Lennox embarked on a solo career in 1992 with her debut album, Diva, which produced several hit singles including "Why" and "Walking on Broken Glass". The same year, she performed "Love Song for a Vampire" for Bram Stoker's Dracula. Her 1995 studio album, Medusa, includes cover versions of songs such as "No More "I Love You's"'" and "A Whiter Shade of Pale". To date, she has released six solo studio albums and a compilation album, The Annie Lennox Collection (2009). With eight Brit Awards, which includes being named Best British Female Artist a record six times, Lennox has been named the "Brits Champion of Champions". She has also collected four Grammy Awards and an MTV Video Music Award. In 2002, Lennox received a Billboard Century Award; the highest accolade from Billboard. In 2004, she received the Golden Globe and the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Into the West", written for the soundtrack to the feature film The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.
Lennox's vocal range is contralto. She has been named "The Greatest White Soul Singer Alive" by VH1 and one of The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time by Rolling Stone. In 2012, she was rated No. 22 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women in Music. In June 2013 the Official Charts Company called her "the most successful female British artist in UK music history". As of June 2008, including her work with Eurythmics, Lennox had sold over 80 million records worldwide. As part of a one-hour symphony of British Music, Lennox performed "Little Bird" during the 2012 Summer Olympics closing ceremony in London. At the 2015 Ivor Novello Awards, Lennox was made a fellow of the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors (The Ivors Academy), the first woman to receive the honour. Lennox and her Eurythmics partner Dave Stewart were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2020, and the duo were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2022.
In addition to her career as a musician, Lennox is also a political and social activist, raising money and awareness for HIV/AIDS as it affects women and children in Africa. She founded the Sing campaign in 2007 and founded a women's empowerment charity called The Circle in 2008. In 2011, Lennox was appointed an OBE by Queen Elizabeth II for her "tireless charity campaigns and championing of humanitarian causes". On 4 June 2012, she performed at the Queen's Diamond Jubilee Concert in front of Buckingham Palace. In 2017, Lennox was appointed Glasgow Caledonian University's first female chancellor.
Studio albums
Diva (1992)
Medusa (1995)
Bare (2003)
Songs of Mass Destruction (2007)
A Christmas Cornucopia (2010)
Nostalgia (2014)
Memphis In June
Annie Lennox Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A shady veranda
Under a Sunday blue sky
Memphis in June
And cousin Amanda
Is making a blueberry pie
I can hear the clock inside
A-ticking and a-tocking
Everything is peacefully dandy
I can see your granny
'Cross the street still a rocking
Watching all the neighbors go by, oh
Memphis in June
With sweet oleander
Blowing perfume in the air
Up jumps a moon
To make that much grander
It's paradise, brother
Take my advice,
Nothing's half as nice
As Memphis in June
Annie Lennox's "Memphis in June" is a soft, tranquil song that paints a vivid picture of a lazy, peaceful Sunday in Memphis, Tennessee. The song starts with Lennox sitting on a shady veranda, admiring the blue sky and listening to a clock ticking away the afternoon. Her cousin, Amanda, is baking a blueberry pie nearby. Lennox's soothing voice is accompanied by a gentle, almost dreamy melody, that makes the listener feel as if they too are enjoying a peaceful moment on that veranda.
Lennox's descriptions pull the listener into this idyllic world, from the sweet perfume of the oleander blowing in the breeze to the sight of her granny rocking on the porch across the street. Lennox emphasizes the tranquility of the scene, describing it as "peacefully dandy." She contrasts this with the lively activity of the neighbors passing by, creating a sense of comfortable stillness in contrast with the active bustle of the community around.
The final verse reveals the true sentiment behind the song: Memphis in June is paradise, and there is nothing half as nice. This line speaks to the concept of being present in the moment and cherishing the simple pleasures of life. The song is a reminder to slow down and enjoy the small moments that make life sweet.
Line by Line Meaning
Memphis in June
The singer is in Memphis in the month of June
A shady veranda
She is sitting on a porch in the shade
Under a Sunday blue sky
It is a beautiful Sunday day with clear blue skies
And cousin Amanda
The singer's cousin named Amanda is present
Is making a blueberry pie
Amanda is baking a blueberry pie
I can hear the clock inside
The singer can hear the sound of a clock ticking
A-ticking and a-tocking
The clock is making a ticking and tocking sound
Everything is peacefully dandy
The atmosphere is peaceful and pleasant
I can see your granny
The singer sees someone's grandmother
'Cross the street still a rocking
The grandmother is rocking on the porch across the street
Watching all the neighbors go by, oh
The grandmother is watching the neighbors pass by
With sweet oleander
The air is fragrant with the scent of oleander flowers
Blowing perfume in the air
The flowers are emitting a fragrant scent
Up jumps a moon
The moon suddenly appears
To make that much grander
The presence of the moon makes the atmosphere even more beautiful
It's paradise, brother
The atmosphere is like being in paradise
Take my advice
The singer advises the listener to take her advice
Nothing's half as nice
Nothing is as nice as Memphis in June
As Memphis in June
Being in Memphis in June is a very pleasant experience
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: PAUL FRANCIS WEBSTER, HOAGY CARMICHAEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind