Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

The song Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) by Eurythmics stands out for its distinctive sound and creation story. Recorded in a small studio in the attic of an old warehouse in North London, the piece reflects the duo’s transition into electronic music. The production was an experiment that resulted in a riff and rhythm that captured the public’s attention. The lyrics, which emerged from a moment of vulnerability following the breakup of their previous band, the Tourists, address the search for purpose in a world that often seems daunting. The famous line "Some of them want to use you [...] some of them want to be abused" has been interpreted in various ways, though its creator, Annie Lennox, clarifies that it is not a sexual theme.

The release of Sweet Dreams in January 1983 marked a milestone in Eurythmics’ career. It reached number two on the UK charts and became their first major hit in the United States, where it climbed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 six months later. The music video’s aesthetic, featuring Lennox in a masculine suit and an orange haircut, defied the norms of the time and left a mark on the representation of female artists in pop music. The song has been performed at numerous concerts and has remained relevant in popular culture, being recognized for its influence on the synth-pop genre. In 2020, it was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame, and in 2023, it was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry of the U.S. Library of Congress.