The onset of 1985 found Eurythmics in a commercial sweet spot as they rode a wave of successive hits on the global stage. It was barely two-and-a-bit years since Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) in January 1983 had put Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart on the map. In this brief timespan, the duo had morphed from synth-pop antiheroes – very much encompassing the outsider mentality – to now fully embracing their newly-achieved diva and rock star personalities. Of course, that underdog dynamic becomes increasingly untenable the more successful an act gets; something they were no doubt aware of themselves. It was adapt or die, and so their upward career trajectory was propelled forward by a necessary progression in sound and style.
A sign of the Eurythmics’ rising currency among the pop glitterati, Be Yourself Tonight is a star-studded affair, with an impressive roll call of A-listers lining up for a piece of the action. Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Elvis Costello and various members of the Heartbreakers (sans Tom Petty) all make appearances. Blondie’s Clem Burke even crops up behind the drumkit in one of the promos, though – on this occasion – he doesn’t actually play on the recording itself.
The coup demonstrates Eurythmics’ great pulling power at this point – in itself a humblebrag of sorts: “Look who we can get on our record!” Aligning themselves with the established American big hitters lends further credibility to the sound they helped to inspire.
Meanwhile, they are joined by top-flight bassist Nathan East (who would later play on Michael Jackson’s I Just Can’t Stop Loving You, and Daft Punk’s ubiquitous Get Lucky), as well as Michael Kamen, who provided the string arrangements.
By now, Stewart was blossoming into his new role as go-to producer for the stars, with The Undertones’ Feargal Sharkey’s solo debut album and Tom Petty’s Southern Accents both delivered in the same year.
On his own record, he demonstrates a growing confidence, allowing that previously-suppressed part of his personality to come to the fore. The devil on his shoulder is whispering: “Put that synthesizer away, Dave, it’s OK to be playing guitar again…” And he duly obliges.
And so, he positively embraces the rock star histrionics that the pair had turned away from upon initial success. The cold, insular persona, previously cultivated, is opened out into an explicitly rock approach – tooled up, confident and comfortable in flexing its muscles, playing up to the pomp excesses of the era in sound and image. This is boys and girls celebrating their individual status: as Stewart indulges in the exaggerated rock god persona, Lennox consciously adopts a more outwardly feminine look – a contrast to the intentionally ambiguous androgynous image on which she made her name.
Simultaneously, the singer continued to develop and evolve as a lyricist. While she always had a powerful and mesmerising presence, her words seem to come from a position of renewed strength. She’s still exploring that fertile ground around the powerplays in relationships, and dealing with being scorned, but with less fragility. Take, say, Here Comes The Rain Again, the opener from their previous LP – undoubtedly among their very best work, though lyrically dealing with a sense of foreboding darkness and insecurity, fear of an uncertain future; and compare that with Sisters Are Doin’ It For Themselves, a self-confident anthem that boldly asserts a positive message for the here and now.
Another quirk of Annie’s lyrical themes: it doesn’t escape notice that this album has very long titles (with equally long subtitles in brackets). This all plays into the sense of bombast. Lennox seems to be coming from the Bernie Taupin School of Song Titles and Composition. Taupin once said something to the effect of: “Give a song a great title and you’re already off to a good start” – in other words, make it epic and something that sounds thrilling when called out by a radio DJ, or reads like a classic staple on a jukebox. From: https://www.classicpopmag.com/features/classic-album/classic-album-be-yourself-tonight-by-eurythmics/
