"The Walk" | ||||
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Single by Eurythmics | ||||
from the album Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 18 June 1982 | |||
Recorded | 1981 | |||
Genre | New wave, synthpop | |||
Length | 3:38 (single version) 4:40 (album version) | |||
Label | RCA Records | |||
Songwriter(s) | Annie Lennox, David A. Stewart | |||
Producer(s) | David A. Stewart, Adam Williams | |||
Eurythmics singles chronology | ||||
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Audio | ||||
"The Walk (Remastered Version)" on YouTube |
"The Walk" is a 1982 song by the British new wave duo Eurythmics. It was the band's fourth single, and was included on their second album Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) .
Produced by band member David A. Stewart and Adam Williams (ex-bassist of The Selecter), the track was recorded at Eurythmics' own 8-track home studio. As with their previous three singles, it was commercially unsuccessful, though it was included on the band's platinum-selling second album Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This) in 1983.
Several variations of the track have been released. The original 7" single featured "The Walk" (single version) and "The Walk" (part 2), whereas the 12" version included what would become the album version of the track. A fourth version, entitled "Let's Just Close Our Eyes", was released on the 12" of the band's next single "Love Is A Stranger".
For many years, most fans were unaware that a music video had been produced for The Walk until it was released online in the early 2000s. The video, directed by Marek Budzynski, largely consists of shots of Annie Lennox (wearing a long black wig) performing to camera whilst Dave Stewart sits in the corner of a darkened room reading a newspaper. The video was produced by Julian Cole and edited by Sophie Muller, later to become a successful music video director herself. All were, at the time, first year students at the London College of Art where they met Dave and Annie via a mutual friend. The total budget for the video was £1000. The original negative and print copy quickly went missing after the single failed to achieve chart success whilst the BBC did not retain a telecine copy. The only surviving print was kept by Marek Budzynski himself, later remastered by a YouTube channel called Sterovideosubscriber and re-released online in 2017.
The website Eurythmics Video Visionaries interviewed Marek Budzynski in 2007 who revealed that the video was shot "at a carpenter friend of Dave and Annie's who had a courtyard outside" and that the duo and their manager were largely responsible for the concept of the video.
The 7" and 12" releases of the single contain several B-side tracks, none of which have been released elsewhere. They were omitted from Sony BMG's remastering of Eurythmics' back catalogue in 2005 and remain unavailable on CD. "Invisible Hands" had been the working title for what became the group's Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) album, but in the end the track was dropped from the album altogether. "Dr. Trash" was written solely by Adam Williams, thus becoming one of the few Eurythmics' recordings not to be written by Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart.
Upon its release, Robbi Millar of Sounds noted the "subtle Sixties atmosphere", "lashings of bright, brassy horns" and Lennox's "arresting voice". She concluded, "The result is powerful and proud." [1] Simon Mares of the Reading Evening Post commented, "Eurythmics are on the right path with 'The Walk', which has an intriguing combination of horns and synthesisers, but despite Annie Lennox's vocals, they are not quite there yet." [2]
UK: RCA 230
Side one
Side two
UK: RCAT 230
Side one
Side two
Eurythmics were a British new wave duo formed in 1980, consisting of Scottish vocalist Annie Lennox and English musician and producer Dave Stewart. They were both previously in the Tourists, a band that broke up in 1980. They released their first studio album, In the Garden, in 1981 to little success, but achieved global acclaim with their second album, Sweet Dreams (1983). The title track became a worldwide hit, reaching number two in the UK Singles Chart, and number one in Canada and the US Billboard Hot 100. Eurythmics went on to release a string of hit singles and albums, including "Love Is a Stranger", "There Must Be an Angel " and "Here Comes the Rain Again", before splitting in 1990.
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) is the second studio album by British pop duo Eurythmics, released on 4 January 1983 by RCA Records. Along with the title track, which reached number two on the UK Singles Chart and number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 that year, the album also features the singles "This Is the House", "The Walk", and "Love Is a Stranger".
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".
In the Garden is the debut studio album by the British new wave duo Eurythmics. It was released on 2 October 1981 by RCA Records.
"Never Gonna Cry Again" is the debut single by the British new wave duo Eurythmics, released in 1981. It was taken from their debut album In the Garden. Co-produced by krautrock producer Conny Plank, the track also featured two members of the krautrock band Can. The sleeve design of the single features a picture of Annie Lennox.
"Belinda" is a 1981 music recording by the British new wave duo Eurythmics. It was the band's second single, and the second of two singles to be taken from their debut album In the Garden. The song was co-produced by Conny Plank and featured Robert Görl of D.A.F. and members of Can.
"This Is the House" is a 1982 song by the British new wave duo Eurythmics. It was their third single, and was included on the band's second album Sweet Dreams .
"Love Is a Stranger" is a song by the British pop duo Eurythmics. It is the opening track off their second album, Sweet Dreams . Originally released in late 1982, the single peaked outside the top 50 in the UK, but it was re-released in 1983, reaching the top 20 in several countries, including number six in the UK. The single was re-released again in 1991, to promote Eurythmics' Greatest Hits album.
"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" is a song by British synth-pop duo Eurythmics. It was released as the fourth and final single from their second album of the same name in January 1983. It was their breakthrough hit, establishing the duo worldwide. It reached number two on the UK Singles Chart in March 1983, and number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 six months later; it was their first single released in the US.
"Who's That Girl?" is a song by British pop duo Eurythmics. It was written by band members Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart and produced by Stewart.
"Right by Your Side" is a 1983 song by the British pop duo Eurythmics. It was written by group members Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart, and produced by Stewart.
"Here Comes the Rain Again" is a 1983 song by British duo Eurythmics and the opening track from their third studio album Touch. It was written by group members Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart and produced by Stewart. The song was released on 13 January 1984 as the album's third single in the UK and in the United States as the first single.
"Would I Lie to You?" is a song written and performed by British pop duo Eurythmics. Released on 9 April 1985 as the lead single from the band's fourth studio album, Be Yourself Tonight (1985), the song was the first by the duo to feature their change in musical direction from a predominantly synthpop style to rock and rhythm and blues. The song, and its accompanying album, featured a full backing band and relied less on electronic programming.
"It's Alright (Baby's Coming Back)" is a song written and recorded by the British pop music duo Eurythmics. It was released as the fourth and final single from their 1985 album Be Yourself Tonight. The song was produced by Dave Stewart, and the song's brass arrangement was devised by Michael Kamen.
"Thorn in My Side" is a song by British pop music duo Eurythmics. It was released as the second single from the duo's fifth studio album, Revenge (1986). Written by band members Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart, the song is a cast-off to an unfaithful lover. "Thorn in My Side" was produced by Stewart.
"Beethoven (I Love to Listen To)" is a song by British pop duo Eurythmics, released on 12 October 1987 as the lead single from their sixth studio album, Savage (1987).
"I Need a Man" is a song recorded by British pop music duo Eurythmics. It was written by band members Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart and produced by Stewart. Taken from their sixth album, Savage (1987), the song was released in May 1988 by RCA Records as the third single in the UK and the first single in the United States.
We Two Are One Too is a music compilation video by the British pop group Eurythmics released in April 1990 on VHS and LaserDisc.
Peacetour is a live concert video by the British pop/rock duo Eurythmics released on 20 June 2000 on VHS and DVD. It is a recording of the band's concert at London Docklands Arena on 6 December 1999, which was the final show of their 24-date world "Peace Tour". All profits from the tour were donated to Amnesty International and Greenpeace.
Luminous Basement is the third and final studio album from the band the Tourists, released in 1980. The album peaked at #75 in the UK, lasting within the Top 100 for one week. One single was released from the album, "Don't Say I Told You So" peaked at #40 in the UK.