No Middle of the Road in These Lyrics! (Greatest Hits - Eurythmics)

Member Name: QuinnElaine

Product:	Greatest Hits - Eurythmics
Date:	02/12/01 (229 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great lyrics, Great music, That fabulous voice!

Disadvantages: Could do without some of the songs on this list, Repetious lyrics could wear you down

Every song here has a beat that refuses to be ignored! This work is not only a great intro into this band's sound and style, it will keep you moving no matter what else is going on in the room. The striking and unique Annie Lennox has a voice that can shift through songs adamant, tender, derisive, gentle and wry as naturally as flames dancing in the wind.

I have been a fan of Eurythmics since they first swept into my sound space in the late eighties. I have loved and lost many of their albums over the years, but this is usually the one that ends up getting re-purchased the most, which is a sure sign of a good album. Let's take a look at the list...

Sweet Dreams:

Even if you haven't heard of Eurythmics, you probably know this song. Synthesizers, drums, backup and Annie's lilting voice...

"Sweet dreams are made of this and who am I to disagree?
I travel the world and the seven seas-- Everybody's looking for something.
Some of them want to use you. Some of them want to get used by you
Some of them want to abuse you. Some of them want to be abused..."

Simple but true, although it is probably a bit too repetitive for some listeners. However, the beat is undeniable. We all want something and somehow it always seems to lead back to how we want to be loved. From here we go to steady drums...

When Tomorrow Comes:

Some beautiful lyrics here...

"Underneath your dreamlit eyes shades of sleep have driven you away.
The moon is pale outside and you are far from here...
Breathing shifts your careless head, untroubled by the chaos of our lives.
Another day - Another night
Has taken you again, my dear.
And you know that I'm gonna be the one who'll be there
When you need someone to depend on when tomorrow comes..."

Love often seems the most euphoric when we contemplate our dear ones as they slumber in the moonlight. It ca
n seem a bit odd if you stop to think about it yet, how can you resist? All the cares of the world are smoothed from their face and in this idyllic moment you can see all that is best in the faces of those you love. Friend, lover, or child the sentiment still applies. A wise friend of mine once said, "I love my children best when they are asleep." I must say that I agree with her. It is this perfect moment of peace which still lures me into their rooms at night and I still stand in wonder at all that I see in their dreaming faces.

Here Comes the Rain Again:

Rain can mean many things. Sometimes it is seen as a renewal or the promise of hope, sometimes it conjures the image of sorrow and tears, some times it is just one more thing to go wrong on a bad day.

"Here comes the rain again, raining in my head like a tragedy, tearing me apart like a new emotion.
I want to breathe in the open wind, I want to kiss like lovers do,
I want to dive into your ocean. Is it raining with you?
So baby talk to me..."

It seems here that she is alluding to something in a relationship that keeps causing them pain. She sees the trouble coming in like a storm and yet she also seems to know that afterwards, the clouds may part and leave their love clean, fresh, and pure once. She is longing for the storm to be over, for the happiness to start again and she asks him so eloquently if he is feeling the same pain and wants the same resolution. Tears, talk, and rain are the most renewing things I can imagine.

Who's That Girl?:
Lyrics and music slide through the air in this song of confrontation and betrayal. Not the most fortunate song to follow Here Comes the Rain, but her vocals support the emotions of the lyrics flawlessly.

"The language of love Slips from my lover's tongue
Cooler than ice cream and warmer than the sun.
Dumb hearts get broken just like china cups.
The language of lo
ve has left me broken on the rocks.."

You hear all the fragile tenderness of a heart broken by lies and then music and voice speed up in the refrain to demand..

"But there's just one thing.. and I really want to know...
Who's that girl Running around with you?"

She has been wronged and her verdict is final.

"Your careless notions have silenced these emotions.
Look at the foolishness your lover's talk has done."

All of which segues nicely into

Would I Lie to You?:

"Would I lie to you? Would I lie to you honey?
Now would I say something that wasn't true?...
My friend know what's in store. I won't be here anymore.
I've packed my bags. I've cleaned the floor.
Watch me walkin', Walkin' out the door!"

His time is done and it's her time now. She seems to have no problem telling him just how things are. She rises above all his lies and tells him honestly that she's leaving and not to worry about her, she will be just fine. Hard truth but I believe her. I think she will be just fine.

The story these last two songs tell have a very lifelike feel that runs so nicely into the next song...

Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves:

This is probably one of the best pieces I have ever heard relating a strong woman's attitude. There is a difference between being a feminist and being a rabid feminist. You can be strong, take charge of your life, be true to yourself and not be overly defensive or hateful about it.
After all, you aren't doing any of this for anyone else or against anyone else. It is just they way things are. I can't help but see the image of Rosie the Riveter during this steady, insistent song.

"Sisters are doing it for themselves!
Standin' on their own two feet, and ringin' their own bells.
Sisters are doing it for themselve
s.
Now this is a song to celebrate the conscious liberation of the female state!
Mothers- daughters and their daughters too.
Woman to woman we're singin' with you....
We got doctors, lawyers, politicians too.
Everbody -take a look around...There's a woman right next to you."

Consider the following: Women won the right to vote just over eighty years ago in 1920. World War II forced women into many jobs that they wouldn't even have considered before and it forced the men that staid behind to accept them in those roles. In the 50's, women were still struggling to attain and accept these things within themselves as well and in the 60's and 70's we were calling for acceptance from others in an even louder voice. None of this was really so very long ago. Some women have pushed forward with all the terrifying zeal of religious fanatics, which has put off even other women from the whole topic. Extremes are generally bad things. The fact still remains that women are still searching both within themselves and from society for simple acceptance, and in all honesty this does not change who we are...

"Now we ain't makin' stories and we ain't layin' plans.
'Cause a man still loves a woman and a woman still loves a man."

As if to reinforce this reminder, this song is followed by..

There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart):

A light, simple tune sung with a joyful and tender voice.
Again, a bit repetitive but it is simply a song expressing the pure elation that fills you when you love someone.

"No one else on earth could make me feel like this.
I'm thrown and overblown with bliss.
There must be an angel playing with my heart."

Love is miraculous and makes us feel as though we have been lucky enough to reach the pinnacle of our being. That's all she really has to say here. Apparently, she has stoppe
d wondering Who that Girl was and we have followed her full circle. We can flip over to side two having confirmed that she is just fine.

Missionary Man:

A totally fun song with great beat. I have no idea why there is a “woman in the jungle and a monkey on a tree” and frankly I don’t want to know. This song just makes my mundane chores far more fun. I do, however, like and get most of the other lyrics.

“My mother told me good, My mother told me strong,
She said be true to yourself and you can’t go wrong.
But there is just one thing that you must understand,
You can fool with your brother but don‘t mess with a missionary man!....
...Well, the missionary man, he‘s got God on his side.
He’s got the saints and apostles backin’ up from behind.
Black eyed looks from those Bible books.
He‘s a man with a mission got a serious mind...”

Besides the obvious scathing look at organized religion, you can read plenty of other more mundane things into these lyrics.
For example, you could take the viewpoint that she is saying here that no one is perfect, and she herself is no more innocent than the next gal. Being true to yourself is always sound advice and it sounds to me as though her mother is also warning her that there is a big difference between having a fling or friendship with a casual kind of guy and a relationship with a guy who is serious. A guy who is serious and believes he knows exactly what he wants is a completely different story! He has a mission. Yeah, I would have to agree that a man with a mission can be a pretty dangerous thing.

Don’t Ask Me Why:

A darker song which speaks of a bad relationship out of the past, and someone else’s blindness and regrets. Some would think what she has to say to this fellow is rather harsh. I think the truth does hurt sometimes and honesty is a rare quality. Here, she
offers him only truth, bluntly telling him how things are and that she has no answers for him. He got himself where he is and he is the one who has to deal with it, not her.

She doesn’t sound exactly thrilled to see him, but it also sounds as though, for her, so much time has passed that there simply is no anger or pain left, just the memory of it all. When a woman has this kind of honesty and strength, she is often stereotyped and condemned for it. I wonder why? Aren’t these good qualities that everyone is supposed to aspire to?

“Miracle of miracles look what the night dragged in.
It’s a pocket full of misery and trouble on the wind.
You spoiled the best years of your life, you took them all in vain.
Now you think that you’re forgiven, but you can’t be born again
and you say Why? You say Why? ... Don’t ask me why...
...Now you’ve got no one to turn to
you’ve got no one but yourself, and you say Why?”

I Need a Man:

The best thing about this song is the Aretha Franklin quality to Annie’s singing. (Strangely enough, the music reminds me of Joan Jett.) She is just stating in no uncertain terms that she wants a man and she seems to know what she doesn‘t want...

“ I don’t need a heartbreaker, fifty-faced trouble maker, two timing time taker, dirty little money maker, muscle bound cheap skate, Low down woman hater, triple crossing double dater, Yella bellied alligator...
I don’t care if you won’t talk to me You know I’m not that kind of girl.
And I don’t care if you won’t walk with me, it don’t give me such a thrill.
And I don’t care about the way you look, you should know I’m not impressed.
‘Cause there’s just one thing I’m looking for and he don’t wear a dress.”

Well, what ever she does want, this guy sure isn&
#8217;t it! Unless this about the same guy in the last song, this tune seems a bit out of place here.

Love is a Stranger:

Here are some thoughts on love that you aren’t likely to find in those old Love Is... cartoons!

“Love is a stranger in an open car, to tempt you in and drive you far away...
Love is a danger of a different kind, to take you away and leave you far behind,
And love love love is a dangerous drug. You have to receive it
and you still can’t get enough get enough of the stuff.
It’s savage and it’s cruel, and it shines like destruction.
Comes in like the flood and it seems like religion.
It’s noble and it’s brutal. It distorts and deranges and it wrenches you up
and you’re left like a zombie...
It’s guilt edged, glamorous, and sleek by design.
You know it’s jealous by nature, false and unkind.
It’s hard and restrained and it’s totally cool.
It touches and it teases as you stumble in the debris...”

She captures so well the idea that no matter what love is like, there is no other force on earth quite like it. This is one of my favorites by this group. She really seems to have fun with this one.

Thorn in My Side:

I would rather see this song coupled with I Need a Man which would make a tidy trio with Don’t Ask Me Why. The title pretty much explains the song. Annie‘s voice seems to hover between regretful and chagrinned. The upbeat tune is a bit at odds with the lyrics but the saxophone really adds to the flavor. She sounds a lot happier when she sings of running (not walking!) away from him.

“ You gave me such a bad time, tried to hurt me, but now I know...
Thorn in my side, you know that’s all you ever were
A bundle of lies, You know that’s all that it was worth...”

The King and Queen of America:
This song seems t
o be about success and fame as well as the regrets such things can cause.

“’Cause we’re the all time winners in the all time loser’s game...
Yea it’s the king of nothing and the queen of rage
with a pile of confusion upon a glittering stage.
You know we never did anything to make ourselves feel proud...”

Success and fame can be very hollow things. Those who reach such heady pinnacles are often left wondering why they wanted to get there in the first place.

Angel:

This is the final song on the album and while it has a lovely lilting sound, the words are sad. She speaks eloquently of losing someone she believed in and loved, apparently to suicide.

“Well she’s gone to meet her maker. Back to where she came from
Come to save her soul... Come to save her soul... Come to take her home.
....My angel, fly over me, Angel...
She took her life within her hands. She took her life within her own two hands
And no one can tell her what to do now.”

For me, this is one of the flaws in this album. Most of the songs here deal with some aspect of love and this is valid as far as the theme may be concerned. However, I generally want the album to end on an up note. Depress me or make me cry, sure, but leave me on an up note! You can see a good example of this in 12 Deadly Cyns by Cyndi Lauper.

So, while most of the songs here are enjoyable etc, I don’t really care for the sequencing of the album as a whole. A bad ending can ruin a good book or movie for me and I guess the same holds true for albums as well. Thankfully, this isn’t a bad ending , just not the one I would prefer. More than anything else, her voice and some of these fantastic lyrics are what really make this work worth purchasing. A solid sampling of Eurythmics style, sound and lyrics. A good compilation album and easy to find.

Summary: