Be Yourself Tonight

Be Yourself Tonight is the fourth album by the British pop duo Eurythmics. It was released on 29 April 1985 by RCA Records.

Be Yourself Tonight
Studio album by
Eurythmics
Released29 April 1985
RecordedNovember 1984 – January 1985 in Paris, Detroit and Los Angeles
Genre
Length43:15
LabelRCA Records
ProducerDavid A. Stewart
Eurythmics chronology
1984 (For the Love of Big Brother)
(1984)		 Be Yourself Tonight
(1985)		 Revenge
(1986)
Singles from Be Yourself Tonight
  1. "Would I Lie to You?"
    Released: April 1985
  2. "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)"
    Released: June 1985
  3. "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves"
    Released: October 1985
  4. "It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)"
    Released: December 1985
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[2]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[3]
Smash Hits7½/10[4]
The Village VoiceB+[5]

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 commercial pop/rock sound. 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.

Chart performance

Be Yourself Tonight is Eurythmics' best-selling studio album. It 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 (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 recuperation from vocal fold nodules (which also caused her to miss 1985's Live Aid concert).

On 14 November 2005, Sony BMG repackaged and released Eurythmics' back catalogue as "2005 Deluxe Edition Reissues". Each of their eight studio albums' original track listings were supplemented with bonus tracks and remixes.

Track listing

All tracks are written by Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart, except where noted.

No.TitleLength
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)" (Incorrectly labelled (Then Never to Have Loved at All) on 2005 remaster packaging)5:06
2005 Special edition bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
10."Grown Up Girls" 4:13
11."Tous les garçons et les filles"Françoise Hardy, Roger Samyn3:25
12."Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" (with Aretha Franklin) (ET Mix) 7:48
13."Would I Lie to You?" (listed as 'ET Mix' but it is actually the "Extended Version" taken from the "Would I Lie to You?" 12" single) 4:55
14."Conditioned Soul" (Live) 5:08
15."Hello, I Love You"Jim Morrison, Robby Krieger, Ray Manzarek, John Densmore2:51

Personnel

Eurythmics
  • Annie Lennox – vocals, keyboards (all tracks except "Would I Lie to You?" and "It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)"), sequencer on "It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)"
  • David A. Stewart – guitar (all tracks except "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)", including electric guitar, slide guitar on "Conditioned Soul" and six-string guitar on "Adrian"), keyboards (all tracks except "Would I Lie to You?", "Adrian" and "It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)"), sequencer on "Would I Lie to You?", "I Love You Like a Ball and Chain", "Conditioned Soul" and "It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)", 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" and "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" and "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?" and "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" and "Adrian"
  • Benmont Tench – Hammond organ on "Would I Lie to You?" and "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?" and "It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)"
  • Martin Dobson – saxophone on "Would I Lie to You?" and "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)" and "Better to Have Lost in Love (Than Never to Have Loved at All)", celeste on "Adrian", keyboards and string parts on "Here Comes That Sinking Feeling"
  • Aretha Franklin – guest vocals on "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves"
  • Richard Cross – backing vocals on "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)"[6]
  • 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

Charts

Sales and certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[33] Platinum 150,000[34]
Canada (Music Canada)[35] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Finland (Musiikkituottajat)[36] Gold 27,170[36]
France (SNEP)[37] Gold 112,500[38]
Germany (BVMI)[39] Gold 250,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[40] Platinum 15,000^
Sweden (GLF)[41] 2× Platinum 200,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[42] 2× Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[43] Platinum 1,000,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. Promis, Jose F. "Be Yourself Tonight – Eurythmics". AllMusic. Retrieved 12 August 2011.
  2. Larkin, Colin (2011). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (5th concise ed.). Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-595-8.
  3. Considine, J. D. (2004). "Eurythmics". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 283–84. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
  4. Rice, Maureen (8–21 May 1985). "Eurythmics: Be Yourself Tonight". Smash Hits: 20.
  5. Christgau, Robert (27 August 1985). "Christgau's Consumer Guide". The Village Voice. Retrieved 11 February 2018.
  6. "Richard CROSS la voix angélique de Must Be Talking to an Angel (Eurythmics)". el gringooo. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  7. "Chartifacts". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 14 January 2015. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
  8. "Austriancharts.at – Eurythmics – Be Yourself Tonight" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  9. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0544". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  10. "Dutchcharts.nl – Eurythmics – Be Yourself Tonight" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  11. "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2 no. 24. 17 June 1985. p. 16. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  12. Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  13. "Le Détail des Albums de chaque Artiste". InfoDisc (in French). Retrieved 19 April 2020. Select "EURYTHMICS" from the drop-down menu and click "OK".
  14. "Offiziellecharts.de – Eurythmics – Be Yourself Tonight" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  15. Okamoto, Satoshi (2006). Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005 (in Japanese). Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
  16. "Charts.nz – Eurythmics – Be Yourself Tonight". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
  17. "Norwegiancharts.com – Eurythmics – Be Yourself Tonight". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  18. "Swedishcharts.com – Eurythmics – Be Yourself Tonight". Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
  19. "Swisscharts.com – Eurythmics – Be Yourself Tonight". Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  20. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  21. "Eurythmics Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  22. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  23. "RPM's Top 100 Albums of 1985". RPM. Vol. 43 no. 16. 25 December 1985. p. 14. ISSN 0315-5994 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  24. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  25. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts – 1985" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  26. "Top Selling Albums of 1985". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  27. "Top 100 Albums". Music Week. London. 18 January 1986. p. 11. ISSN 0265-1548.
  28. "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1985". Billboard. Archived from the original on 30 July 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  29. "ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – 1986". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  30. "Jaaroverzichten – Album 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 2 April 2014.
  31. "Hot 100 of the Year 1986 – European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3 no. 51/52. 27 December 1986. p. 35. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  32. "Top 100 Albums". Music Week. London. 24 January 1987. p. 25. ISSN 0265-1548.
  33. "Eurythmics ARIA chart history, received from ARIA on 27 February 2020". Imgur.com. Retrieved 27 February 2020. N.B. This chart history only contains chart data from the ARIA-produced chart era (13 June 1988 onwards).
  34. Barker, Glenn A. (9 November 1985). "Majors (Australia Spotlight)". Billboard. p. A-26. Retrieved 8 September 2019.
  35. "Canadian album certifications – Eurythmics – Be Yourself Tonight". Music Canada.
  36. "Eurythmics" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  37. "French album certifications – Eurythmics – Be yourself Tonight" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  38. "Les Albums Or". infodisc.fr. SNEP. Archived from the original on 18 October 2011. Retrieved 31 August 2011.
  39. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Eurythmics; 'Be Yourself Tonight')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  40. "New Zealand album certifications – Eurythmics – Be Yourself Tonight". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 20 June 2019.
  41. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
  42. "British album certifications – Eurythmics – Be Yourself Tonight". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Be Yourself Tonight in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  43. "American album certifications – Eurythmics – Be Yourself Tonight". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
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