Be Yourself Tonight
Template:Short description Template:EngvarB Template:Use dmy dates {{safesubst:#invoke:Unsubst-infobox||$params=italic_title,name,type,longtype,artist,cover,border,alt,caption,released,recorded,venue,studio,genre,length,language,label,director,producer,compiler,chronology,prev_title,prev_year,year,next_title,next_year,misc|$extra=italic_title,longtype,border,caption,language,director,compiler,chronology,year,misc|$aliases=italic title>italic_title,Italic title>italic_title,Name>name,Type>type,image>cover,Cover>cover,Border>border,Alt>alt,Caption>caption,Longtype>longtype,Artist>artist,Released>released,Recorded>recorded,Venue>venue,Studio>studio,Genre>genre,Length>length,Language>language,Label>label,Director>director,Producer>producer,Compiler>compiler,Chronology>chronology,Misc>misc|$flags=override|$B={{#ifeq:{{#invoke:Is infobox in lead|main|[Ii]nfobox [Aa]lbum}}|true|{{#if:Template:Has short description | |{{#if: 29 April 1985 | Template:Short description}}}}}}{{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Category handlerTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox album with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y|italic_title |type |name |image |cover |border |alt |caption |longtype |artist |released |recorded |venue |studio |genre |length |language |label |director |producer |compiler |prev_title|prev_year|next_title|next_year|chronology|year|misc}}{{#if:{{#invoke:String|match|error_category=Music infoboxes with Module:String errors|A|1=1984 (For the Love of Big Brother)1984Revenge1986studioBe Yourself TonightEurythmics - Be Yourself Tonight.pngA photograph of Annie now wearing a jacket, seen with white hair. The name of the duo is seen in red scrolling vertically.Eurythmics29 April 1985November 1984 – January 1985 in Paris, Detroit and Los Angeles* New wave<ref name= "AllMusic"/>
- soul<ref name= "AllMusic"/>
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Be Yourself Tonight is the fourth studio album by British pop duo Eurythmics, released on 29 April 1985 by RCA Records.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 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".<ref name="Revisiting Be Yourself Tonight (1985)"/> 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.<ref name="Revisiting Be Yourself Tonight (1985)"/>
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.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Elsewhere, it reached the top ten in the United States, Switzerland and Germany.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>
It was nominated for the Billboard Music Award for Top Billboard 200 Album and Top Compact Disk Award at the 1985 Billboard Music Awards<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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.<ref name="Revisiting Be Yourself Tonight (1985)">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> 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”.<ref name="Revisiting Be Yourself Tonight (1985)"/>
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,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> and Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales in excess of one million copies.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Track listing
Template:Track listing Template: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.<ref>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>
Eurythmics
- Annie Lennox – vocals Template:Small; keyboards Template:Small; keyboard sequencers Template:Small
- David A. Stewart – guitars Template:Small; sequencers Template:Small; keyboards Template:Small; bass sequencer, drum computer program Template:Small; electric guitar, slide guitar Template:Small; six-stringed octave guitar Template:Small
Additional musicians
- Nathan East – bass Template:Small
- Olle Romo – drums Template:Small; wood stomping Template:Small
- Benmont Tench – organ Template:Small
- Dave Plews – trumpet Template:Small
- Martin Dobson – saxophones Template:Small
- Dean Garcia – bass Template:Small; wood stomping Template:Small
- Michael Kamen – strings Template:Small; celeste Template:Small; brass arrangement idea Template:Small; keyboard solo, string parts Template:Small
- Stevie Wonder – harmonica Template:Small
- Angel Cross – backing vocals Template:Small
- The Charles Williams Singers – backing vocals Template:Small; gospel choir Template:Small
- Adam Williams – drum computer program Template:Small
- Sadie (and other uncredited performers) – gravel stomping Template:Small
- Aretha Franklin – "super" vocals Template:Small
- Stan Lynch – drums Template:Small
- Mike Campbell – lead guitar Template:Small
- Elvis Costello – harmony vocal Template:Small
Technical
- David A. Stewart – production, mixing
- Adam Williams – mixing Template:Small; engineering Template:Small
- Don Smith – special help Template:Small; engineering Template:Small; mixing Template:Small; additional engineering Template:Small
- Jay Willis – engineering assistance Template:Small
- Shelly Yakus – drum recording Template:Small
- Stephen Marcussen – mastering
Artwork
- Laurence Stevens – art, design
- Paul Fortune – photography
Charts
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Weekly charts
| Chart (1985) | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
1 |
| European Albums (Eurotipsheet)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 5 | |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | 3 | |
| French Albums (IFOP)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}} Select "EURYTHMICS" from the drop-down menu and click "OK".</ref> |
20 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e dischi)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}} Select "Album" in the "Tipo" field, type "Be yourself tonight" in the "Titolo" field and press "cerca".</ref> |
18 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> | 44 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1985) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)Template:Sfn | 5 | |
| Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 17 | |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
16 |
| European Albums (Eurotipsheet)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 10 | |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
28 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
12 |
| Norwegian Autumn Period Albums (VG-lista)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
16 |
| Norwegian Summer Period Albums (VG-lista)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
6 |
| UK Albums (Gallup)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 15 | |
| US Billboard 200<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 54 |
| Chart (1986) | Position | |
|---|---|---|
| Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)Template:Sfn | 86 | |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> |
75 |
| European Albums (Music & Media)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 53 | |
| UK Albums (Gallup)<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> | 30 |
Certifications and sales
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