Be Yourself Tonight


Be Yourself Tonight is the fourth studio album by British pop duo Eurythmics, released on 29 April 1985 by RCA Records. It spawned four singles – "Would [I Lie to You? (Eurythmics song)|Would I Lie to You?]", "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)", "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" and "It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)". The album has been described as their most commercially successful album, and has been pitched as "one of the greatest pop and rock albums of the 1980s". A notable departure from both the musical composition and image of their previous albums, Be Yourself Tonight was widely regarded as an example of their finest work due to their continued "innovation" of their music.
It was a major commercial success for Eurythmics on international albums charts, reaching the top five in regions including Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Canada, Finland and the United Kingdom. Elsewhere, it reached the top ten in the United States, Switzerland and Germany.
It was nominated for the Billboard Music Award for Top Billboard 200 Album and Top Compact Disk Award at the 1985 Billboard Music Awards and the Brit Award for British Album of the Year at the 1986 Brit Awards. Two of the albums singles – "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" and "Would I Lie to You?" were nominated for two awards at the 28th Annual Grammy Awards in 1986 for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal respectively.

Background

Largely recorded in Paris, with additional recording in Detroit and Los Angeles, this album saw Eurythmics move away from their previous more experimental, synthesizer-based songs, to a more pop/rock sound with some R&B elements. Songs, such as "Would I Lie To You?" were influenced by 1960s style music, as well as utilising American soul and British pop. Combining elements of Motown and rock music, the album incorporates a more traditional band line-up/instrumentation. Nonetheless, the recordings still possessed an atmospheric and cutting edge sound, winning David A. Stewart awards for his production work on the album.
The release of the album 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". Be Yourself Tonight includes guest appearances by notable artists such as Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Elvis Costello. The album features a range of genres performed by the duo, many of which were performed by the band for the first time. It has been described as both a "masterpiece" and "one of the best pop/rock albums of the 1980s" largely in part a result of their "innovation and ability to not succumb to the machine”.

Release and promotion

No tour followed the album's release, due to Lennox's recuperation from vocal fold nodules.

Chart performance

Be Yourself Tonight reached the top 3 in the UK and top 10 in the US, as well as spawning several hit singles. The album includes the duo's first UK number-one "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)". The first single released was "Would I Lie to You?". It would hit #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, #6 on the Cash Box Top 100 and also hit #1 in Australia. The album was certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry, indicating sales in excess of 600,000 copies, and Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for sales in excess of one million copies.

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Be Yourself Tonight.

Eurythmics

Additional musicians

Technical

  • David A. Stewart – production, mixing
  • Adam Williams – mixing ; engineering
  • Don Smith – special help ; engineering ; mixing ; additional engineering
  • Jay Willis – engineering assistance
  • Shelly Yakus – drum recording
  • Stephen Marcussen – mastering

Artwork

Charts

Year-end charts

Chart Position
Australian Albums 86
Dutch Albums 75
European Albums 53
UK Albums 30