Lennox, Annie

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ANNIE LENNOX

Born: Aberdeen, Scotland, 25 December 1954

Genre: Rock

Best-selling album since 1990: Diva (1992)

Hit songs since 1990: "Why," "Walking on Broken Glass," "No More I Love You"

The Eurythmics stood out as one of the most colorful groups of the 1980s; they were a slick, synth pop group with a strong international following thanks to the efforts of Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox. The latter's appearances in music videos were groundbreaking for their time, provoking strong reactions from the media and public. For many, however, her teasing displays of sexual ambiguity were confusing. At the 1984 Grammy Awards, MTV demanded her birth certificate as proof that she was a woman when she appeared disguised as Elvis Presley with greased black hair and fake sideburns. Lennox's impersonations of both men and women demonstrated how a female pop artist could seek new forms of representation within the apparatus of music television. Following the release of the album We Too Are One (1989), which was a commercial let-down, Lennox announced that she would be leaving the group to have a child. In 1991 the Eurythmics quietly disbanded.

From an early age Lennox played flute and piano and advanced so well that she got into the Royal Academy of Music in London. However, the pressures and demands of a classical training became too much, and she left just prior to her final exams. More inspired by popular music, especially the sounds of Motown, she directed her energies to session singing. This led to the formation of a group, the Catch, in 1977, which later became the Tourists, whose members included Dave Stewart and Peet Coombes. They released three albums before breaking up on tour in Bangkok in 1980. It was at this stage that Lennox and Stewart formed the Eurythmics.

In the early 1990s after the breakup of the Eurythmics, Lennox embarked on a solo career with work on her debut album, Diva (1992). The material on this album caters to a more adult contemporary public. With the success of two singles from the album, "Walking on Broken Glass" and "Why," the Diva album sold millions of copies internationally and was nominated for three Grammy Awards. While "Walking on Broken Glass" is an up-tempo, aggressive, rock-driven number, "Why" is pensive and balladlike, with Lennox pouring her emotions into beautifully shaped, tuneful lyrics. These songs marked Lennox's arrival at a more mature and reflective style. Tapping into the synth-based pop and rock styles of the time, Lennox fashioned a sound that appealed to a wide audience. Above all, her powerful voice encompassed an extensive range of expressive nuances. The album's blend of electropop, rock, and R&B is testimony to Lennox's assuredness and versatility.

In promoting the album, Lennox continued to experiment with gender roles and to question notions of traditional femininity and masculinity through androgynous display. The image of her on the album cover—heavily made up, with feather plumage—challenges the domain of male drag, suggesting that gender should take a back-seat to talent in pop music. In the promotional videos accompanying the album, the issue of gender-bending is central. Lennox masquerades as the character she actually seeks to reject. She draws on a range of characterizations, from the pretty little girl to the smirking femme fatale diva. These visual reference points help to draw out the musical expression and stylistic resources of her performances with Lennox breaking out of the constraints of traditional femininity to journey into a world of guises and masks.

The 1995 release of Lennox's second solo album, Medusa, was preceded by the hit single from the album, "No More I Love You." Lennox's voice gracefully strains and swells in this touching ballad. The accompanying video, which received high exposure on MTV, also challenges gender roles with men dressed up as female ballet dancers in a lampoon of the ballet Swan Lake. Like her first album, Medusa offers electropop with smatterings of other pop and rock styles, and the quality of the mix and production stand out. Musical allegiances to artists and groups such as the Clash, Neil Young, and Al Green are evident. Lennox adapts the Clash's song "Train in Vain" and Young's "Don't Let It Bring You Down" in renditions that work best if one does not know the original. Her delivery of the classic "A Whiter Shade of Pale" is an emotional tour de force. Much of the artistic merit of Medusa is attributable to the well-crafted and poignant charts of Lennox's arranger, Anne Dudley.

In 1996 Lennox released a limited-edition live album, Live in Central Park, and, much to everyone's surprise, teamed up with Stewart two years later to reform the Eurythmics. The reunion proved successful enough to warrant the release of a new album, Peace (1999). In 2000 Lennox's video compilation, Totally Diva, was released on DVD with two additional tracks, "Precious" and "Remember." Included on this compilation is "Why," the track that won the MTV Video Award for Best Female Video in 1992. Although Lennox's output is not extensive, she stands as a major female artist in the MTV era.