Annie Lennox has created many personas for herself over the history of her musical career, in particular her years with Eurythmics and as a solo artist. Most of those personas are all gathered together in this remix video of her 1990s hit single “Little Bird” from Diva.
Of course the first famous incarnation of Annie Lennox was the extremely short-haired, carrot-top-redhead from 1983’s chart-topping song “Sweet Dreams.” She made that debut– looking very much like Marlene Dietrich in a man’s suit– for the official video to the single. Apparently, not satisfied with just the “Sweet Dreams” look, that same year she turned to using wigs. She appeared as a long, dark haired chartreuse in a television version of “Love is a Stranger,” which was also from the album Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) …
In late 1983, Eurythmics had a new album (Touch), new video and a new wig for Annie. She became a long-haired blonde in the video for “Who’s That Girl,” in which she strikingly looks like Lady Gaga (especially as the video opens) some 25 years before anyone knew who Lady Gaga was– actually nearly three years before Lady Gaga was born!
By 1986, Annie returned to the short haircut, ditching the wigs, for the album Revenge. Her new hair cut wasn’t quite as short as 1983’s carrot-red super-pixie, and she’s was a blonde now. In a song from the period, “The Miracle of Love,” she shows a beautifully soft side that she would later further develop into the prevailing sound for her solo career (1992-present).
By the time the album Savage was released in late 1987, Annie was back to being a wigged, long blonde haired sex symbol in some videos and a medium-length brunette housewife in other videos. Since my personal favorite song from the album is the title song, here she is looking like a 1980’s Marilyn Monroe— complete with facial mole.
1989’s “Don’t Ask Me Why” brought us a very platinum blonde, short haired Annie Lennox. She’s not only platinum blonde, but also very elegant– probably the most elegant that Annie Lennox has ever looked in a video. She’s wearing a silver, shoulder-less sequined gown with deep green high heals. And, most importantly, she looks like Annie Lennox, the real Annie– not an interpretation of someone else. From the album We Too Are One is the elegant Miss Annie Lennox…
Taking a step backwards to Savage again, here is Annie as the simple brunette housewife I mentioned earlier, who seems a bit neurotic or frustrated in the video for “Beethoven (I love to Listen to).”
That same album, Savage, actually produced at least three different Annie Lennox personas. In the video “You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart,” we see a return to the short, blonde haired Annie that we saw during her Revenge period. So first, she’s Marilyn Monroe, then she’s a dowdy housewife and then a somewhat ragged version of her real self.
Although she looks a bit ragged or more disheveled in the video for “Chill,” she looks immaculate in 1986’s “Thorn in My Side” (below) where her short blonde haircut is perfectly combed in place and inching toward the more white color coming in 1989.
Next, from 1992, who could ever forget the short dark haired, mascara eye-masked Annie in a black evening gown from her duet with David Bowie? Backed by the remaining members of Queen, in honor of Freddie Mercury, here’s “Under Pressure.”
We’ll end with her child-like Minnie Mouse look in the video “Waiting in Vain” from her second solo album, Medusa (1995). Here she returns to dark hair in a sort of “Bob” haircut that first became popular in the 1920s.
Yes, over the years there have been many personas created by the one great Annie Lennox. I’m not sure I’ve covered them all here, but I think I’ve focused on most of them. Which is your personal favorite? For me, it’s a tie between her 1986 Revenge blonde locks and her 1989 We Too Are One platinum look. I wonder what her REAL hair color is?!!! I certainly don’t know, but, even though the red is striking, I think blonde compliments her facial features best.
Meditation to the Groove! 