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Diva (Annie Lennox album)

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Diva
Studio album by
Annie Lennox
Released6 April 1992
Recorded1991–1992
StudioMayfair and The Church (London, England)
Genre
Length49:55
LabelRCA
ProducerStephen Lipson
Annie Lennox chronology
Diva
(1992) 		Medusa
(1995)
Singles from Diva
  1. "Why"
    Released: March 1992
  2. "Precious"
    Released: May 1992
  3. "Walking on Broken Glass"
    Released: August 1992
  4. "Cold"
    Released: October 1992
  5. "Little Bird"
    Released: February 1993

Diva is the debut solo studio album by Scottish singer Annie Lennox, released on 6 April 1992 by RCA Records. The 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] Diva was the 7th best selling album of 1992 in the United Kingdom.[2] In the United States, it reached number 23 on the Billboard 200 and has been certified double platinum.[3]

The album spawned five successful single releases, beginning with "Why" in March 1992, and followed by "Precious" in May, "Walking on Broken Glass" in August and "Cold" in October 1992. "Little Bird" was released in February 1993 as a double A-side with "Love Song for a Vampire", a song Lennox had recorded for the 1992 film Bram Stoker's Dracula. All five single releases achieved commercial success worldwide.

Diva won the Brit Award for British Album of the Year at the 1993 Brit Awards. The album received nominations for Album of the Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Long Form Music Video, winning the latter award at the Grammy Awards the same year. Diva has been described as "state-of-the-art soul pop" by Rolling Stone magazine, who also included the album in their "Essential Recordings of the '90s" list.[2]

Background and recording

[edit]
Following the informal 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]

Naming

[edit]

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]

Release and promotion

[edit]
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]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
Chicago Sun-Times[12]
Entertainment WeeklyC[13]
Los Angeles Times[14]
Pitchfork8.0/10[15]
Q[16]
Rolling Stone[17]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[18]
Slant Magazine[19]
The Village VoiceC+[20]

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.[17]

Diva was included in Q magazine's year-end list of the "50 Best Albums of 1992". It was later included in Rolling Stone's "Essential Recordings of the 90's" list.

Pitchfork stated that the album is "a joyous and liberated pop album with a prophetic message about the disillusionment of fame".[15]

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Annie Lennox, except where noted.[21]

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Why"Lennox4:53
2."Walking on Broken Glass"Lennox4:12
3."Precious"Lennox5:08
4."Legend in My Living Room"
3:45
5."Cold"Lennox4:20
6."Money Can't Buy It"Lennox5:00
7."Little Bird"Lennox4:48
8."Primitive"Lennox4:19
9."Stay by Me"Lennox6:28
10."The Gift"
4:52
Total length:47:45
CD bonus track
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Keep Young and Beautiful"
2:17
Total length:50:02
Japanese edition bonus track
No.TitleLength
12."Step by Step"4:49
Total length:52:34

Video album

[edit]
Diva
Video by
Annie Lennox
Released
  • 6 April 1992 (VHS)
  • 26 September 2000 (DVD)
LabelBMG Video
DirectorSophie Muller

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.[22]

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.

Track listing

[edit]
Original release
No.TitleLength
1."Why" 
2."Legend in My Living Room" 
3."Money Can't Buy It" 
4."Cold" 
5."Remember" (excerpt) 
6."Primitive" 
7."The Gift" 
8."Keep Young and Beautiful" 
Totally Diva
No.TitleLength
1."Why" 
2."Legend in My Living Room" 
3."Precious" 
4."Money Can't Buy It" 
5."Cold" / "Remember" (excerpt) 
6."Primitive" 
7."The Gift" 
8."Walking on Broken Glass" 
9."Keep Young and Beautiful" 

Personnel

[edit]

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Diva.[23]

Musicians

[edit]

Technical

[edit]
  • Stephen Lipson – production
  • Heff Moraes – engineering, MIDI management
  • William O'Donovan – mixing assistance
  • Ian Silvester – digital technician
  • Ian Cooper – mastering

Artwork

[edit]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications and sales

[edit]
Certifications and sales for Diva
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[53] Platinum 70,000^
Austria (IFPI Austria)[54] Gold 25,000*
Canada (Music Canada)[55] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[56] Platinum 20,000‡
Germany (BVMI)[57] Gold 250,000^
Ireland (IRMA)[58] Platinum 15,000^
Italy (FIMI)[58] Platinum 250,000[59]
Netherlands (NVPI)[60] Gold 50,000^
New Zealand (RMNZ)[61] Platinum 15,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[62] Gold 25,000*
Sweden (GLF)[63] Platinum 100,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[58] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[1] 4× Platinum 1,200,000^
United States (RIAA)[3] 2× Platinum 2,700,000[64]
Summaries
Worldwide — 7,000,000[65]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Accolades

[edit]

Brit Awards

[edit]
Year Nominee / work Award Result
1993
[66]		 Diva Best British Album Won
Annie Lennox (performer) Best British Female Artist Won
Stephen Lipson (producer) Best British Producer Nominated
"Walking on Broken Glass" Best British Video Nominated

Grammy Awards

[edit]
Year Nominee / work Award Result
1993
[67]		 Diva Album of the Year Nominated
Best Pop Vocal Performance - Female Nominated
Diva
(Performer: Annie Lennox; Director: Sophie Muller; Producer: Rob Small)		 Best Long Form Music Video Won

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c "British album certifications – Annie Lennox – Diva". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Diva & Medusa Reissued on Vinyl". Annie Lennox.com. Annie Lennox. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  3. ^ a b c "American album certifications – Annie Lennox – Diva". Recording Industry Association of America.
  4. ^ Rosen, Barbara (25 August 1998). "For Rent: 150 Years of Stars' Costumes". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g "Making Annie Lennox: Diva". Classic Pop. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  6. ^ "New Music Releases" (PDF). Music Week. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  7. ^ "New Music Releases" (PDF). Music Week. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  8. ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 23 May 1992. p. 19.
  9. ^ "New Releases" (PDF). Music Week. Retrieved 15 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. 5 December 1992. p. 53. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  11. ^ Parisien, Roch. "Diva – Annie Lennox". AllMusic. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
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  17. ^ a b Evans, Paul (25 June 1992). "Annie Lennox: Diva". Rolling Stone. No. 633. p. 41. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
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  20. ^ Christgau, Robert (1 December 1992). "Turkey Shoot". The Village Voice. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  21. ^ "Album Details". Universal Music Publishing Group : United Kingdom. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
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  23. ^ Diva (liner notes). Annie Lennox. RCA Records. 1992. PD 75326.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
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  34. ^ "Top 10 Sales in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 9, no. 19. 9 May 1992. p. 29. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
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  59. ^ Stansfield, Davud (13 February 1993). "The British Invasion Continues - Italy" (PDF). Billboard. p. B-4. Retrieved 30 September 2020 – via World Radio History.
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  61. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Annie Lennox – Diva". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 2 December 2019.
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  67. ^ "35th Annual Grammy Awards". The Recording Academy. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
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