Annie Lennox is one of the most renowned personalities in popular music today. Annie Lennox is well regarded as a performer for many years, she recently has come to be seen as a talented composer as well.
Her ten year partnership with guitarist David Stewart in the duo Eurythmics produced numerous transatlantic hit singles during the 1980's, such as their 1983 breakthrough, "Sweet Dreams", the haunting "Here Comes The Rain Again", the soul-infused power rocker "Would I Lie To You?" and the manic, sample-laden "Beethoven (I Love To Listen To)". For most of Eurythmics's career, Lennox was seen as the singer and front woman for what most assumed were Dave Stewart's compositions. Although she was eventually recognized as the act's lyricist, collective critical wisdom held that it was Stewart's wild creativity and studio trickery that resulted in most of the duo's actual music.
When Eurythmics split in 1989, Stewart was the first to chart as a solo artist with an original composition, the instrumental "Lily Was Here" with saxophonist Candy Dufler, reinforcing speculation that Lennox was out looking for a new Phil Spector to team with.
When she was spotted working with former ELO leader and Traveling Wilburys producer Jeff Lynne, it seemed to confirm that perception. Her confident transition into middle age and the commercial and artistic success she has found there marks something of a milestone in the history of rock music. Along with Bonnie Raitt, Lennox seems to be making a mockery of the notion that life for women rockers ends at 30. One could attribute this success to the aging of the baby boomers, however in Lennox's case there is little evidence to support such a notion. Her work has never held much sway with the baby boomer audience, and indeed still does not. It would appear that, in this world of music videos which are strictly commercials and songs built to sell Pepsi to the populace, there are still listeners, many half her age, who are able to appreciate both the wisdom and the folly of an intelligent female singer who possesses some degree of artistic integrity.
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