Eurythmics - The Most Fascinating Facts Anywhere

1. Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart met before Eurythmics existed

Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart first worked together in the 1970s, before forming Eurythmics. Their musical partnership developed through the group The Tourists, which also featured guitarist Peet Coombes. When The Tourists broke up in 1980, Lennox and Stewart continued working together, taking their music in a more electronic and experimental direction.

2. The Tourists had a UK hit with a Dusty Springfield song

Before Eurythmics, The Tourists scored a major British hit with their 1979 cover of Dusty Springfield's “I Only Want to Be with You”. The success gave Lennox and Stewart experience of the pop charts, but it did not settle the question of their musical future. Their subsequent move towards synthesizers and studio experimentation would produce a very different identity.

3. Eurythmics began with an experimental album

Their debut, In the Garden, appeared in 1981 and was produced with Conny Plank, the German producer associated with important records by Kraftwerk, Neu! and other experimental artists. The album had a more atmospheric, less immediately commercial sound than the records that followed. It also featured musicians including Holger Czukay and Jaki Liebezeit of Can, connecting Eurythmics with the wider European experimental scene.

4. The band's name refers to a teaching method

The name Eurythmics was inspired by eurhythmics, a system of music education associated with Émile Jaques-Dalcroze. The method explores rhythm and musical expression through bodily movement. It was an unusual name for a pop duo, but it suited the pair's interest in combining music, performance, visual presentation and experimentation.

5. They recorded some early music using a small studio setup

After The Tourists split, Lennox and Stewart developed their sound through intensive experimentation with electronic instruments and recording technology. Their early work involved a more independent approach than the polished productions for which they later became known. The duo's ability to build arrangements around a relatively small number of musical ideas became a distinctive feature of their records.

6. “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” was built around a synth riff

The title track of their 1983 album became their international breakthrough. Its insistent synthesizer bass line, drum-machine rhythm and Lennox's controlled vocal created a sound that was both minimal and forceful. The song reached number one in the United States, introducing Eurythmics to a huge audience and becoming one of the defining synth-pop records of the decade.

7. Their breakthrough video created an unforgettable image

The video for “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” placed Lennox and Stewart in stark, surreal settings, with Lennox's short orange hair and androgynous suit becoming iconic. Its imagery challenged familiar ideas about how female pop stars were expected to look and behave. The visual presentation helped turn the duo into a recognisable presence during the early days of MTV's international influence.

8. “Love Is a Stranger” became another early signature song

“Love Is a Stranger” was first released in 1982 and became a hit again after the success of “Sweet Dreams”. The track combines a cool electronic arrangement with lyrics that portray attraction as something potentially dangerous. Its stylish, unsettling video further developed Eurythmics' reputation for treating pop as a medium for theatrical and sometimes ambiguous imagery.

9. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) was their second album

The album was released in January 1983 and marked a decisive change in the duo's fortunes. Its songs combined synthesizers and drum machines with Lennox's expressive voice and Stewart's arrangements. Although the title track became the best-known song, the album also contained “Love Is a Stranger” and other material that revealed the range of their early electronic pop.

10. Touch expanded their sound in 1983

Released later in 1983, Touch moved Eurythmics beyond the stark electronic sound of their breakthrough. It included “Who's That Girl?”, “Right by Your Side” and “Here Comes the Rain Again”. The album reached number one in the UK and demonstrated that the duo could move between electronic minimalism, soulful pop and more elaborate arrangements without losing their identity.

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11. “Here Comes the Rain Again” combines strings with synthesizers

“Here Comes the Rain Again” uses an orchestral string arrangement alongside electronic percussion and synthesizers. The combination gives the song a dramatic, almost cinematic atmosphere, contrasting with the more minimal sound of “Sweet Dreams”. Its lyrics and melody helped establish the duo's ability to make melancholy feel both intimate and grand.

12. “Who's That Girl?” featured famous faces in its video

The video for “Who's That Girl?” included appearances by several musicians and public figures, among them members of the wider British pop scene. Lennox's performance played with identity and disguise, reinforcing the duo's interest in visual transformation. The song became one of the best-known tracks from Touch and reached the UK Top 3.

13. “There Must Be an Angel” featured Stevie Wonder

Released in 1985, “There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)” featured Stevie Wonder on harmonica. His contribution gave the song a distinctive instrumental colour and linked the duo's electronic pop to a long tradition of soul and R&B. The single became Eurythmics' only UK number-one single, despite their many other international hits.

14. Be Yourself Tonight brought more live musicians into the sound

The 1985 album Be Yourself Tonight leaned more heavily on guitars, bass, drums and soul-inspired arrangements than the duo's earliest records. It included “Would I Lie to You?” and “Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves”, a collaboration with Aretha Franklin. The record showed that Eurythmics could embrace a more traditional band sound while retaining their distinctive songwriting and production style.

15. Aretha Franklin's collaboration became an anthem

“Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves” paired Lennox with Aretha Franklin in a song celebrating women's independence. The collaboration brought together two singers from different generations and musical backgrounds. It became one of Eurythmics' most memorable statements and demonstrated Lennox's growing confidence as a performer and songwriter.

16. Revenge was followed by a major tour

The 1986 album Revenge continued the duo's move towards a bigger rock-oriented sound, featuring tracks such as “Missionary Man” and “Thorn in My Side”. The album was followed by extensive touring, with Eurythmics presenting their songs in a more forceful live setting. Its sound contrasted with the colder electronic atmosphere of their earliest work.

17. Savage was a conceptually darker album

Released in 1987, Savage explored character, identity and the pressures of social expectations. Its electronic arrangements were often more subdued and unsettling than those of the previous album. The project also included a collection of videos that formed a connected visual narrative, giving the record a more explicitly conceptual presentation.

18. Annie Lennox's visual transformations were part of the music

Lennox's changing appearance became one of the most distinctive elements of Eurythmics' public image. From the androgynous look of “Sweet Dreams” to the characters and costumes associated with later videos, she used appearance to question conventional pop-star presentation. These transformations were not merely promotional decoration: they reinforced the duo's interest in identity, performance and the difference between public image and private self.

19. The duo reunited for Peace in 1999

After focusing on separate projects during much of the 1990s, Lennox and Stewart reunited for Peace, released in 1999. The album included “I Saved the World Today” and “17 Again”, bringing their partnership back to the charts. The pair also toured in support of the record, with proceeds from the tour going to Greenpeace and Amnesty International.

20. Both members developed substantial careers beyond the duo

Annie Lennox became a successful solo artist and a prominent campaigner on humanitarian and women's issues, while Dave Stewart continued working as a songwriter, producer and collaborator with artists across several genres. Eurythmics reunited for selected performances, including the 2019 benefit concert for the Rainforest Fund and their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2022. Their catalogue remains a striking example of electronic experimentation meeting memorable pop songwriting.

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