Following the disbandment of Eurythmics in 1991, vocalist Annie Lennox began a solo career that rivaled Eurythmics' in terms of crossover popularity. Born and raised in Aberdeen, Scotland, Lennox began playing music as child, learning how to play both the piano and flute. In her late teens, she won a scholarship to London's Royal Academy of Music, but she dropped out of the school before she took her finals. For the next several years, she worked around London, performing various jobs during the day and singing at night. In the late '70s, she met guitarist Dave Stewart through a friend. Stewart, who had previously played with Longdancer, asked Lennox to join a new band he was forming with a songwriter named Peet Coombes. The band was named the Tourists, and they released three albums between 1979 and 1980 and scored a number four U.K. hit with a cover of Dusty Springfield's "I Only Want to Be with You."

While they were collaborating together in the Tourists, Lennox and Stewart became lovers. Soon, tensions within the band grew, and by 1980 the pair had left the band to begin Eurythmics. During the early '80s, the sleek synth pop of Eurythmics became one of the most popular sounds of ew wave, racking up a number of hits in both the U.S. and U.K., including &"Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)," "Love Is a Stranger," "Who's That Girl," and "Here Comes the Rain Again." Midway through their career, Eurythmics began pursuing a harder, more straightforward ock & roll sound.