Be Yourself Tonight
AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums:
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Be Yourself Tonight
- Artist: Eurythmics
- Rating:
- Release Date: 1985 05
- Total Time: 43:15
- Type: Lyrics are included with the album
- Genre: Rock
Review
On Be Yourself Tonight, Eurythmics' most commercially successful and hit-laden album, the duo meticulously blended the new wave electronic elements that dominated their previous sets with the harder straight-edged rock and soul that would dominate later sets to come up with a near-perfect pop album. This disc scored no less than four hit singles and kept them a mainstay on MTV's play lists during the channel's heyday. Fusing pop, soul, rock, electronic beats, and even gospel, this is arguably the duo's finest moment. The first hit, "Would I Lie to You," is a straight-forward rocker, complete with great guitar licks, a soulful horn section, and Annie Lennox sounding as vicious and vivacious as ever. The second single, which was a huge chart topper in Europe, "There Must Be an Angel," is nothing short of shimmering beauty, with Lennox providing truly angelic vocals and Stevie Wonder lending an enchanting harmonica solo. Aretha Franklin lends her powerhouse pipes for the duet "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves," which has gone on to become an immortal feminist anthem. From the soulful electronic beats (a rarity) in "It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)" to the beauty of the Elvis Costello duet "Adrian" to the pain and longing of the sorrowful rocker "Better to Have Lost in Love (Than Never to Have Loved at All)," this album runs a wide array of musical styles, each song standing tall on its own two feet. This disc is, without a doubt, one of the best rock/pop albums from the 1980s and one of the grandest, most creative albums delivered by the ever-appealing and innovative duo of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. A true classic. ~ Jose Promis, Rovi| Be Yourself Today (2009 Album by Plain Alias) | |
| Be Yourself Tonight [Bonus Tracks] (1985 Album by Eurythmics) |
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| Be Yourself Tonight | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Eurythmics | ||||
| Released | 11 May 1985 | |||
| Genre | New Wave, pop rock | |||
| Length | 43:15 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Producer | David A. Stewart | |||
| Eurythmics chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Be Yourself Tonight | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [1] |
| Robert Christgau | B+[2] |
Be Yourself Tonight is the fifth album by the British pop duo Eurythmics, released in 1985.
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Contents
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Album Background
Change in music direction
This album saw Eurythmics move away from their previous more experimental, synthesizer-based songs, to a more commercial pop/rock sound, incorporating a more traditional band line-up/instrumentation. Nonetheless, the recordings still possessed an atmospheric and cutting edge sound, winning Stewart awards for his production work on the album. The release of the album also coincided with a new look for singer Annie Lennox, who ditched the androgynous look of the previous albums and became, in biographer Lucy O'Brien's words, "a bleach-blonde rock 'n' roller."
Worldwide success
The album sold well, and was top 3 in the UK and top 10 in the US, as well as spawning several hit singles. It included guest appearances by notable artists such as Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Elvis Costello. The album included the duo's first (and only) UK number-one "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" and the American Top 5 and Australian number-one hit "Would I Lie to You?".
No tour followed the album's release, due to Lennox's continuing recuperation from vocal fold nodules. This condition also caused her to miss 1985's Live Aid concert, making Eurythmics one of the handful of successful 80's groups not to perform.
On 14 November 2005, SonyBMG repackaged and released Eurythmics' back catalog as "2005 Deluxe Edition Reissues". Each of their eight studio albums' original track listings were supplemented with bonus tracks and remixes.
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Would I Lie to You?" | 4:25 |
| 2. | "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" | 5:22 |
| 3. | "I Love You Like a Ball and Chain" | 4:04 |
| 4. | "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" (with Aretha Franklin) | 5:54 |
| 5. | "Conditioned Soul" | 4:30 |
| 6. | "Adrian" | 4:29 |
| 7. | "It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)" | 3:45 |
| 8. | "Here Comes That Sinking Feeling" | 5:40 |
| 9. | "Better to Have Lost in Love (Than Never to Have Loved at All)" | 5:06 |
| 2005 Special edition bonus tracks | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 11. | "Grown Up Girls" | 4:13 | |||||||
| 12. | "Tous les garçons et les filles" (Françoise Hardy, Roger Samyn) | 3:25 | |||||||
| 13. | "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" (with Aretha Franklin) (ET Mix) | 7:48 | |||||||
| 14. | "Would I Lie to You?" (ET Mix) | 4:55 | |||||||
| 15. | "Conditioned Soul" (Live) | 5:08 | |||||||
| 16. | "Hello, I Love You" (Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore) | 2:51 | |||||||
Credits
Eurythmics
- Annie Lennox - vocals, keyboards (all tracks except "Would I Lie to You?" & "It’s Alright (Baby’s Coming Back)"), keyboard sequencers on "It’s Alright (Baby’s Coming Back)"
- David A. Stewart - guitars (all tracks except "There Must Be an Angel (Playing With My Heart)", including electric & slide guitars on "Conditioned Soul" and 6-string octave guitar on "Adrian"), keyboards (all tracks except "Would I Lie to You?", "Adrian" & "It’s Alright (Baby’s Coming Back)"), sequencers on "Would I Lie to You?", bass sequencer & drum programming on "I Love You Like a Ball and Chain"
Additional personnel
- Dean Garcia - bass guitar (all tracks except "Would I Lie to You?", "I Love You Like a Ball and Chain" & "Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves"), wood stomping on "I Love You Like a Ball and Chain"
- Olle Romo - drums (all tracks except "I Love You Like a Ball and Chain" & "Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves"), wood stomping on "I Love You Like a Ball and Chain"
- Nathan East - bass guitar on "Would I Lie to You?" & "Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves"
- Stan Lynch - drums on "Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves"
- Mike Campbell - lead guitar on "Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves" & "Adrian"
- Benmont Tench - organ on "Would I Lie to You?" & "Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves"
- Stevie Wonder - harmonica on "There Must Be an Angel (Playing With My Heart)"
- Dave Plews - trumpet on "Would I Lie to You?" & "It’s Alright (Baby’s Coming Back)"
- Martin Dobson - saxophones on "Would I Lie to You?" & "It’s Alright (Baby’s Coming Back)"
- Sadie (and other uncredited performers - gravel stomping on "I Love You Like a Ball and Chain"
- Adam Williams - drum programming on "I Love You Like a Ball and Chain"
- Michael Kamen - strings on "There Must Be an Angel (Playing With My Heart)" & "Better to Have Lost in Love (Than Never to Have Loved at All)", celeste on "Adrian", keyboard solo & string parts on "Here Comes That Sinking Feeling"
- Aretha Franklin - guest vocals on "Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves"
- Angel Cross - backing vocals on "There Must Be an Angel (Playing With My Heart)"
- The Charles Williams Singers - backing vocals on "I Love You Like a Ball and Chain", gospel choir on "Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves"
- Elvis Costello - harmony vocals on "Adrian"
Production
- Producer: Dave Stewart
- Engineers: Don Smith, Adam Williams
- Assistant engineer: Jay Willis
- Mixing: Don Smith, Dave Stewart, Adam Williams
- Mastering: Stephen Marcussen
- Sequencing: Dave Stewart
- Recorder: Shelly Yakus
- Keyboard programming: Annie Lennox
- Drum programming: Dave Stewart
- Art direction: Laurence Stevens
- Design: Laurence Stevens
- Photography: Paul Fortune
Chart performance
| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart[citation needed] | 1 |
| Austrian Albums Chart[3] | 25 |
| Canadian Albums Chart[4] | 3 |
| Dutch Albums Chart[5] | 3 |
| French Albums Chart[6] | 20 |
| German Albums Chart[7] | 8 |
| Italian Albums Chart[8] | 18 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart[9] | 2 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart[10] | 2 |
| Swedish Albums Chart[11] | 2 |
| Swiss Albums Chart[12] | 9 |
| UK Albums Chart[13] | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard 200[14] | 9 |
Certifications
| Organization | Level |
|---|---|
| BPI (UK) | 2xPlatinum |
| RIAA (USA) | Platinum |
| IFPI (Germany) | Gold |
References
- Elliot Murphy (July 1985). Eurythmics - Be Yourself Tonight (RCA). Spin. p. 30. http://books.google.com/books?id=ImJFcBcCvUoC&pg=PA30&dq=spin+magazine+1985+eurythmics+be+yourself+tonight&hl=en&ei=Xb5xTKyODoHWtQP8voTNCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCgQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q&f=false. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
| Preceded by Brothers in Arms by Dire Straits |
Australian Kent Music Report number-one album 1 July 1985 – 28 July 1985 |
Succeeded by Listen Like Thieves by INXS |
References
- ^ Allmusic review
- ^ Robert Christgau review
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Eurythmics - Be Yourself Tonight". austriancharts.at. http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Eurythmics&titel=Be+Yourself+Tonight&cat=a. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- ^ "Results - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-110.01-e.php?PHPSESSID=53gtrvbfj0gk7r9b4sd40dtvu0&q1=Eurythmics+Yourself+Tonight&q2=Top+Albums%2FCDs&interval=20. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Eurythmics - Be Yourself Tonight". dutchcharts.nl. http://dutchcharts.nl/showitem.asp?interpret=Eurythmics&titel=Be+Yourself+Tonight&cat=a. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- ^ "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste". Infodisc.fr. http://www.infodisc.fr/Album_E.php. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- ^ "charts.de". charts.de. 2005-11-14. http://www.charts.de/album.asp?artist=Eurythmics&title=Be+Yourself+Tonight&cat=a&country=de. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- ^ http://www.hitparadeitalia.it/hp_yenda/lpe1985.htm
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Eurythmics - Be Yourself Tonight". charts.org.nz. http://charts.org.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Eurythmics&titel=Be+Yourself+Tonight&cat=a. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Eurythmics - Be Yourself Tonight". norwegiancharts.com. http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Eurythmics&titel=Be+Yourself+Tonight&cat=a. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Eurythmics - Be Yourself Tonight". swedishcharts.com. http://swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Eurythmics&titel=Be+Yourself+Tonight&cat=a. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- ^ Steffen Hung. "Eurythmics - Be Yourself Tonight". hitparade.ch. http://hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?interpret=Eurythmics&titel=Be+Yourself+Tonight&cat=a. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- ^ "Eurythmics - Be Yourself Tonight". Chart Stats. 1987-02-28. http://www.chartstats.com/release.php?release=43156. Retrieved 2012-01-15.
- ^ http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/eurythmics/chart-history/4567?f=305&g=Albums
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AMG AllMusic Guide: Pop Albums
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