Be Yourself Tonight

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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.

BackgroundEdit

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 promotionEdit

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 performanceEdit

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 listingEdit

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NotesEdit

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.

PersonnelEdit

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Be Yourself Tonight.<ref>Template:Cite AV media notes</ref>

EurythmicsEdit

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 musiciansEdit

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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

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TechnicalEdit

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

ArtworkEdit

Laurence Stevens – art, design
Paul Fortune – photography

ChartsEdit

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Weekly chartsEdit

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Weekly chart performance for *Be Yourself Tonight*
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

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Year-end chartsEdit

1985 year-end chart performance for *Be Yourself Tonight*
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

1986 year-end chart performance for *Be Yourself Tonight*
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