Beethoven (I Love to Listen to)

Infobox Single
Name = Beethoven (I Love to Listen to)


Artist = Eurythmics
from Album = Savage
Released = October 1987
Format = 7", 12", cassette single
Recorded = 1987
Genre = Pop / Rock / Electronic
Length =
Label = RCA
Producer = David A. Stewart
Reviews =
Last single = "The Miracle of Love"
(1986)
This single = "Beethoven (I Love to Listen to)"
(1987)
Next single = "Shame"
(1987)"Beethoven (I Love to Listen to)" is a song recorded by British pop music duo Eurythmics, released as the first single in the UK from the "Savage" album.

It was written by group members Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart and produced by Stewart. Although not released as a single in the United States, the track appeared as a double A-side of the 12 inch single for "I Need a Man".

The "Savage" album returned Eurythmics to electronic experimentation and the song itself is mostly spoken-word from Lennox, the most noticeable exception being the repeated phrase "I love to" throughout the track. The lyrics portray a battle between voices in the head of a housewife suffering from mental disorders.

Music videos were produced for all twelve tracks on the "Savage" album, with "Beethoven", "I Need a Man", "Heaven" and "You Have Placed a Chill in My Heart" following a housewife, who displays characteristics of dissociative identity disorder or split personalities (which is often confused with schizophrenia) as she transforms into a disco vixen and then into a third androgynous figure.

As the first part of the trilogy, the "Beethoven" video begins with Lennox, as the repressed housewife, knitting in her apartment. She exhibits characteristics of obsessive-compulsive disorder through her habitual cleaning and chopping of vegetables. The video includes a little girl who has blonde hair similar to hers and a man in makeup wearing an evening gown similar to hers. Both characters may be personifications of the singer's inner child and inner drag queen. She then suffers a mental breakdown and trashes the apartment. As one of her dormant split personalities surface, makes herself up as the sexually extroverted diva, and walks out onto the street laughing.

Although not released as a single in the U.S., "Beethoven" still received heavy play on MTV. It was a Top 10 hit in several European territories and another Top 20 hit for the duo in Australia.

Chart performance

External links

* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=cgnBef0xy3s YouTube - "Beethoven (I Love to Listen to)" video]