1. They Formed Only After They Broke Up
Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart were actually romantically involved for several years before Eurythmics existed. They played together in a moderately successful post-punk band called The Tourists. When that band inevitably collapsed in 1980, so did their romantic relationship. Instead of parting ways entirely, they decided their musical chemistry was too strong to abandon, forming Eurythmics strictly as a post-romance creative partnership.
2. The Name Was Inspired by a Dance Form
The duo’s unique name was Annie Lennox’s idea. She had encountered a pedagogical system of movement and music called “Eurhythmics” (developed by Swiss musician Émile Jaques-Dalcroze in the early 20th century) while studying at the Royal Academy of Music. They dropped the first “h” to create their distinctive band name.
3. Their First Album Was a Total Flop
Despite their later massive success, Eurythmics did not hit the ground running. Their debut album, In the Garden (1981), was recorded in Germany with renowned krautrock producers. Despite the high-pedigree production, the album was a commercial failure. The stress of the flop led Stewart to a hospitalized panic attack and caused Lennox to suffer a nervous breakdown.
4. “Sweet Dreams” Was Recorded in a Tiny Timber Yard
Broke after their first album failed, the duo managed to secure a bank loan to buy their own primitive recording equipment. They set up a makeshift studio in an attic above a picture-framing shop in a London timber yard. It was in this incredibly cramped, unglamorous, and heavily sound-leaking space that they recorded their global breakthrough album, Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).
5. The Iconic Bassline Was an Accident
The pulsing, hypnotic synthesizer riff that drives “Sweet Dreams” was created completely by accident. Dave Stewart was experimenting with an early drum machine and a synthesizer when he inadvertently played a bassline backward. The mistake sounded so incredibly catchy that Lennox immediately leaped up and began improvising the now-famous lyrics over it.
6. Annie Lennox’s Androgyny Shocked MTV
In the music video for “Sweet Dreams,” Annie Lennox wore a sharp men’s business suit, carried a cane, and sported a striking, closely cropped orange buzzcut. This deliberate play on androgyny and gender-bending was radical for the early 1980s. MTV initially hesitated to play the video because executives were unsure how American audiences would react to Lennox’s powerful, masculine presentation.
7. The Orange Hair Came from a Pharmacy
Lennox’s iconic, fluorescent orange hair wasn’t the work of a high-end celebrity stylist. Broke during the early days of the band, she bought a cheap, over-the-counter hair dye from a local pharmacy. The stark color combined with the severe haircut became one of the most recognizable visual trademarks of the decade.
8. They Brought a Cow into a Boardroom
The music video for “Sweet Dreams” famously features a live cow wandering through a corporate boardroom. Stewart and Lennox included it as a surreal, tongue-in-cheek commentary on the absurd, manufactured nature of the music industry. They wanted to juxtapose the “bull” of corporate record label meetings with their own authentic, earthy reality.
9. They Won Only One Grammy (And Not for Pop)
Despite being masters of synth-pop and racking up numerous nominations throughout their career, Eurythmics has only ever won a single Grammy Award. Even more surprisingly, it wasn’t for their electronic dance hits. They won the 1987 Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for their guitar-driven, aggressive track “Missionary Man.”
10. They Wrote a Soundtrack George Orwell Might Have Hated
In 1984, Eurythmics was hired by Virgin Films to write a pop soundtrack for the film adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984, starring John Hurt. However, the film’s director, Michael Radford, hated the idea of synth-pop in his grim movie and had secretly commissioned a traditional orchestral score. A massive public feud erupted when the studio forced Eurythmics’ music into the theatrical release against the director’s wishes.
11. “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves” Was a Feminist Milestone
For their 1985 album Be Yourself Tonight, Lennox and Stewart wrote the ultimate feminist anthem, “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves.” They originally intended to record it with Tina Turner, but when she was unavailable, they reached out to the “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin. Franklin loved the song, and their powerful duet became a massive, history-making global hit.
12. Annie Lennox Lost Her Voice at the Peak of Their Fame
Right as “Sweet Dreams” was hitting number one in the United States, disaster struck. Lennox developed nodules on her vocal cords and completely lost her voice. She was forbidden from speaking, let alone singing, for several months, forcing the band to cancel their highly anticipated promotional tour just as they achieved global stardom.
13. They Never Officially Broke Up
By 1990, after a grueling decade of constant recording and touring, Lennox and Stewart were creatively and personally exhausted. They quietly walked away from the project to pursue solo careers and personal lives. However, they never officially announced a breakup, allowing them to organically reunite a decade later to record their 1999 album, Peace.
14. They Are Rock and Roll Hall of Famers
After decades of influencing everyone from Madonna to modern electronic and pop artists, Eurythmics received the ultimate musical honor. In 2022, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart were officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, celebrating their massive contribution to the evolution of modern music.
15. They Have Sold Over 75 Million Records
From a failed debut album to global domination, Eurythmics became one of the best-selling music acts of all time. With their seamless blend of soul, rock, and electronic music, the duo has sold an estimated 75 million records worldwide, cementing their legacy as 1980s music royalty.
