Eurythmics
United Kingdom, 1980–now
British duo of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)' set a sequenced synthesizer part against soul-derived singing, an approach they varied across the 1980s.
MusicRoots documents 4 artists who influenced Eurythmics and 1 artist Eurythmics influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.
Who influenced Eurythmics?
- Kraftwerk — Lennox and Stewart took their electronic idea to Conny Plank's studio — Kraftwerk's own producer; Stewart described the duo's sound as 'Kraftwerk meets African tribal meets Booker T and the MGs'.
- Booker T. & the M.G.'s — The Stax groove was the soul half of the Eurythmics formula — Stewart's own 'Kraftwerk meets... Booker T and the MGs' names it directly.
- Stevie Wonder — Annie Lennox's grounding in soul — she immersed herself in Stevie Wonder and Motown — is the voice beneath the machines.
- Conny Plank — Plank is how the duo found the German avant-garde at all. Meeting him took two ex-Tourists straight to the tradition their first records were built out of.
Which artists did Eurythmics influence?
- Nelly Furtado — The cold synthesizer under a warm vocal, which is the shape of 'Maneater'.