Eurythmics Commemorate 40 Years Of Song 'Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)'

Jan 24, 2023 by apost team

In January 1983, the experimental song "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)," with an intriguing electronic sound, debuted on the radio and reached mainstream success at the charts despite its chaotic beginnings. The song that became a massive worldwide hit 40 years ago also marked the re-birth of the music careers of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart, who decided to form Eurythmics after disbanding from The Tourist. 

"Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" was also a collaboration between the ex-couple after they separated their personal lives from their work. Though Lennox and Stewart mutually agreed to live apart and end their romance, they were still excited at the prospect of making music together after their frustrations with their ex-group. 

Thus, their work during the early days of Eurythmics was mainly experimenting with music. However, their debut album, "In The Garden," failed to create waves in 1981 and wasn't even released in the United States. 

Eurythmics's record label almost dropped the duo, but Stewart was convinced that they were destined for success. So, he sought to secure a personal loan from the bank to buy music equipment to make their second album. In London, Lennox and Stewart started working on new songs inspired by what they'd heard from Germany's underground electronic scene when they were still working on "In The Garden." From this sound came the essence of "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)."

In a 2017 interview with The Guardian, Stewart said he was fiddling with their new music equipment one day while Lennox was curled up in a fetal position, depressed about their lack of opportunities. He came up with a riff on the synthesizers that lit a fire in Lennox, who grabbed a second synthesizer and started singing, "Sweet dreams are made of this..." to Stewart's beat. 

"Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" is unlike any typical song. According to Produce Like A Pro, its structure is actually one big repetitive chorus without any complex verses. Its sound is also distinct, which Stewart created by accident using second-hand percussion computer equipment.

The song's lyrics reflected Lennox's depression at that time. Though the title spoke of "sweet dreams," Lennox agreed in The Guardian interview that it was not a happy song:

"I was feeling very vulnerable. The song was an expression of how I felt: hopeless and nihilistic."

Stewart added the bridge to the song, sung on repeat, with the lyrics "hold your head up" and "moving on" to lend some positive vibe.

The duo recorded the track inside a home studio set up above a picture framing shop in London. Then they moved to a church cloakroom to polish the song.   

Initially, their record label was not enthusiastic about releasing "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" because it had no proper structure. However, in Cleveland, a DJ apparently kept playing the song based on phone requests from listeners. This convinced RCA to release the song worldwide, and it hit No. 1 in the U.S., Canada, and France. It was No. 2 in the U.K. and No. 6 in Australia.

"Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)" was on the Billboard Hot 100 songs for 26 weeks and went double platinum in the U.K. Currently, its music video continues to rack up over 750 million views on YouTube and has been called by fans as totally ahead of its time. 

On Jan. 4, 2023, Lennox dedicated a 40th birthday post to their hit song on Instagram:

"It has continued to travel the world and the seven seas ever since, which is a wonderful and miraculous story all to itself!" 

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Can you recall the first time you heard "Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)"? Were you also intrigued by the song? Tell us why you relate to this Eurythmics classic!