Medusa (Annie Lennox album)

Medusa is the second solo album by the Scottish singer Annie Lennox, released in March 1995, and consists entirely of cover songs. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number 1 and peaked in the United States at number 11, spending 60 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart. It has since achieved double platinum status in both the United Kingdom[1] and the United States,[2] and sold more than 6 million copies worldwide.

Medusa
Studio album by
Annie Lennox
Released6 March 1995 (1995-03-06)
RecordedJanuary – May 1994
StudioThe Aquarium, London
GenrePop, rock, adult contemporary, electronica, dance
Length47:11
Label
ProducerStephen Lipson
Annie Lennox chronology
Diva
(1992)		 Medusa
(1995)		 Bare
(2003)
Singles from Medusa
  1. "No More 'I Love You's"
    Released: February 1995
  2. "A Whiter Shade of Pale"
    Released: May 1995
  3. "Waiting in Vain"
    Released: September 1995
  4. "Something So Right"
    Released: November 1995

Background and release

The album yielded four singles in the United Kingdom: "No More I Love You's" (which entered the UK Singles Chart at No. 2, Lennox's highest ever solo peak), "A Whiter Shade of Pale", "Waiting in Vain" and "Something So Right".

Lennox explains the origins of the album in the liner notes:

This album contains a selection of songs I have been drawn to for all kinds of reasons. There were not chosen with any particular theme or concept in mind — the method was more by instinct than by design. The work undertaken was truly a labor of love for me and I feel privileged to have been given this opportunity.

The album was nominated for Best Pop Album at the Grammy Awards of 1996, losing to Turbulent Indigo by Joni Mitchell. Lennox took home the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance award for her work on the first single "No More I Love You's". This album was re-released in late 1995 in a double jewel case containing the album Medusa and a nine-track bonus CD featuring the studio version of Paul Simon's "Something So Right" (with Simon guesting on vocals and guitar) and eight tracks recorded live from the concert in Central Park: "Money Can't Buy It", "Legend in My Living Room", her Eurythmics hits "Who's That Girl?", "You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart" and "Here Comes the Rain Again", along with "Why", "Little Bird" and "Walking on Broken Glass".

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Entertainment WeeklyC−[4]
Los Angeles Times[5]
The New York Times(mixed)[6]
Rolling Stone[7]

Professional reviews for Medusa were mixed, ranging from favourable to outright hostile. AllMusic notes that critics "savaged"[8] the album upon release: Trouser Press was probably the most severe in its criticism, characterising Lennox's interpretations of classic material as "obvious", "milquetoast" and "willfully wrongheaded". Reviewer Ira Robbins did single out the track "No More I Love You's" for genuine, if backhanded, praise: "The only song here that benefits from her ministrations is 'No More 'I Love You's,' a minor 1986 hit for Britain's otherwise forgotten The Lover Speaks, and that's only by dint of the original's obscurity."[9]

Meanwhile, Rolling Stone gave the album a more positive, though still mixed review:

Annie Lennox called her justifiably popular solo debut Diva, but it's actually on the follow-up effort Medusa that she really starts acting like one. This wildly uneven album of cover versions starts with perhaps its highest point—a truly wonderful interpretation of "No More I Love You's", a relatively obscure British hit by The Lover Speaks. Unfortunately, Lennox doesn't work the same magic with more familiar material like Al Green's "Take Me to the River" and Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale".[10]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artist(s)Length
1."No More 'I Love You's"Joseph Hughes, David FreemanThe Lover Speaks4:51
2."Take Me to the River"Al Green, Mabon HodgesAl Green3:33
3."A Whiter Shade of Pale"Keith Reid, Gary Brooker, Matthew FisherProcol Harum5:17
4."Don't Let It Bring You Down"Neil YoungNeil Young3:36
5."Train in Vain"Mick Jones, Joe StrummerThe Clash4:44
6."I Can't Get Next to You"Norman Whitfield, Barrett StrongThe Temptations3:08
7."Downtown Lights"Paul BuchananThe Blue Nile6:44
8."Thin Line Between Love and Hate"Richard Poindexter, Robert Poindexter, Jackie MembersThe Persuaders4:55
9."Waiting in Vain"Bob MarleyBob Marley and the Wailers5:40
10."Something So Right"Paul SimonPaul Simon3:54
11."Heaven" (Japanese bonus track)Richard Butler, Tim ButlerThe Psychedelic Furs4:57
Limited edition bonus disc – Live in Central Park
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Money Can't Buy It"Annie Lennox4:45
2."Legend in My Living Room"Lennox, Peter-John Vettese3:48
3."Who's That Girl?"Lennox, David Stewart4:44
4."You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart"Lennox, Stewart5:19
5."Little Bird"Lennox5:27
6."Walking on Broken Glass"Lennox4:01
7."Here Comes the Rain Again"Lennox, Stewart5:59
8."Why"Lennox5:17
9."Something So Right" (studio version) (featuring Paul Simon)Simon3:50

B-sides
Title A-side(s)
"Ladies of the Canyon" "No More 'I Love You's"
"Heaven" "A Whiter Shade of Pale"
"(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear"

Personnel

Live in Central Park
DVD cover

Although no tour was held to promote this album, Lennox played a one-off concert in Central Park, New York City on 9 September 1995. This was subsequently released on videotape as Annie Lennox in the Park and on DVD as Annie Lennox Live in Central Park.

Information
  • Director: Joe Dyer
  • Recorded: Live at Central Park, Summerstage, New York City, 8 September 1995
  • Release date: December 1995 (video); December 2000 (DVD)
  • Label: BMG/Arista
  • Run time: 90 minutes

Track listing
  1. "Money Can't Buy It" (Lennox)
  2. "Legend in My Living Room" (Lennox, Vettese)
  3. "Walking on Broken Glass" (Lennox)
  4. "No More 'I Love You's" (Hughes, Freeman)
  5. "Who's That Girl?" (Lennox, Stewart)
  6. "You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart" (Lennox, Stewart)
  7. "Waiting in Vain" (Marley)
  8. "I Love You Like a Ball and Chain" (Lennox, Stewart)
  9. "Little Bird" (Lennox)
  10. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (Lennox, Stewart)
  11. "Train in Vain" (Jones, Strummer)
  12. "Why" (Lennox)

Promotional video clips

  1. "No More 'I Love You's" (Hughes, Freeman)
  2. "A Whiter Shade of Pale" (Reid, Brooker, Fisher)
  3. "Waiting in Vain" (Marley)
  4. "Something So Right" (Simon)

Awards

Grammy Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result
1996
[11]		MedusaBest Pop Vocal AlbumNominated
"No More I Love You's"Best Pop Vocal Performance - FemaleWon

Charts

Certifications

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Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[38] Gold 30,000^
Australia (ARIA)[39] Gold 35,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[40] Gold 25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[41] 2× Platinum 200,000^
France (SNEP)[42] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[43] Gold 250,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[39] 2× Platinum 30,000^
Italy (FIMI)[39] Gold 50,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[44] Gold 25,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[45] Gold 50,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[46] Gold 50,000^
Sweden (GLF)[47] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[48] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[49] 2× Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[50] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[51] 2× Platinum 2,000,000*

*sales figures based on certification alone
^shipments figures based on certification alone

References
  1. BPI Searchable database Archived 24 September 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  2. RIAA Gold and Platinum Database Archived 22 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  3. Allmusic review
  4. Farbel, Jim (17 March 1995). "Medusa review". Entertainment Weekly. New York City.
  5. Rosenbluth, Jean (26 March 1995). "Record Review: ANNIE LENNOX; "Medusa" Arista". Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles, California. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  6. Holden, Stephen (10 November 1995). "CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK;They're Adults, And Sound It". Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  7. Rolling Stone review
  8. savaged
  9. Robbins, Ira. "Annie Lennox Medusa review". Trouser Press. Retrieved 8 June 2019.
  10. "Medusa review". Rolling Stone. New York City: Wenner Media LLC. 2 February 1998. Archived from the original on 11 December 2007.
  11. Strauss, Neil (5 January 1996). "New Faces in Grammy Nominations". nytimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  12. "Australiancharts.com – Annie Lennox – Medusa". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  13. "Austriancharts.at – Annie Lennox – Medusa" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  14. "Ultratop.be – Annie Lennox – Medusa" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  15. "Ultratop.be – Annie Lennox – Medusa" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  16. Library and Archives Canada. Archived 9 January 2016 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 2011-11-07
  17. "Dutchcharts.nl – Annie Lennox – Medusa" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  18. "InfoDisc : Tous les Albums classés par Artiste > Choisir Un Artiste Dans la Liste" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original on 3 November 2013. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  19. "Offiziellecharts.de – Annie Lennox – Medusa" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  20. Hits of the world. Billboard. 1 April 1995. Retrieved 9 December 2013.
  21. "Highest position and charting weeks of Medusa by Annie Lennox" アニー・レノックス-リリース-ORICON STYLE-ミュージック. oricon.co.jp (in Japanese). Oricon Style. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  22. "Charts.nz – Annie Lennox – Medusa". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  23. "Norwegiancharts.com – Annie Lennox – Medusa". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  24. Salaverri, Fernando (2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959-2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
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  26. "Swisscharts.com – Annie Lennox – Medusa". Hung Medien. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
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  28. "Annie Lennox Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  29. "Austriancharts.at - Jahreshitparade 1995" (ASP) (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  30. "Jaaroverzichten 1995". Ultratop (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  31. "Rapports annuels 1995". Ultratop (in French). Hung Medien. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  32. "RPM Top 100 Albums of 1995". RPM. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  33. "Les Albums (CD) de 1995 par InfoDisc" (in French). infodisc.fr. Archived from the original (PHP) on 9 February 2012. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  34. "Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 13 August 2018.
  35. "Hitparade.ch - Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1995". Swiss Music Charts (in Swedish). Hung Medien. Archived from the original (ASP) on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  36. "CIN Artist Albums - Year-End - 1995". Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  37. "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-end – 1995". Billboard. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
  38. "Discos de oro y platino" (in Spanish). Cámara Argentina de Productores de Fonogramas y Videogramas. Archived from the original on 6 July 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
  39. https://www.americanradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1995/MM-1995-06-03.pdf
  40. "Austrian album certifications – Annie Lennox – Medusa" (in German). IFPI Austria.
  41. "Canadian album certifications – Annie Lennox – Medusa". Music Canada.
  42. "French album certifications – Annie Lennox – Medusa" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique.
  43. "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (Annie Lennox; 'Medusa')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie.
  44. "Norwegian album certifications – Annie Lennox – Medusa" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway.
  45. "Polish album certifications – Annie Lennox – Medusa" (in Polish). Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry.
  46. Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (PDF) (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. p. 938. ISBN 84-8048-639-2. Retrieved 19 January 2019.
  47. "Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 1987−1998" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden.
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  49. "British album certifications – Annie Lennox – Medusa". British Phonographic Industry. Select albums in the Format field. Select Platinum in the Certification field. Type Medusa in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  50. "American album certifications – Annie Lennox – Medusa". Recording Industry Association of America. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH. 
  51. "IFPI Platinum Europe Awards – 1997". International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.
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