Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (album)

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For the single, see Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This).
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
File:TheEurythmicsSweetDreams(AreMadeofThis).jpg
Studio album by Eurythmics
Released 4 January 1983
Recorded February–September 1982
Genre Synthpop, new wave, electronica
Length 41:59
Label RCA
Producer David A. Stewart, Adam Williams, Robert Crash
Eurythmics chronology
In the Garden
(1981)In the Garden1981		 Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
(1983)		 Touch
(1983)Touch1983
Singles from
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)
  1. "This Is the House"
    Released: 2 April 1982
  2. "The Walk"
    Released: 18 June 1982
  3. "Love Is a Stranger"
    Released: 8 November 1982
  4. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"
    Released: 21 January 1983
Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 4.5/5 stars[1]
Robert Christgau (B)[2]
Smash Hits 6/10[3]

Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) (where the Roland Juno 6 and Roland Juno-60 patches were heard) is the second studio album by British new wave duo Eurythmics, released by RCA Records on 4 January 1983.

Background and release

Release and popularity

After almost two years of initial commercial failure for Eurythmics, this album became a commercial breakthrough for the duo on both sides of the Atlantic. The title track became particularly popular and it remains one of Eurythmics' most recognisable songs, and its music video, popular on MTV in the United States, is memorable for Annie Lennox's gender-bending imagery. In the wake of this success, the single "Love Is a Stranger", previously a flop, was re-released and became a hit as well. It too was accompanied by a striking video, which featured Lennox dressed both as a man and a woman.

The album was re-released in 2005 with the rest of the Eurythmics' studio catalogue (excluding the 1984 (For the Love of Big Brother) album, to which Virgin Records holds the rights). The recordings were remastered and added several bonus tracks to each of eight albums. Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), specifically, received six bonus tracks.

Recording

Dave Stewart, together with Robert Crash and ex-The Selecter bassist Adam Williams, produced the album in Eurythmics' own relatively primitive 8-track studio, winning awards for the quality of the end-result which belied its low-budget origins. Sweet Dreams saw the duo move away from the psychedelic, guitar-tinged band-oriented sound of their 1981 debut album In the Garden, instead focusing on raw analogue synthesizers (including the Oberheim OB1 and EDP Wasp) and drum machines (particularly the Movement Systems Drum Computer, which featured a graphic visual display of the drum patterns). Whilst the "synthpop" genre had grown in popularity in the preceding years, it was often associated with all male groups and somewhat clinical, emotionless music. Eurythmics (particularly with Lennox's vocal stylings) brought a soul music twist to the electronic sound, which proved popular with broader audiences.

Early Australian, German and US CD releases (printed in Japan) and the 2005 reissue version of this album have a slightly longer version of "This City Never Sleeps". The length of 6:41 is due to some mixed sound effects and a backmasked message by David A. Stewart saying, "I enjoyed making that there record. Very good, very good" that total 21 seconds. This message also appears on original UK vinyl pressings.

During 1982, Eurythmics recorded many tracks which ended up as B-sides of other singles or alternative versions of other songs. Tracks such as "Step on the Beast", "Invisible Hands", "Dr. Trash", or the alternative versions of "The Walk" or "I Could Give You (A Mirror)" have not been released on CD yet and any future plans for re-release are at this time unknown, However, these tracks can now be heard through YouTube.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart, except "Wrap It Up" by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, and "Satellite of Love" by Lou Reed. 

No. Title Length
1. "Love Is a Stranger"   3:43
2. "I've Got an Angel"   2:45
3. "Wrap It Up" (featuring Green Gartside) 3:33
4. "I Could Give You (A Mirror)"   3:51
5. "The Walk"   4:40
6. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)"   3:36
7. "Jennifer"   5:06
8. "This Is the House"   4:56
9. "Somebody Told Me"   3:29
10. "This City Never Sleeps"   6:33
2005 Special edition bonus tracks
No. Title Length
11. "Home Is Where the Heart Is"   3:03
12. "Monkey Monkey"   4:14
13. "Baby's Gone Blue"   5:15
14. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (Hot Remix) 5:17
15. "Love Is a Stranger" (Coldcut Remix) 7:18
16. "Satellite of Love"   4:37

Personnel

Additional personnel

Note: musician credits are not printed on the album sleeve, however some additional info can be gained from the sleeves of the Touch album and "This is the House" single.

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Sales/shipments
Canada (Music Canada)[20] 2× Platinum 200,000
Germany (BVMI)[21] Gold 250,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[22] Platinum 300,000
United States (RIAA)[23] Gold 500,000

^shipments figures based on certification alone

References

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External links

  1. ↑ Allmusic review
  2. ↑ Robert Christgau review
  3. ↑ Hepworth, David. "Albums". Smash Hits (20 January – 3 February 1983): 17.
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  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Album, then click SEARCH
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