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It was 1985 when the duo Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart agreed to change a few items on the Eurythmics menu, which was rich, spicy, and enticing enough as it was. Until then, the all-pervasive synth had pretty much forged their trademark sound, and the very first trio of studio albums—In The Garden, Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This), Touch—was the complete attainment of a refined avant-garde pop that even looked towards underground-alternative scenes; if the "sweet dreams" were pounding on the glittering speakers around the globe (and still remain rather resistant to leaving their evergreen stronghold today), Who's That Girl? and Here Comes The Rain Again sought to temper the early inflation of the band's brand with artistically dreamy sounds and well-constructed, absolutely non-redundant ballad hints.
Having reached the creative peak of Touch, Lennox and her partner decided to take a nice vacation from the styles of their debut and post-debut, opting to embrace the mainstream rock cyclone at the height of its invasion of pop territory. It was the era of Springsteen-style wardrobes, and the cover of Be Yourself Tonight could only consecrate one of the quintessential trends of the mid-late '80s: Annie, fresh from the suited-androgyny of Sweet Dreams and the S&M look of Touch (which, in my opinion, was the only discordant note in a record knocking on the doors of perfection), was portrayed as rocking, catchy, and gritty in the classic leather jacket. That album, moreover, features one of the cult collaborations of the period, Sister Are Doin' It For Themselves, with the soul legend Aretha Franklin.
Revenge, released in 1986, could only dignifiedly continue the journey of its predecessor, the master of great duets, and so it did. Perfectly adapting to the radio-friendly pop-rock of international charts and blending it with the remnants of the initial synth-new wave trio, the Eurythmics offered a simple and catchy, poppish, and listenable work, probably less daring than much more "reactionary" pieces like the aforementioned Touch and the successor Savage (the only concept album—almost—of the Lennox-Stewart partnership, centered around the frustration of the comedic diva-housewife of Beethoven), but nevertheless perfect for representing the sounds and moods of a decade with long and wide facets.
This album has everything and more of the best '80s radio rock and, at first listen, it almost seems like the small ensemble is having fun (and joking) as they delve into a musical genre already tried in all its sauces (and the grunge myth was yet to explode...): from the country of Let's Go! to the (pseudo) r'n'r of Missionary Man, In This Town and When Tomorrow Comes, along with the dance hints of Take Your Pain Away, the soft-instrumental melancholy in I Remember You and the electronic-new wave reminiscences for The Last Time. An honorable mention, finally, for the classic tear-jerker ballad The Miracle Of Love and for the very simple folk-pop of Thorn In My Side.
Bridging the gap between experimentation and mainstream, avant-garde and trend, the Eurythmics remained faithful to the pop character of their proposals and did not seek to make pretentious anti-commercial and radical-chic claims. Even though it may be inferior to the electronic production of their glory days, the first pop-rock phase (the second and last of We Too Are One and Peace will definitively conclude the band's activity) of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart can only receive wide praise, if only for contributing to illustrating the "good" component of the Eighties, the one of light-heartedness still far from the ultra-profit claims of our days and the continuous reshuffling (and nullification) of achievements obtained without too many upheavals and exaggerations.
Eurythmics, Revenge
Missionary Man - Thorn In My Side - When Tomorrow Comes - The Last Time - The Miracle Of Love - Let's Go! - Take Your Pain Away - A Little Of You - In This Town - I Remember You
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Missionary Man (04:29)
Well I was born an original sinner.
I was borne from original sin.
And if I had a dollar bill
For all the things I've done
There'd be a mountain of money
Piled up to my chin...
My mother told me good
My mother told me strong.
She said "be true to yourself
And you can't go wrong."
"But there's just one thing
That you must understand."
"You can fool with your brother -
But don't mess with a missionary man."
Don't mess with a missionary man.
Don't mess with a missionary man.
Well the missionary man
He's got God in 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.
There was a woman in the jungle
And a monkey on a tree.
The missionary man he was followin' me.
He said "stop what you're doing."
"Get down upon your knees."
"I've a message for you that you better believe."
(Chorus repeats...)
02 Thorn in My Side (04:14)
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...
I should have known better
But I trusted you at first.
I should have known better
But I got what I deserved...
To run away from you
Was all that I could do.
To run away from you
Was all that I could do.
Thorn in my side.
You know that's all you'll ever be.
So don't think you know better
'Cause that's what you mean to me...
I was feeling complicated.
I was feeling low.
Now everytime I think of you
I shiver to the bone...
[Chorus repeats...]
04 The Last Time (04:14)
Well the first time that I saw you
You were standing in the rain.
You were waiting at the station
For the last connecting train.
Well - who will you go to
When there's no-one to betray?
And I said - who will you go to
When your best friend turns away?
Hey hey...
Last time you're gonna let me down.
Last time you're gonna
Fool around with me...
There's a garden full of roses,
There's a necklace full of pearls.
You have come to take the roses
To give to other girls.
Well - I am just a pretty thing
You wanted for a day.
There is nothing left between us
There is nothing left to say...
Hey hey...
People like you
Can be so mean.
People like you
Just don't come clean.
Last time you're gonna let me down.
Last time you're gonna
Fool around with me...
07 Take Your Pain Away (04:36)
If I could find a way
To soothe your troubled mind
Then I would erase your fears
And help you to unwind.
I would ease the burden
That you carry everyday.
Oh - don't you know I'd find a cure
And take your pain away.
Take your pain away
Take your pain away...
And even though you're far from here
Don't forget I'm always near.
Find comfort in these words I send
In this cold world.
Take your pain away
Take your pain away...
For every aching heart
For every broken soul...
So give up your worries
They'll only do you harm.
There is no need to be concerned
It's just a false alarm.
Take your pain away
Take your pain away...
08 A Little of You (03:56)
There used to be a time
I wore my heart upon my sleeve.
There used to be a time
I'd show my gentle side to anyone
Through these years of wandering
I know I've been deceived.
Through these years of wandering...
And everytime you try to hurt me
You know you'll only hurt yourself.
And everytime you try to hurt me
I know you'll be the one to suffer
When you think you're hurting someone.
A little of you - a little of me -
A little of you -
Is hurting someone -
Don't tell me I'm the only one
'Cause I don't need that space.
Don't ask for love
I'll throw it back in your face.
All of these promises
Were only made to break.
All of these promises...
A little of you - a little of me -
A little of you -
Is hurting someone -
09 In This Town (03:43)
I could be anywhere else but here
But the rain won't let me go.
There's a photograph
Hanging on my wall
Of a place I've never been to...
I'll never make the grade
(Feels like Sunday everyday)
And I can't stop the rain
(Feels like Sunday everyday)
What do the papers say?
(Feels like Sunday everyday)
Get up and go now!
In this town - something's gotta change.
In this town - something's gotta change.
I'm looking at the world -
Looking for a scene -
Waiting for a day -
Filling in time like I'm digging
My own grave...
I'll never make the grade
(Feels like Sunday everyday)
And I can't stop the rain
(Feels like Sunday everyday)
What do the papers say?
(Feels like Sunday everyday)
Get up and go now!
In this town - something's gotta change.
In this town - something's gotta change.
In this town - something's gotta change.
In this town - something's gotta change.
10 I Remember You (05:02)
Well there's a colour picture
In my mind.
Of all the places
That I've left behind.
The broken windows
Where the wind blows through
Empty shells of houses
That have turned to ruin.
Oh - we were so young.
We didn't realise
Just what we'd done.
Oh - we were too young.
And I remember you.
You were the back yard boy.
Hiding in the wreckage
Of broken dreams.
Standing by the railway line.
Standing.
Oh - we were so young.
We didn't realise
Just what we'd done.
Oh - we were too young.
And all the sweetness
Has been taken out of this place.
So many memories
Are knocked down or replaced.
And I can't stand to see
The shifting time
Taking me further -
Leaving you behind.
Oh - we were so young.
We didn't realise
Just what we'd done.
Oh - we were too young.
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