Fem-Two, As in Muse-ik

Kind of looks like Furiosa, doesn't she?

This album was one of the first I ever purchased that wasn't Duran Duran or a Smurf album. (Strange fact, my very first album was Styx, 'Use your Illusion'. Short story--I have no idea why I bought it. I was six and I think I wanted to buy something grown-up with my first allowance.)

I bought 'Touch' because of "Here Comes the Rain Again." It was this beautiful, painful song about unrequited desire that spoke to me. At the time, I assumed Annie Lennox was 'just' a singer. I thought Dave Stewart was the brains behind the whole outfit. Now I know Eurythmics  ( It means: a system of training through movement to music.) would not be the unique animal it is without her. She's an equal and appreciated partner in the duo.

If you watch her musical partner in interviews explain lyrics, Dave Stewart will say things like, "It was just something Annie needed to express at the time and it really shaped the album." I have to give kudos to Stewart for putting ego aside and allowing Annie to do the thing that makes them great together. Not every man is that laid back. That's why they made brilliant music for over thirty years. He`s a musical genius, she`s a lyrical mastermind who is exceptional at using her voice.

My enlightenment occurred while listening to my favorite song of theirs, Beethoven (I love to)
It's a cool video too. See here:Beethoven (I Love to)

I loved that song because of the emotion it invoked.  When I'm stressed out at work, I hear it in my head, and I feel her tension. Then, after years of playing that song, a single lyric slapped me in the face..I was just thinking of something SLEEK, to wrap around my tender throat. 

I thought, "Ohhh. That's RAW." Lyrics about fantasizing about suicide isn't what amazed me.  As she says herself, it's "Something extreme." It's the fact that she said it. She went there without apology. She came right out and said it, and doesn't care if anyone heard her.

I love Annie because #1: She's amazingly talented. Anyone who has ever heard her voice knows she's got a perfect sound and great range. But seriously listen to her voice. It's more than perfect tone. It's truly an instrument. If you have any doubt, listen to this:Sex Crime

It was about the George Orwell novel, 1984. Listen to the many different ways she uses her voice.  Right from 'HAI!" To 'Doopa-doopa-doo-booboop'. She likes to use her vocals to create different effects. (And sometimes with Mr. Stewart's help.)

Number Two: Annie is unique. She once said in an interview. "You can't define me by the way I dress."  In Annie Lennox's career, I've seen her as a man, an angelic waif, a housewife, a slut. Like how she felt here: I Need a Man Plus many more. It depends on her mood. I LOVE how she dons any character she feels like. Which brings me to the number three reason why I love Annie Lennox.

Number Three: Annie is emotional, and she doesn't care that everyone knows it. Remember that bit where I said her lyrics are what makes the Eurythmics great? Yeah, it's because she isn't afraid to tell you she's feeling hurt, pissed off, happy, liberated or lonely. She's made a successful career out of it. She's 'used that weapon against us'. And I really admire it. In a world where women are belittled and shunned for expressing themselves, Annie Lennox never made apologies.

This is why Annie Lennox is Fem-Muse#2.