Eurthymics "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"

If it wasn't for some DJ in Cleveland who kept playing the song, there would be no "Sweet Dreams". The folks at the Eurthymics record company didn't want to release "Sweet Dreams" because they believed the song lacked a chorus and wouldn't be memorable. Annie Lennox claims she and Dave Stewart of Eurythmics wrote the song after hitting rock bottom. "It's not a happy song--it's dark," she said. Lennox added many people often mistook the lyrics to say: "Sweet dreams are made of cheese". The song went on to the the group's signature tune and climbed from #90 on the Hot 100 Chart all the way to #1 during the summer of 1983 -- proving not only the record company wrong but that the folks in Cleveland (sometimes) know what's up.

Annie Lennox "A Whiter Shade of Pale"

Annie Lennox's 1995 version of "A Whiter Shade of Pale" replaced the signature sound of the Hammond Organ made famous in the original version by Procol Harum. While Procol Harum gave the song a somber mood, Lennox's used a whispy-sounding synthesizer beat that, when matched with Lennox's vocals, gave the tune more of a fairy tale feel. 

The Eurythmics "Here Comes the Rain Again"

My friend Pat always wanted his wife and him to dress up as The Eurthymics for Halloween.  Specifically, his wife would dress as Annie Lennox and he would simply wear an Oakland A's jersey of pitcher Dave Stewart.

Annie Lennox - "Walking on Broken Glass"

"It sounds like the piano player is afraid to touch the keys"
-My mom's review of Annie Lennox's "Walking on Broken Glass" on the way home from the grocery store in 1992

Annie Lennox - "Why"

Sign of the times: Annie Lennox's sleepy ballad "Why" won the award for Best Female Video at the 1992 MTV Video Music Awards.

Annie Lennox - "Little Bird"

My old neighbor Lucy used to clean her house every Saturday morning.  Lucy made it a habit to pop Annie Lennox's Diva into the CD player.  One such song that would blare from the speakers from Lucy's stereo was "Little Bird".  Happy cleaning!

Annie Lennox - "No More 'I Love You's'"

Each year during my high school spring break, I would spend a week at my grandparent's condo in Bradenton, Florida.  (Don't judge: my grandparents were pretty damn cool.)  During spring break 1995, I remember a Tampa radio station airing a feature called "Make It or Break It" where they would play a new song and then the listeners would vote whether to continue playing the song ("make it") or to never play it again ("break it").  That day's featured song was "No More 'I Love You's'" by Annie Lennox.  Unfortunately for Lennox, Tampa radio listeners overwhelmingly rejected the song.  I remember the DJ saying something like 84% of people voted to "break it."  Those Tampa listeners clearly didn't have much influence on the Grammy Awards because "No More 'I Love You's'" went on win the 1995 Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.