video play spreads to radio and “Sweet Dreams” finally hits the charts. Entering the Hot 100 at #90 on May 14, 1983, it begins its long climb up the charts, reaching the top of the chart sixteen weeks later, dislodging The Police’s “Every Breath You Take” from the top spot after holding at number two for four weeks. The single earns Eurythmics a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 1984. The duo turn in a memorable performance of the song on the Grammy telecast. Lennox stuns the audience, dressing in a man’s suit and wearing a black pompadour wig and sideburns, looking like rock & roll icon Elvis Presley. She revives the look on the picture sleeve for their single “Who’s That Girl” later in the year. Regarded as one of the quintessential 80’s songs, “Sweet Dreams” has endured in popularity over the years. It is later covered by Marilyn Manson in 1995, with the songs chorus being interpolated into Nas’ hit “Street Dreams” in 1996. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)” is certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.


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