"Who's That Girl?" by Eurythmics

Song#:  1894
Date:  05/05/1984
Debut:  61
Peak:  21
Weeks:  13
Genre:  Synthpop, New Wave



Pop Bits:  Eurythmics scored their second US Pop Top 10 with "Here Comes the Rain Again," the first single from their third album Touch. This follow-up song was actually the first single issued from the LP in the UK and it reached #3 there. However, the US didn't respond as well and it stopped just short of the Top 20. Unlike "Here Comes the Rain Again," which got into the Top 10 of four US charts, this song failed to gain any crossover support. The accompanying MTV video was a popular hit, but it didn't translate to additional airplay or sales for the single.

ReduxReview:  I wasn't all that surprised that this song didn't do better at Pop. Although the UK sent it to #3, it may have been just a bit too quirky for the US. The chorus is quite good, but I think the half-time verse may have confused listeners. Is it a ballad? Is it uptempo? How do I (or should I) dance to this? Basically, it wasn't a standard pop song. Of course, I loved it and was hoping it would catch on, but it never really got a good foothold.

ReduxRating:  7/10

Trivia:  The video for this song features Annie Lennox in a dual role. She plays a nightclub singer and a male audience member who resembles Elvis Presley. In a bit of camera trickery, the two characters end up kissing at the end. Lennox's male character is a ladies man and is seen with many other women. These roles were portrayed by several UK female music artists including all four members of Bananarama, Kiki Dee, and others that were popular in the UK, but virtually unknown in the US such as Hazel O'Connor and the two female members of the vocal quartet Bucks Fizz. Also among the arm candy was another gender-bending artist. Marilyn (real name Peter Robinson) had a cross-dressing persona that was similar to Boy George, which was not surprising since they were friends and even lived together for a bit. They were both trying to get their careers going with Boy George later hitting it big with Culture Club. Boy George's look and success later caused a riff between him and Marilyn, but they would end up friends again in later years. Marilyn was looking for a break and found one with the video for this song. The exposure ended up being the tipping point in getting a record deal. Marilyn signed up with Phonogram and his debut single "Calling Your Name" went to #4 on the UK chart. Follow-ups failed to do as well and Marilyn's recording career came to an end. Marilyn was at the center of attention again when Boy George wrote in is 1995 memoir that Marilyn and Gavin Rossdale (of the UK band Bush) had a relationship. Both of them initially denied it, but later on they each acknowledged the relationship, which apparently lasted for five years. It was in 1995 that Rossdale began dating No Doubt singer Gwen Stefani, whom he would later marry in 2002. They divorced in 2015.

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