Medusa (Annie Lennox album)

Medusa is the second solo studio album by Scottish singer Annie Lennox, released on 6 March 1995 by RCA Records. It consists entirely of cover songs. The album entered the UK Albums Chart at number one and peaked in the United States at number 11, spending 60 weeks on the Billboard 200. It has since achieved double platinum status in both the United Kingdom and the United States.[1][2] As of 2018, Medusa had sold over six million copies worldwide.[3]

Medusa
Studio album by
Annie Lennox
Released6 March 1995 (1995-03-06)
RecordedJanuary-May 1994
StudioThe Aquarium (London)
Genre
Length47:11
LabelRCA
ProducerStephen Lipson
Annie Lennox chronology
Diva
(1992)		 Medusa
(1995)		 Bare
(2003)
Singles from Medusa
  1. "No More 'I Love You's"
    Released: 6 February 1995
  2. "A Whiter Shade of Pale"
    Released: 29 May 1995
  3. "Waiting in Vain"
    Released: 18 September 1995
  4. "Something So Right"
    Released: November 1995

The album was nominated for Best Pop Album at the Grammy Awards of 1996. Lennox won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance award for her work on the first single released from Medusa, "No More I Love You's" which was released in February 1995 to critical acclaim. Entering the UK Singles Charts at number two, the single is Lennox's highest-charting single in the United Kingdom to date. A further three singles were released during 1995 – "A Whiter Shade of Pale", "Waiting in Vain" and "Something So Right".

Background and recording

Like her debut solo album Diva, Lennox once again worked with record producer Stephen Lipson on Medusa.[3] Four tracks that Lennox recorded for Medusa and were ultimately cut from the albums final take were released elsewhere. B-sides releases include a version of “Heaven,” originally by The Psychedelic Furs, a recording of Joni Mitchell’s “Ladies of the Canyon,” and a cover of Blondie’s “(I'm Always Touched by Your) Presence, Dear”. Lennox also recorded a version of The Sugarcubes’ “Mama,” which was included on the 1995 all-female compilation Ain’t Nothin’ But a She Thing.[4]

Lennox explains the origins of the album in the liner notes:

This album contains a selection of songs I have been drawn to for all kinds of reasons. They were not chosen with any particular theme or concept in mind—the method was more by instinct than by design. The work undertaken was truly a labour of love for me and I feel privileged to have been given this opportunity.[5]

Regarding Medusa and the nature of its cover versions, Metro Weekly claimed that "cover albums are notoriously hit and miss; even the best artists can sometimes stumble when straying from their original material and trying to reinvent somebody else’s. Lennox is a masterful interpreter of other artists’ tunes, getting to the heart of the songs and delivering one stunning vocal performance after another. Lennox imbues each of these songs her own distinct flavor. Even though the songs come from different eras and there is a vast stylistic diversity, the album is tightly cohesive."[4]

Release and promotion

Medusa was released in March 1995 and became a "substantial hit" for Lennox, with music commentators claiming that the album was a "worthy successor" to her debut solo album, Diva which was released in 1992.[4] Whilst Medusa did not match the acclaim and success that Diva achieved, the album was still well received, becoming a substantial commercial success. It reached number one on the UK Albums Chart and in Canada, and reached number eleven on the US Billboard 200 charts, achieving double-platinum in all three countries. Medusa was a Top 10 album over Europe and in other parts of the world, and has sold millions of copies globally. Both “No More ‘I Love You’s” and “Whiter Shade of Pale” were included on Lennox's 2009 greatest hits album The Annie Lennox Collection.[4] Despite not achieving the same success as predecessor Diva, Spectrum Culture magazine claimed that "Medusa is arguably a better album than Diva, being as it is a sonically unified celebration of great songs, and it surpassed Diva sales-wise to be the Annie Lennox album most likely seen on any given shelf".[6] As of 2018, Medusa had sold over six million copies worldwide.[3]

The album yielded four singles in the United Kingdom: "No More 'I Love You's'" (which entered the UK Singles Chart at number 2, becoming Lennox's highest-peaking solo single), "A Whiter Shade of Pale", "Waiting in Vain" and "Something So Right". Metro Weekly claimed that "The Lover Speaks’ recording of “No More ‘I Love You’s” did no more than graze the lower reaches of the pop chart, and was soon forgotten" until Lennox recorded and released the track as a single, claiming that the songs "idiosyncrasies play right into her [Lennox] strengths. Lennox and producer Stephen Lipson turn the inventive composition into a piece of epic grandeur, with Lennox delivering a dazzling vocal performance, arguably the finest of her career.".[4] "No More I Love You's" was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video, and Lennox, at the 1995 Grammy Awards won the award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for the song.[4]

Citing the poor success of the three singles in the American music market that followed "No More I Love You's", Metro Weekly argued that Lennox may have achieved considerably more success in the singles markets "if she’d released a couple of the catchier up-tempo tracks instead of all ballads".[4]

The album was nominated for Best Pop Album at the Grammy Awards of 1996, losing to Turbulent Indigo by Joni Mitchell. Lennox took home the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance award for her work on the first single "No More I Love You's". This album was re-released in late 1995 in a double jewel case containing the album Medusa and a nine-track bonus CD featuring the studio version of Paul Simon's "Something So Right" (with Simon guesting on vocals and guitar) and eight tracks recorded live from the concert in Central Park: "Money Can't Buy It", "Legend in My Living Room", the Eurythmics singles "Who's That Girl?", "You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart" and "Here Comes the Rain Again", along with "Why", "Little Bird" and "Walking on Broken Glass".

Commercial success

Medusa has sold over 6 million copies worldwide as of 2018, and achieved double platinum certification in both the United Kingdom and the United States. Medusa spent 60 weeks in the US Billboard 200 charts. Lead single "No More I Love You's" won the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the 1996 Grammy Awards and was nominated for Best British Single at the 1996 Brit Awards. Despite missing out on the award for Best British Single, Lennox won the award for Best British Female for the second time.[3]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[7]
Entertainment WeeklyC−[8]
Knoxville News Sentinel[9]
Los Angeles Times[10]
Music Week[11]
The New York Times(mixed)[12]
Rolling Stone[13]

Professional reviews for Medusa were mixed, ranging from favourable to outright hostile. AllMusic notes that critics "savaged"[14] the album upon release: Trouser Press was probably the most severe in its criticism, characterising Lennox's interpretations of classic material as "obvious", "milquetoast" and "willfully wrongheaded". Reviewer Ira Robbins did single out the track "No More I Love You's" for genuine, if backhanded, praise: "The only song here that benefits from her ministrations is 'No More 'I Love You's,' a minor 1986 hit for Britain's otherwise forgotten The Lover Speaks, and that's only by dint of the original's obscurity."[15]

Meanwhile, Rolling Stone gave the album a more favourable, though still mixed review:

Annie Lennox called her justifiably popular solo debut Diva, but it's actually on the follow-up effort Medusa that she really starts acting like one. This wildly uneven album of cover versions starts with perhaps its highest point—a truly wonderful interpretation of "No More I Love You's", a relatively obscure British hit by the Lover Speaks. Unfortunately, Lennox doesn't work the same magic with more familiar material like Al Green's "Take Me to the River" and Procol Harum's "A Whiter Shade of Pale".[16]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artist(s)Length
1."No More 'I Love You's'"
The Lover Speaks4:55
2."Take Me to the River"
Al Green3:33
3."A Whiter Shade of Pale"
Procol Harum5:17
4."Don't Let It Bring You Down"Neil YoungNeil Young3:39
5."Train in Vain"
The Clash4:45
6."I Can't Get Next to You"
The Temptations3:09
7."Downtown Lights"Paul BuchananThe Blue Nile6:44
8."Thin Line Between Love and Hate"
  • Richard Poindexter
  • Robert Poindexter
  • Jackie Members
The Persuaders4:55
9."Waiting in Vain"Bob MarleyBob Marley and the Wailers5:41
10."Something So Right"Paul SimonPaul Simon3:57
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Original artist(s)Length
11."Heaven"
The Psychedelic Furs4:57
Limited edition bonus disc – Live in Central Park
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Money Can't Buy It"Annie Lennox4:45
2."Legend in My Living Room"
3:48
3."Who's That Girl?"
4:44
4."You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart"
  • Lennox
  • Stewart
5:19
5."Little Bird"Lennox5:27
6."Walking on Broken Glass"Lennox4:01
7."Here Comes the Rain Again"
  • Lennox
  • Stewart
5:59
8."Why"Lennox5:17
9."Something So Right" (studio version) (featuring Paul Simon)Simon3:50

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Medusa.[5]

Musicians

Technical
  • Stephen Lipson – production
  • Heff Moraes – engineering, mixing
  • Marius de Vries – pre-production

Artwork

Live in Central Park
DVD cover

Although no tour was held to promote this album, Lennox played a one-off concert in Central Park in New York City on 9 September 1995. This was subsequently released on videotape as Annie Lennox in the Park and on DVD as Annie Lennox Live in Central Park.

Information
  • Director: Joe Dyer
  • Recorded: Live in Central Park Summerstage, New York City, 9 September 1995
  • Release date: December 1995 (video); December 2000 (DVD)
  • Label: BMG/Arista
  • Runtime: 90 minutes

Track listing
  1. "Money Can't Buy It" (Lennox)
  2. "Legend in My Living Room" (Lennox, Vettese)
  3. "Walking on Broken Glass" (Lennox)
  4. "No More 'I Love You's" (Hughes, Freeman)
  5. "Who's That Girl?" (Lennox, Stewart)
  6. "You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart" (Lennox, Stewart)
  7. "Waiting in Vain" (Marley)
  8. "I Love You Like a Ball and Chain" (Lennox, Stewart)
  9. "Little Bird" (Lennox)
  10. "Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)" (Lennox, Stewart)
  11. "Train in Vain" (Jones, Strummer)
  12. "Why" (Lennox)

Promotional video clips

  1. "No More 'I Love You's" (Hughes, Freeman)
  2. "A Whiter Shade of Pale" (Reid, Brooker, Fisher)
  3. "Waiting in Vain" (Marley)
  4. "Something So Right" (Simon)

Awards

Grammy Awards
Year Nominee / work Award Result
1996
[17]		MedusaBest Pop Vocal AlbumNominated
"No More I Love You's"Best Pop Vocal Performance – FemaleWon

Charts

Certifications

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Certifications for Medusa
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Argentina (CAPIF)[51] Gold 30,000^
Australia (ARIA)[52] Gold 35,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[53] Gold 25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[54] 2× Platinum 200,000^
France (SNEP)[55] Gold 100,000*
Germany (BVMI)[56] Gold 250,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[57] 2× Platinum 30,000^
Italy (FIMI)[57] Gold 50,000*
Norway (IFPI Norway)[58] Gold 25,000*
Poland (ZPAV)[59] Gold 50,000*
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[60] Gold 50,000^
Sweden (GLF)[61] Gold 50,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[62] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[1] 2× Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[2] 2× Platinum 2,000,000^
Summaries
Europe (IFPI)[63] 2× Platinum 2,000,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
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  14. savaged
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