This week’s music video pick was one of the first videos I watched on MTV way back in 1983 when my parents finally purchased our first cable package (we also got HBO!). I was already familiar with the synth-heavy Sweet Dreams tune on the radio, but the wild imagery and an orange-haired Annie Lennox blew my little pint-sized mind. After that, my older sister and I became fanatical MTV viewers.
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) was the title track of the Eurythmics 1983 LP smash and the second studio album of the English pop duo. The formerly romantic couple was part of the early 80s British New Wave invasion, which included acts like The Police, Duran Duran, The Human League, and Culture Club. Most importantly, many of these British-based bands embraced the music video format, releasing elaborately produced clips that helped define the look and style of the early MTV era. And the Eurythmics was no exception as Sweet Dreams became a staple of the then-fledgling network that was starved for more content.
The nearly 4-minute clip was directed by frequent Eurythmics collaborator Chris Ashbrook, and it’s a wild menagerie of dated 80’s style imagery. There’s an Orwellian 1984 cyberpunk tone that would influence Ridley Scott’s groundbreaking Apple Macintosh commercial a year later. It was apparent that the Eurythmics’ sensibilities were a perfect fit for the music video format, particularly Annie Lennox, who made her iconic androgynous look so alluring. And yes, those are cows wandering throughout the video for no apparent reason, which I absolutely love.
Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) would receive heavy airplay on MTV, and the song became a breakthrough hit for the pop duo. The Eurythmics became superstars of the music video era, crafting many more iconic clips throughout the 1980s. Eventually, the duo split and Annie Lennox embarked on a successful solo and songwriting career in the 1990s. Lennox has been rightly hailed as one of the great pop vocalists of the modern era, and her androgynous beauty would become one of the iconic images of the classic music video era.
Check out the video below and let me know your thoughts in the comments section.
I do remember MTV playing the heck out of this one for several reasons…good song…solid video… Annie Lennox…Dave Stewart…and cows. 🐄 I also remember getting that very first cable package (also including HBO!), and what a shiny new world that opened us all up to.
I remember getting our first cable package as it was such a different way of watching TV. We went from 5 channels to 100 with that archaic tabletop controller. As the little brother, I went from the designated antenna holder to the designated channel changer. But the classic joys of MTV, HBO, and Nickelodeon will never be matched.
Your blog’s fire ❤️🔥
Thank you for checking it out. I post a new music video review every Friday, along with many film reviews and articles.
I’d love to send you one of my music videos if you are interested in watching it!