The sweet dreams of the Eurythmics: #15 "Beethoven (I love to listen to)" (1987)

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Among the greatest and most iconic 80s groups, the Eurythmics are not members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in another travesty of an oversight. Dave Stewart met Annie Lennox in 1975 becoming a couple. They joined a punk band called Catch renamed the Tourists dissolving in 1980. They decided to form a duo exerting total artistic control. Stewart produced and played keyboards and guitar while Lennox possessed her marvelous voice. Additional musicians were hired as needed. All the great songs to come were written by Lennox and Stewart. They broke up as a couple when RCA Records signed them. Their 1981 debut album “In the Garden” went nowhere but the next “Sweet Dreams (are made of this)” exploded on the universe. The Eurythmics were unusual for simultaneously being giants of the new wave/alternative/synthpop world and colossal mainstream success. They evolved artistically from synthpop electronics to more R&B influenced rock. The Eurythmics broke up in 1990. Lennox pursued a successful solo career while Stewart became an in demand producer. They briefly reunited in 1999 and 2005 to create new music. From the album “Savage,” “Beethoven (I love to listen to)” charted at UK #25 but was not a single in the US. The song was the B side to the 12” “I Need a Man” single. “Beethoven (I love to listen to)” is not too well known in the US and is a great sounding combination of their electronic roots and later rock direction.