"Peace" is the eighth and final studio album by British pop duo Eurythmics, released on October 18, 1999, by RCA Records. It marked the band's first album of new material in 10 years, following 1989's We Too Are One.
After their first performance together in eight years at a record company party in 1998, Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart began writing and recording again. They convened at The Church Studios to create new music, having previously recorded their Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This) album there in 1984. By the time they learned of their upcoming Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music, they had already written half an album's worth of songs.
Much of the songwriting happened in the studio, where Stewart and Lennox frequently restructured their material. Stewart described the process as "creating a collage," where his melodic ideas and Lennox's lyrics evolved through multiple iterations. They used a Marantz CDR640 CD recorder for its audio capabilities, allowing them to easily listen to different mixes and arrangements.
The album's title reflects the duo's concern with global conflict and world peace. It was promoted with a concert on the Greenpeace vessel Rainbow Warrior II, followed by a world tour called the Peacetour, with all profits going to Amnesty International and Greenpeace. The tour's final show on December 6, 1999, at the London Docklands Arena was filmed and released on VHS and DVD.
The lead single, "I Saved the World Today," reached number 11 on the UK singles chart, marking their highest-charting single there since 1986. The second single, "17 Again," was released in January 2000, reaching the UK top 30 and topping the US Hot Dance Club Play chart. In May 2000, "Peace Is Just a Word" was released as a promotional single in the UK, with "Beautiful Child" as its B-side.
On November 14, 2005, Sony BMG repackaged Eurythmics' back catalogue as "Deluxe Edition Reissues." The 2005 reissue of Peace included alternate mixes of many songs compared to the original 1999 release. Notably, "I've Tried Everything" had a more upbeat mix with additional drums. Other songs with mix differences included "17 Again," "I Saved the World Today," "Forever," and "Power to the Meek," while live tracks replaced the original studio versions of "I Want It All" and "Peace Is Just a Word."
