Born On This Day- December 25th... Annie Lennox

We were prodigious fans of Eurythmics in the 1980s. The duo was a tremendous part of the soundtrack of our lives in that decade. When we finally saw Eurythmics live in concert in 1985, I was struck at the unworldliness of Annie Lennox's voice, which I had erroneously credited to studio embellishment. I mean, I didn't understand that a human being could make that sound.

Here comes the rain again: Annie Lennox & I have always found the world a melancholy place. Lennox & I were born somehow old & pensive & just a tad more than a week apart. All her pain was poured into her songs. I gasped at the intensity projected in that powerful, luscious voice, but I feared for her sanity & my sanity as well. She is My Diva & one of my favorite artists ever.

Her next door neighbor- Sting insists she has a light side, & she hates being seen as a tragic figure, but she's conscious that crusading on behalf of HIV related causes doesn't lighten her image.  Lennox: "There's nothing worse than someone who takes themselves terribly seriously. I want to avoid becoming a parody. Maybe I am already & I don't know it."

I believe her to be a person of conviction and passion she is as genuine as they get. All her solo works find the darkness & pull light from it anyway. They doesn’t deny despair, but they don’t suggest there’s nothing else. Lennox's videos are works of art, but I have chosen a live performance for your consideration: