Diva (Annie Lennox album)

Following information dissolution of Eurythmics, Lennox began working on Diva in 1991

Following the informal dissolution of Eurythmics in 1990, Lennox took some time away from the music industry, during which she gave birth to her eldest daughter. She commenced working on her first solo album in 1991 with producer Stephen Lipson. Though she had been accustomed to co-writing material with Dave Stewart during her years with Eurythmics, eight of the ten tracks on Diva were written solely by Lennox herself, with two tracks being co-written by her. Upon its release, the album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart and would eventually yield five hit singles, three of which reached the Top 10 (although they had continued to achieve number one albums, Eurythmics had not scored a UK Top 10 single since 1986). Diva was ultimately certified quadruple platinum in the UK, more than any of Eurythmics' studio albums.

The song "Keep Young and Beautiful" was included on the CD release as a bonus track (the original vinyl album had only ten tracks). Another bonus track, "Step by Step", appeared on the Mexican and Japanese editions of the album and was also included as the B-side on the single "Precious". The song was later recorded by Whitney Houston for the 1996 film soundtrack The Preacher's Wife and subsequently became a hit single.

The headdress worn by Lennox on the album's cover (and seen in several of the album's videos) was obtained from the London-based costume company Angels. It had been used previously in the James Bond film Octopussy.[4]

Lennox gave birth to a stillborn son in 1988, acknowledging the affect this has had on her personally and during the recording sessions of Diva. The song "Money Can't Buy It" explores the theme of stillborn births and miscarriages, with the lyrics "I believe in the power of creation. Analysis of the lyrics would suggest that a mother’s love for a child is greater than that of success, fame and money.[5]

Lennox explained during a radio interview with BBC Radio 2 that the name Diva chosen for the album was "arrogant". Lennox explained "It’s quite an arrogant thing to take that name and put it on yourself. It’s like taking a crown and putting it on your head, in a way. But I do it with a smile because the diva that you see, the person in performance, is not necessarily the person that I am".[5] Lennox further explained "As a performer, I’ve lived that diva-esque existence. Being in a little box, and having that box opened up, night after night, when you come out and perform and everybody sees this thing, this entity, and then go back and disappear, and pack your suitcase. I’ve experienced that balance of being the public person that is this monstrous kind of diva, a personage, and then trying to maintain my life".[5]

The notion of being a "Diva" is a central theme throughout the album, and, as argued by Felix Rowe of Classic Pop, "understanding this notion is central to unwrapping the themes of the record, and the picture is fully realised through the accompanying visuals".[5]

Lennox performing "Little Bird" at the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony

Lennox released the lead single from Diva, "Why" on 16 March 1992.[6] Upon release, "Why" was the most played track across European radio networks.[7] The choice to release "Why" as the lead single and launch of Lennox's solo career was described as a "bold move" by some due to its heart wrenching nature.[5] Lennox described "Why" as "a deep dialogue with myself in a funny way. A song about communication, or lack of communication.”[5] Diva was released on 6 April 1992, one month after the release of "Why" as the first single. Upon release, album entered the UK Albums Chart at number one and has since sold over 1.2 million copies in the UK alone, being certified quadruple platinum.[1] In the United States, it reached number 23 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified double platinum.[3]

"Precious" was released as the albums second single on 25 May 1992.[8] Described as "by far the hardest-hitting track on the album in terms of the attack of its instrumentation" by Classic Pop magazine, "Precious" is composed around a low-slung bass groove. "Walking on Broken Glass" was released as the third single from the album, and has been described by music commentators as "catchy and immediately familiar", further adding that "Walking on Broken Glass" is "the type of track that every self-respecting pop star would give anything to have in their arsenal".[5] "Cold" following as the fourth single on 19 October 1992, with "Little Bird" completing the release of singles as the albums fifth and final single release on 1 February 1993.[9] The release of "Little Bird" was released as a double A-side with "Love Song for a Vampire" which Lennox has recorded for Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992). "Love Song for a Vampire" did not feature on Diva, but was released on Bram Stoker's Dracula: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. In their review of the soundtrack for Bram Stoker's Dracula, Billboard wrote, "The highlight and probable single is the only vocal entry on the album, Annie Lennox's haunting, romantic 'Love Song for a Vampire'."[10]

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[11]
Calgary Herald	B+[12]
Chicago Sun-Times	[13]
Entertainment Weekly	C[14]
Los Angeles Times	[15]
Pitchfork	8.0/10[16]
Q	[17]
Rolling Stone	[18]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide	[19]
Slant Magazine	[20]
The Village Voice	C+[21]

In 1993 the album was included in Q magazine's list of the "50 Best Albums of 1992". Rolling Stone described the album as "...state-of-the-art soul pop..." and it is included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's" list.

In their review, Rolling Stone commented:

State-of-the-art soul pop, Annie Lennox's solo debut is sonically gorgeous; it also declares her aesthetic independence. Ace sessionmen polish Diva's gloss, and producer Stephen Lipson (Pet Shop Boys, Propaganda) operates in hyperdrive, but these eleven songs are fiercely those of a sister doing things for herself. Three years after her last outing with Dave Stewart, her cohort in Eurythmics, Lennox voids any notion that he was her Svengali and she merely the MTV beauty with stunning pipes. Writing nearly all of Diva, she manages a whirlwind tour of mainstream R&B and retains her singular persona – an ice queen thirsting to be melted by love.[18]

Pitchfork magazine commented on Diva, stating that the album is "a joyous and liberated pop album with a prophetic message about the disillusionment of fame".[22]

Lennox simultaneously released a video album for Diva, featuring promotional videos for seven of the album's tracks along with an excerpt of a track entitled "Remember", which has never been released elsewhere. The video album was directed by Sophie Muller, who had worked with Lennox during her later years with Eurythmics.

Later in 1992, the video album was reissued as Totally Diva, featuring two additional videos that had been made since the original release in April: "Precious" and "Walking on Broken Glass". Totally Diva was subsequently released on DVD in 2000.[24]

The only omissions from the video album were "Little Bird" (the video for which had not yet been made at that time), and the album track "Stay by Me", for which no video was made.

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Diva.[25]