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Annie Lennox

Kirsty Young's castaway is singer Annie Lennox.

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is one of our most successful singer-songwriters, Annie Lennox. Her extraordinary voice has captivated us for more than a quarter of a century and, as one half of the group Eurythmics and as a solo artist, she's sold tens of millions of records and won fistfuls of awards. As a teenager, her musical ability was her passport out of her home town of Aberdeen. At that point, a career as a flautist beckoned: but, after studying in London, she felt she could never make her mark as a classical musician. It was a chance encounter with aspiring pop-star Dave Stewart that set her on an entirely different path.

For much of the 1980s, all her creative energy went into making music. But when her children were born, she says, her priorities shifted. Now she devotes much of her time and energy to supporting different humanitarian causes. She says: "I need to find meaning in my life to make me happy; and that's been an ongoing struggle."

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: I Say A Little Prayer by Aretha Franklin
Book: Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
Luxury: Suncream.

Available now

45 minutes

Last on

Fri 16 May 2008 09:00
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

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Penelope Wilton

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Diane Abbott

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Music Played

  • Glen Campbell

    Wichita Lineman

    • The Very Best Of.
    • Capitol.

  • The Beatles

    Penny Lane

    • The Beatles: 1967-1970.
    • Apple.

  • Claude Debussy

    Syrinx

    Soloist: James Galway

    • Clair De Lune: Music of Debussy.
    • RCA.

  • Traffic

    Hole In My Shoe

    • One & Only: 25 Years of Radio 1.
    • Band Of Joy.

  • Castaway's Favourite

    • Aretha Franklin

      I Say A Little Prayer

      • Love Songs of Burt Bacharach.
      • Polygram.

  • The Blue Nile

    A Walk Across The Rooftops

    • The Blue Nile.
    • Linn Records.

  • Otis Redding

    (Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay

    • Otis Redding: The Dock of the Bay.
    • Atlantic.

  • Antonio Vivaldi

    The Four Seasons - Winter - 1st movement

    Soloist: Michel Schwalbe Orchestra: Berliner Philharmoniker

    • Vivaldi: Four Seasons.
    • Deutsche Grammophon.

  • Book Choice

    • Power of Now - Eckhart Tolle

  • Luxury Choice

    • Suncream

Credits

Presenter Kirsty Young
Interviewed Guest Annie Lennox

Broadcasts

  • Sun 11 May 2008 11:15
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
  • Fri 16 May 2008 09:00
    Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4

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