Medusa | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | 6 March 1995 | |||
Studio | The Aquarium (London) | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 47:11 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Producer | Stephen Lipson | |||
Annie Lennox chronology | ||||
| ||||
Singles from Medusa | ||||
|
Medusa is the second solo studio album by Scottish singer Annie Lennox, released on 6 March 1995 by RCA Records. It consists entirely of cover songs. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number one and peaked in the United States at number 11, spending 60 weeks on the Billboard 200. It has since achieved double platinum status in both the United Kingdom and the United States. [1] [2] As of 2018, Medusa had sold over six million copies worldwide. [3]
The album was nominated for Best Pop Album at the Grammy Awards of 1996. Lennox won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance award for her work on the first single released from Medusa, "No More 'I Love You's'" which was released in February 1995 to critical acclaim. Entering the UK Singles Charts at number two, the single is Lennox's highest-charting single in the United Kingdom to date. A further three singles were released during 1995 – "A Whiter Shade of Pale", "Waiting in Vain" and "Something So Right".
Like her debut solo album Diva, Lennox once again worked with record producer Stephen Lipson on Medusa. [3] Four tracks that Lennox recorded for Medusa and were ultimately cut from the album's final take were released elsewhere. B-sides releases include a version of “Heaven,” originally by The Psychedelic Furs, a recording of Joni Mitchell’s “Ladies of the Canyon,” and a cover of Blondie’s “(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear”. Lennox also recorded a version of The Sugarcubes’ “Mama,” which was included on the 1995 all-female compilation Ain’t Nothin’ But a She Thing. [4]
Lennox explains the origins of the album in the liner notes:
This album contains a selection of songs I have been drawn to for all kinds of reasons. They were not chosen with any particular theme or concept in mind—the method was more by instinct than by design. The work undertaken was truly a labour of love for me and I feel privileged to have been given this opportunity. [5]
Regarding Medusa and the nature of its cover versions, Metro Weekly claimed that "cover albums are notoriously hit and miss; even the best artists can sometimes stumble when straying from their original material and trying to reinvent somebody else’s. Lennox is a masterful interpreter of other artists’ tunes, getting to the heart of the songs and delivering one stunning vocal performance after another. Lennox imbues each of these songs her own distinct flavor. Even though the songs come from different eras and there is a vast stylistic diversity, the album is tightly cohesive." [4]
Medusa was released in March 1995 and became a "substantial hit" for Lennox, with music commentators claiming that the album was a "worthy successor" to her debut solo album, Diva which was released in 1992. [4] Whilst Medusa did not match the acclaim and success that Diva achieved, the album was still well received, becoming a substantial commercial success. It reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and in Canada, and reached number eleven on the US Billboard 200 charts, achieving double-platinum in all three countries. Medusa was a Top 10 album over Europe and in other parts of the world. Both “No More 'I Love You's'” and “Whiter Shade of Pale” were included on Lennox's 2009 greatest hits album The Annie Lennox Collection . [4] Despite not achieving the same success as predecessor Diva, Spectrum Culture magazine claimed that "Medusa is arguably a better album than Diva, being as it is a sonically unified celebration of great songs, and it surpassed Diva sales-wise to be the Annie Lennox album most likely seen on any given shelf". [6] As of 2018, Medusa had sold over six million copies worldwide. [3]
The album yielded four singles in the United Kingdom: "No More 'I Love You's'" (which entered the UK Singles Chart at number 2, becoming Lennox's highest-peaking solo single), "A Whiter Shade of Pale", "Waiting in Vain" and "Something So Right". Metro Weekly claimed that "The Lover Speaks’ recording of “No More 'I Love You's'” did no more than graze the lower reaches of the pop chart, and was soon forgotten" until Lennox recorded and released the track as a single, claiming that the songs "idiosyncrasies play right into her [Lennox] strengths. Lennox and producer Stephen Lipson turn the inventive composition into a piece of epic grandeur, with Lennox delivering a dazzling vocal performance, arguably the finest of her career." [4] "No More 'I Love You's'" was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video, and Lennox, at the 1995 Grammy Awards won the award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the song. [4]
Citing the poor success of the three singles in the American music market that followed "No More 'I Love You's'", Metro Weekly argued that Lennox may have achieved considerably more success in the singles markets "if she’d released a couple of the catchier up-tempo tracks instead of all ballads". [4]
The album was nominated for Best Pop Album at the Grammy Awards of 1996, losing to Turbulent Indigo by Joni Mitchell. Lennox took home the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance award for her work on the first single "No More 'I Love You's'". This album was re-released in late 1995 in a double jewel case containing the album Medusa and a nine-track bonus CD featuring the studio version of Paul Simon's "Something So Right" (with Simon guesting on vocals and guitar) and eight tracks recorded live from the concert in Central Park: "Money Can't Buy It", "Legend in My Living Room", the Eurythmics singles "Who's That Girl?", "You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart" and "Here Comes the Rain Again", along with "Why", "Little Bird" and "Walking on Broken Glass".
Medusa has sold over 6 million copies worldwide as of 2018, and achieved double platinum certification in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Medusa spent 60 weeks in the US Billboard 200 charts. Lead single "No More 'I Love You's'" won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 1996 Grammy Awards and was nominated for Best British Single at the 1996 Brit Awards. Despite missing out on the award for Best British Single, Lennox won the award for Best British Female for the second time. [3]
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [7] |
Entertainment Weekly | C− [8] |
Knoxville News Sentinel | [9] |
Los Angeles Times | [10] |
Music Week | [11] |
The New York Times | (mixed) [12] |
Rolling Stone | [13] |
Professional reviews for Medusa were mixed, ranging from favourable to outright hostile. AllMusic notes that critics "savaged" [14] the album upon release: Trouser Press was probably the most severe in its criticism, characterising Lennox's interpretations of classic material as "obvious", "milquetoast" and "willfully wrongheaded". Reviewer Ira Robbins did single out the track "No More 'I Love You's'" for genuine, if backhanded, praise: "The only song here that benefits from her ministrations is 'No More 'I Love You's' ', a minor 1986 hit for Britain's otherwise forgotten The Lover Speaks, and that's only by dint of the original's obscurity." [15]
Meanwhile, Rolling Stone gave the album a more favourable, though still mixed review:
Annie Lennox called her justifiably popular solo debut Diva , but it's actually on the follow-up effort Medusa that she really starts acting like one. This wildly uneven album of cover versions starts with perhaps its highest point — a truly wonderful interpretation of "No More 'I Love You's'", a relatively obscure British hit by the Lover Speaks. Unfortunately, Lennox doesn't work the same magic with more familiar material like Al Green's "Take Me to the River" and Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale". [16]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "No More 'I Love You's'" | The Lover Speaks | 4:51 | |
2. | "Take Me to the River" | Al Green | 3:31 | |
3. | "A Whiter Shade of Pale" | Procol Harum | 5:17 | |
4. | "Don't Let It Bring You Down" | Neil Young | Neil Young | 3:36 |
5. | "Train in Vain" | The Clash | 4:38 | |
6. | "I Can't Get Next to You" | The Temptations | 3:09 | |
7. | "Downtown Lights" | Paul Buchanan | The Blue Nile | 6:42 |
8. | "Thin Line Between Love and Hate" |
| The Persuaders | 4:53 |
9. | "Waiting in Vain" | Bob Marley | Bob Marley and the Wailers | 5:40 |
10. | "Something So Right" | Paul Simon | Paul Simon | 3:54 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Original artist(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|---|
11. | "Heaven" | The Psychedelic Furs | 4:57 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Money Can't Buy It" | Annie Lennox | 4:45 |
2. | "Legend in My Living Room" |
| 3:48 |
3. | "Who's That Girl?" |
| 4:44 |
4. | "You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart" |
| 5:19 |
5. | "Little Bird" | Lennox | 5:27 |
6. | "Walking on Broken Glass" | Lennox | 4:01 |
7. | "Here Comes the Rain Again" |
| 5:59 |
8. | "Why" | Lennox | 5:17 |
9. | "Something So Right" (studio version) (featuring Paul Simon) | Simon | 3:50 |
Credits adapted from the liner notes of Medusa. [5]
Although no tour was held to promote this album, Lennox played a one-off concert in Central Park in New York City on 9 September 1995. This was subsequently released on videotape as Annie Lennox in the Park and on DVD as Annie Lennox Live in Central Park.
Promotional video clips
Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
---|---|---|---|
1996 [17] | Medusa | Best Pop Vocal Album | Nominated |
"No More I Love You's" | Best Pop Vocal Performance – Female | Won |
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
}
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Argentina (CAPIF) [51] | Gold | 30,000^ |
Australia (ARIA) [52] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Austria (IFPI Austria) [53] | Gold | 25,000* |
Canada (Music Canada) [54] | 2× Platinum | 200,000^ |
France (SNEP) [55] | Gold | 100,000* |
Germany (BVMI) [56] | Gold | 250,000^ |
Ireland (IRMA) [57] | 2× Platinum | 30,000^ |
Italy (FIMI) [57] | Gold | 50,000* |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [58] | Gold | 25,000* |
Poland (ZPAV) [59] | Gold | 50,000* |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [60] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Sweden (GLF) [61] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland) [62] | Gold | 25,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [1] | 2× Platinum | 600,000^ |
United States (RIAA) [2] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000^ |
Summaries | ||
Europe (IFPI) [63] | 2× Platinum | 2,000,000* |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
Ann Lennox is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving moderate success in the late 1970s as part of the new wave band the Tourists, she and fellow musician Dave Stewart went on to achieve international success in the 1980s as Eurythmics. Appearing in the 1983 music video for "Sweet Dreams " with orange cropped hair and wearing a man's lounge suit, the BBC wrote, "all eyes were on Annie Lennox, the singer whose powerful androgynous look defied the male gaze". Subsequent hits with Eurythmics include "There Must Be an Angel ", "Love Is a Stranger" and "Here Comes the Rain Again".
Human Touch is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Bruce Springsteen. The album was released on March 31, 1992, the same day as Lucky Town. It was the more popular of the two, peaking at number two on the US Billboard 200 chart, and lead single "Human Touch" peaking at number one on the Mainstream Rock and number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. "Human Touch" has since Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for over one million copies sold in the US, and was nominated for Best Rock Vocal Performance at the 1993 Grammy Awards.
Reload is the 34th album by Tom Jones, released in 1999. It contains 15 duets with a range of artists including Van Morrison, Cerys Matthews, Stereophonics, Robbie Williams, and Portishead, recorded with their usual record producers and in their usual studios. The tracks are mainly cover versions, with a new version of one of Jones' own songs, "Looking Out My Window" (1968), and one original track, "Sex Bomb".
Portishead is the self-titled second studio album by the English electronic music group Portishead, released on 29 September 1997 by Go! Discs. The album cover is a still image from the music video of the song "All Mine".
In Blue is the third studio album by Irish pop rock band the Corrs, released in 2000 which saw the band become known in the United States. The title of the album comes from a lyric in the song "Give Me a Reason". As well as the UK number one single "Breathless", the album also contains new versions of "Radio" and "At Your Side", which had appeared on their previous album The Corrs Unplugged. Mutt Lange co-wrote and produced three songs from the album.
The Colour of My Love is the twelfth studio album and third English-language album by Canadian singer Celine Dion. It was released by Sony Music on 9 November 1993. The songs were produced mainly by David Foster, Ric Wake, Walter Afanasieff, Christopher Neil and Guy Roche, and four of them were written by Diane Warren. The album features cover versions of "The Power of Love" and "When I Fall in Love".
Culture Beat is a German Eurodance project formed in 1989 by Torsten Fenslau. The act has gone through a number of lineup changes over the years; they achieved the most success whilst fronted by singer Tania Evans and rapper Jay Supreme. Their 1993 single "Mr. Vain" was a number-one hit in eleven European countries, and the act claims to have sold more than 10 million records worldwide.
Be Yourself Tonight is the fourth studio album by British pop duo Eurythmics, released on 29 April 1985 by RCA Records.
Revenge is the fifth studio album by British pop duo Eurythmics, released on 29 June 1986 by RCA Records in the United Kingdom and on 14 July in the United States. Following on from their previous album, Be Yourself Tonight, Revenge continued further in this direction as the duo embraced a more "rock band" style. The album spawned four singles and was a commercial success. The fourth and final single, "Missionary Man", won the 1987 Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. Its release was supported by an extensive world tour. A 1987 concert from the Australian leg of the tour was also released on home video as Eurythmics Live.
Savage is the sixth studio album by British pop duo Eurythmics, released on 9 November 1987 by RCA Records.
We Too Are One is the seventh studio album by British pop duo Eurythmics, released on 11 September 1989 by RCA Records. It would be the duo's last studio release until 1999's Peace.
Peace is the eighth studio album by British pop duo Eurythmics, released on 19 October 1999 by RCA Records. It was the band's first album of new material in 10 years, following 1989's We Too Are One.
No More Drama is the fifth studio album by American singer Mary J. Blige, released on August 28, 2001, by MCA Records.
Greatest Hits is a greatest hits album by British pop duo Eurythmics, released on 18 March 1991 by RCA Records. It contains their successful singles spanning the years 1982 through 1990. The album topped the charts in the United Kingdom for a total of 10 weeks, in New Zealand for eight weeks and in Australia for seven weeks. It remains the duo's best-selling album worldwide and has been certified six-times platinum in the United Kingdom and triple platinum in the United States. Phil Sutcliffe in Q Magazine noted that "this compilation portrays, for once, a band accorded precise justice by the singles charts".
Diva is the debut solo studio album by Scottish singer Annie Lennox, released on 6 April 1992 by RCA Records. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number one and has since sold over 1.2 million copies in the UK alone, being certified quadruple platinum. Diva was the 7th best selling album of 1992 in the United Kingdom. In the United States, it reached number 23 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified double platinum.
Bare is the third solo studio album by Scottish singer Annie Lennox, released in Europe on 5 June 2003 by 19 Recordings and RCA Records and in North America on 10 June 2003 by J Records. It peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart and number four on the US Billboard 200. The album has been certified Gold in both the UK and the US and was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album at the 46th Grammy Awards.
"No More 'I Love You's'" is a song written by British musicians David Freeman and Joseph Hughes and recorded by them as the Lover Speaks. It was released in June 1986 as the lead single from their self-titled debut album. The song was covered by the Scottish singer Annie Lennox and became a commercial success for her in 1995, reaching number two on the UK Singles Chart.
The Annie Lennox Collection is the first greatest hits album by Scottish singer-songwriter Annie Lennox. It was released on 17 February 2009 and contains two brand-new songs, "Shining Light", originally a song by Ash, and a cover version of Keane's B-side "Closer Now", retitled "Pattern of My Life". The artwork was shot by Canadian rock singer Bryan Adams.
This article is the discography of the Scottish pop and rock singer-songwriter Annie Lennox. After a decade of major international success as part of Eurythmics, Lennox began her solo career in earnest in 1992 with the release of her first album Diva, which produced several hit singles including "Why" and "Walking on Broken Glass". The same year, she performed "Love Song for a Vampire" for Bram Stoker's Dracula. To date, she has released six solo studio albums, three of them being covers albums and a compilation album, The Annie Lennox Collection (2009).
Nostalgia is the sixth solo studio album by Scottish singer-songwriter Annie Lennox. It was released on 30 September 2014 by Island Records. It was Lennox's first album in four years, and her third album of covers. The album consists entirely of cover versions, mainly of compositions from the Great American Songbook originally written in the 1930s; two compositions initially date from the 1950s. The material was researched and learned by Lennox as she studied archival footage uploaded to YouTube.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)