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ASCAP
Founders Award Honoring Annie Lennox
By
Jim Steinblatt
Songwriter... Icon... Soulful Spirit... Whose timeless and classic
voice will inspire and enrich generations to come ...sweet dreams
are made of this.
Singer-songwriter
Annie Lennox came out of the ancient Scottish city of Aberdeen
to become one of the most dynamic and memorable figures in pop
and rock music. The girl who "flunked out" of London's
Royal Academy of Music managed to harness her creative energies
as half of one of the signature acts of the 1980s – Eurythmics,
with partner Dave Stewart. The duo blazed a trail of self-written
and self-produced international hits – "Sweet Dreams
(Are Made of This)," "Missionary Man," "Thorn
in My Side," "Would I Lie to You," "Sisters
Are Doin' It for Themselves," "Here Comes the Rain Again,"
"There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart)," and
more – all of them melodic, danceable and laden with meaning.
When Eurythmics went their separate ways, Lennox stepped back
from music to concentrate on motherhood, yet was still able to
create three acclaimed and best-selling solo albums – Diva,
Medusa and Bare – that are no less inspired than her best
work with Eurythmics.
Surprisingly,
the high-energy, high-drama star is quite modest and low-key in
an interview situation. In a recent telephone conversation, Ms.
Lennox graciously shared some insights into creativity, her own
career as a Eurythmic and solo artist, motherhood, feminism and
celebrity.
What
drew you to music, right at the beginning? How can I answer that?
It was always inside me, this potential response to music. I don't
remember a time when music wasn't meaningful to me. But you can
be drawn to music in different ways – as a listener, a participant
or music-maker. From an early age, I sang in choirs. I loved to
pick out tunes, even on a toy piano, when I was small. I loved
rhythm, and an innate sense of musicality was inherent in me.
That was picked up at school, and I was very active in music-making.
Were
you exposed to much pop music as a child?
Only in the sense that I loved to listen to the charts, and I
used to put the radio on as I was getting ready for school. My
awareness came from the radio, but I didn't have a record collection
– I couldn't even think along those lines because I didn't
have the money.
Were
your parents encouraging about music lessons?
As much as they could be – they thought it was a good idea.
I had piano lessons and, later on, flute lessons. I was aware
that these things cost money and did not come out of the sky.
You
valued the lessons, then.
Yes, I did. But I don't know about those lessons now. Looking
back, I know they were well-intentioned, but it was an old-school
kind of discipline I was exposed to that included being rapped
on the knuckles and humiliated. Most of my education was a bit
like that. I look back and think, it must be great to be a kid
now in certain parts of the developed world where you actually
can have enlightened music lessons. I think the reason I became
a singer was that nobody taught me how to sing and I just developed
my own ideas. There was a sense of freedom in it.
You
have a big and powerful voice. When I heard you sing "Keep
Young and Beautiful" on the Medusa album, I thought of Julie
Andrews. You could have gone in a musical theater direction if
that was you.
That probably wouldn't have been me (she laughed), but I know
what you're saying. I have a knack for picking up on tonality
and phrasing. I listen acutely to things that interest me –
to other singers, and that kind of detail fascinates me. I've
learned that a lot of the best stuff comes spontaneously. You
can learn and learn, but after that crafting you have to enter
into the music in a free way.
That
feeling comes through in your recordings. Whether it's the solo
material or what you did with Eurythmics, it's quite unique. The
name Eurythmics, I understand, came from a dance school you attended.
It was an off-the-wall idea – we were looking for a name,
which is always an interesting process because, actually, you're
looking for an identifiable label that will instantly conjure
you up for people. It's funny how a name can really run the ship
and you have to live with it. "Eurythmics" sprung to
mind at the time – I thought that's such a weird name. People
said, "How do you spell that, how do you pronounce that?"
Dave and I felt that it was great that there was intrigue in the
name. We slightly changed the spelling (from Eurhythmics) to make
it seem less complicated.
You
studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London?
It was more like I flunked out. I hated it with a vengeance –
it wasn't what I wanted it to be. The only trouble was that I
knew if I went back to Scotland I'd be destined for purgatory
of a provincial kind. Much to my parents' consternation, I left
the Academy. I had to do it. It's odd, but it was the only time
in my life that I'd been sure about something. I knew I was a
singer-songwriter; I don't know why, but I really believed it
was my destiny. The thought that was what I wanted to be didn't
actually occur to me until I was in my early twenties. I
have to say Joni Mitchell was a tremendous example of what could
be done, in the most extraordinary way. I really responded to
her music, voice and incredible creativity. I felt somehow that
there was, maybe, a chance that I could be one of those people
who could create like that. Not that anyone can create like Joni
Mitchell – I think she is untouchable!
So
things began coming to fruition once you met Dave Stewart.
Meeting Dave was really a turning point, really
a moment. I felt that I had met someone who understood me very
well; I felt I had met my twin soul – and in certain ways,
I had. Curiously, we forged something very strong. It took a while,
a few years. It was very, very challenging. I always say that
truth is far, far more bizarre than fiction ever could be. In
some ways, our story fits that bill – it was a surrealistic
truth!
At
first you formed a group with one of Dave's musical cohorts.
Yes, with Peet Coombes. He was the main songwriter for that band,
The Tourists. For me, The Tourists was a learning curve, a practice
run to gain experience singing behind a microphone in clubs and
smaller venues that were the happening places in the 70s. We also
toured across Europe, Japan, Australia and the States. It was
hard but it gave me a taste of what it really meant to be in a
band, touring, writing, and making videos and just surviving the
whole experience. But
that band went on a crash collision course that ultimately was
better for Dave and me, creatively. At that time, technology had
started to develop in very interesting ways with the advent of
the synthesizer and synthesized sounds which you could actually
buy over the counter at relatively affordable prices. If you asked
the record company very nicely, you could, maybe, get a downpayment
on one of those recording machines and you could do everything
in your living room.
What
distinguished your group, I believe, from the many putting out
synth-based music, was a kind of warmth that came through in spite
of the technology – very powerful emotions in the lyrics.
What we really responded to was that incredible visceral friction
between the layers of this cold and dark, European synthesized
sound, juxtaposed with very soulful, raw, American R&B/ Gospelinspired
songs. Awesome, thrilling stuff!
In
those first years of Eurythmics, was there a split in who wrote
lyrics and who wrote music?
I usually wrote most of the lyrics. It was very much a 50-50 partnership
– we were always trying to make it fair for the other.
"Sweet
Dreams" was such an international smash. Did you feel confident
at the time about its success?
No, I never am confident that anything that I'm involved with
will catch on. I can absolutely love something I'm doing –
and I loved "Sweet Dreams" and thought it so special
– but I'm always the doubter, which has been the bane of
my existence! Yes,
"Sweet Dreams" did catch on. It's weird that it has
become a sort of international anthem that has spread out over
the years. All kinds of people have covered it or interpreted
it over the years (including Marilyn Manson and Henry Mancini).
It's become a kind of cultural touchstone. It's a very unusual
song in terms of structure, really like a little mantra that just
repeats itself. Somehow, it's meaningful. I know the symbology
that I felt about the words, but people interpret it every which
way, which is a sign of a strong piece of artistry – I think
art is about the individual's potential interpretation of it.
I
believe that your lyrics have always spoken to people, yet they
are not straightforward.
I hope that people understand that the lyrics are, very often,
metaphoric. Sometimes the words are very simplistic. I don't tell
stories in songs, but the words are symbols. Sometimes, the combination
of words has a deeper meaning. Very often, it's a universal kind
of truth I try to express.
One
of your finest moments with Eurythmics was your duet with Aretha
Franklin on the song, "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves,"
a very soulful feminist declaration.
Women are the most extraordinary force in the world. There is
such a strong need for feminism, particularly in developing countries
where women are still relegated to third class citizen status
– where they don't have choices about their fertility, education
and life choices. I'm very grateful for the things that feminism
has offered me. I can vote in a democratic system. Women and men
are trying to progress together, but women very often carry the
brunt of the burden in life. Actually, I do like to take the opportunity
to speak up for women's rights.
Creativity
matters a great deal to you.
To have a moment of inspiration is such a great thing. You know
it when it happens to you but you just cannot call it up like
a delivery of fast food. To be inspired is the oddest thing. It
is almost a way of life – you become a person who is open
to being inspired. Then you realize that you want to express it
in some way. Maybe it's through painting, writing or through music
or performance. There's something about this need for human beings
to express themselves and create a kind of communion with the
other – whether that is an audience or an individual. The
proof for me of the best work is that people get something emotional
or intellectual out of it. Then you say, "OK, it does work;
you've touched the spot." I think that's the way music works.
It elevates one and takes the listener into another realm –
an emotional, spiritual and intellectual realm. It's transportation.
In
preparing for this, I have spent some time listening to the Eurythmics
and the solo albums. All of it is transporting and communicative.
I hope so. You know, I very rarely revisit my work by listening
to it – when it's done, it's done. Actually, when it comes
to performance, it's an opportunity to revalue and reinterpret,
and create different versions. That's kind of interesting. I never
think that the version on the record is the only one – it
just happens to be the one chosen in the process of recording
at that time.
After
the Eurythmics period of your career, for the most part, ended
in 1990, your recorded output (three solo albums and one Eurythmics
project) has lessened – in quantity, though not in quality.
I'd like to explain about that. I'm a mother. I started having
children in the 90s, and I have two wonderful daughters –
15 and 13. It's simply not appropriate for me to abandon ship
and go off and tour, or to promote my work in the same way as
I did before I had children. Actually, I devoted myself –
and Dave did, too – to Eurythmics for about a decade, in
terms of making records, videos, touring and doing interviews,
etc. It was a fantastic and very intensive time, but there was
something lost in that for me on the personal side. Now that I
have children, I am less able to go away and disappear into the
world of creation. I try to have that balance, but I have less
of an output and a far lower profile – but that's more appropriate
for me as a mother.
If
we need to wait a bit longer for new Annie Lennox music, it's
well worth it.
Thank you, I am writing a new album at the moment, but have not
yet started recording it. One changes and has different perspectives.
About two years ago, I went on tour with Sting and I realized
that my voice was stronger than it had ever been and that my whole
persona had changed and evolved. I think that what I'm doing is
a progression… Definitely!
Was
making your first solo album, Diva, a frightening prospect?
It was a bit intimidating, working without Dave. I've always regarded
him as a kind of mentor. I think I needed to explore my individual
value and shape as an artist.
Diva
and Bare were strong collections of your originals, with beautiful
songs.
And Medusa was a wonderful set of other writers' songs. I loved
recording Medusa – it was a real indulgence on my part.
Interpreting songs is such fun. There's no hard work in it –
it's just fun. People ask when I'm happiest. There are many such
times, but one of them is definitely performing in the studio.
Eurythmics
did some film music work in the 1980s, most notably for the movie,
1984. Much more recently, you shared the Academy Award for Best
Song for "Into the West" from Lord of the Rings: Return
of the King.
I have to put that, mainly, down to Fran Walsh and Howard Shore.
It was a lovely project to become involved with.
It's
interesting to be into a career for over 25 years and still be
able to create new music, but at the same time be recognized for
what you've done previously.
It's an usual position to be in, and I value it. I actually feel
as if I've got more of a cutting edge now, peculiarly, than when
I was younger. Back then, I was much more naïve and innocent.
I've been through so many experiences in my life – incredibly
high highs and challenging dark moments. Looking back on it now,
it was a hell of a journey.
Whatever
you have been through, those of us who don't know you personally
are grateful to have your art preserved on disc.
The fact of the matter is that so many people want to be artists.
It's not always easy to attain that status of becoming a working
artist and not be obliged to have a day job. Sometimes, I am still
amazed to realize that I really am an artist who's never really
had a regular day job!
Taken from ASCAP
website
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