Be Yourself Tonight is the fourth studio album by British pop duo Eurythmics, released on 29 April 1985 by RCA Records. It spawned four singles – "Would I Lie to You?", "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)", "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" (a duet with Aretha Franklin) and "It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)". The album has been described as their most commercially successful album, and has been pitched as "one of the greatest pop and rock albums of the 1980s". A notable departure from both the musical composition and image of their previous albums, Be Yourself Tonight was widely regarded as an example of their finest work due to their continued "innovation" of their music.

It was a major commercial success for Eurythmics on international albums charts, reaching the top five in regions including Australia (where it reached number one), New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Canada, Finland and the United Kingdom. Elsewhere, it reached the top ten in the United States, Switzerland and Germany.

It was nominated for the Billboard Music Award for Top Billboard 200 Album and Top Compact Disk Award at the 1985 Billboard Music Awards and the Brit Award for British Album of the Year at the 1986 Brit Awards. Two of the albums singles – "Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves" and "Would I Lie to You?" were nominated for two awards at the 28th Annual Grammy Awards in 1986 for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal respectively.

Background Largely recorded in Paris, with additional recording in Detroit and Los Angeles, this album saw Eurythmics move away from their previous more experimental, synthesizer-based songs, to a more pop/rock sound with some R&B elements. Songs, such as "Would I Lie To You?" were influenced by 1960s style music, as well as utilising American soul and British pop. Combining elements of Motown and rock music, the album incorporates a more traditional band line-up/instrumentation. Nonetheless, the recordings still possessed an atmospheric and cutting edge sound, winning David A. Stewart awards for his production work on the album.

The release of the album coincided with a new look for singer Annie Lennox, who ditched the androgynous look of the previous albums and became, in biographer Lucy O'Brien's words, "a bleach-blonde rock 'n' roller". Be Yourself Tonight includes guest appearances by notable artists such as Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, and Elvis Costello. The album features a range of genres performed by the duo, many of which were performed by the band for the first time. It has been described as both a "masterpiece" and "one of the best pop/rock albums of the 1980s" largely in part a result of their "innovation and ability to not succumb to the machine”.

Release and promotion

No tour followed the album's release, due to Lennox's recuperation from vocal fold nodules (which also caused her to have to miss 1985's Live Aid concert).

Chart performance Be Yourself Tonight reached the top 3 in the UK and top 10 in the US, as well as spawning several hit singles. The album includes the duo's first (and only) UK number-one "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)". The first single released was "Would I Lie to You?". It would hit #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, #6 on the Cash Box Top 100 and also hit #1 in Australia. The album was certified double platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), indicating sales in excess of 600,000 copies, and Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of one million copies.

Track listing

Notes Track 4 is edited to 5:22 on the 2018 vinyl remaster Track 9 is incorrectly labelled "Better to Have Lost in Love (Then Never to Have Loved at All)" on the 2005 remastered reissue. Track 13 of the 2005 remastered reissue is listed as the "ET Mix", but it is actually the "Extended Mix" from the "Would I Lie to You?" 12-inch single. The live version of "Conditioned Soul" (track 14) was recorded on 14 February 1987, not in 1985. It was captured during Eurythmics' Revenge Tour at the Sydney Entertainment Centre, and it's the same performance featured in their Eurythmics Live video. This was omitted from the final video release but remains part of the audio recording used for the bonus track.

Personnel Credits adapted from the liner notes of Be Yourself Tonight.

Eurythmics Annie Lennox – vocals ; keyboards ; keyboard sequencers David A. Stewart – guitars ; sequencers ; keyboards ; bass sequencer, drum computer program ; electric guitar, slide guitar ; six-stringed octave guitar

Additional musicians

Nathan East – bass Olle Romo – drums ; wood stomping Benmont Tench – organ Dave Plews – trumpet Martin Dobson – saxophones Dean Garcia – bass ; wood stomping Michael Kamen – strings ; celeste ; brass arrangement idea ; keyboard solo, string parts Stevie Wonder – harmonica Angel Cross – backing vocals The Charles Williams Singers – backing vocals ; gospel choir Adam Williams – drum computer program Sadie (and other uncredited performers) – gravel stomping Aretha Franklin – "super" vocals Stan Lynch – drums Mike Campbell – lead guitar Elvis Costello – harmony vocal

Technical David A. Stewart – production, mixing Adam Williams – mixing ; engineering Don Smith – special help ; engineering ; mixing ; additional engineering Jay Willis – engineering assistance Shelly Yakus – drum recording Stephen Marcussen – mastering

Artwork Laurence Stevens – art, design Paul Fortune – photography

Charts

Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for Be Yourself Tonight Chart (1985) Peakposition Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) 1 European Albums (Eurotipsheet) 5 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) 3 French Albums (IFOP) Select "EURYTHMICS" from the drop-down menu and click "OK". 20 Italian Albums (Musica e dischi) Select "Album" in the "Tipo" field, type "Be yourself tonight" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca". 18 Japanese Albums (Oricon) 44

Year-end charts + 1985 year-end chart performance for Be Yourself Tonight Chart (1985) Position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) 5 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM) 17 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) 16 European Albums (Eurotipsheet) 10 German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) 28 New Zealand Albums (RMNZ) 12 Norwegian Autumn Period Albums (VG-lista) 16 Norwegian Summer Period Albums (VG-lista) 6 UK Albums (Gallup) 15 US Billboard 200 54

+ 1986 year-end chart performance for Be Yourself Tonight Chart (1986) Position Australian Albums (Kent Music Report) 86 Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) 75 European Albums (Music & Media) 53 UK Albums (Gallup) 30

Certifications and sales

References

Bibliography

Further reading