Bette Davis Eyes

"Bette Davis Eyes"
Single by Kim Carnes
from the album Mistaken Identity
B-side	"Miss You Tonight"
Released	March 27, 1981
Format	7" vinyl, 12" vinyl
Recorded	1980
Genre	Soft rock
Length	3:48
Label	EMI America
Writer(s)	Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon
Producer	Val Garay
Kim Carnes singles chronology
"Cry Like a Baby" (1980) "Bette Davis Eyes" (1981) "Draw of the Cards" (1981)
Music sample "Bette Davis Eyes"

"Bette Davis Eyes" is a song written in 1974 by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon and made popular by American singer-songwriter Kim Carnes.

History

The song was written in 1974 by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon. DeShannon recorded the song that same year on her album New Arrangement. But it was not until 1981, when Kim Carnes recorded her version of the song, that it became a commercial success.

The Carnes version spent nine non-consecutive weeks on top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 (interrupted for one week by the "Stars on 45 Medley") and was Billboard's number one single of 1981. The single also peaked at No. 26 on the dance charts. The song won the Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year. The song was also a number one hit in 31 countries, including Germany, Australia, Switzerland, Italy, Norway, Japan, and Brazil, but it achieved more moderate success in the United Kingdom, where it peaked at No. 10. The music video was directed by Russell Mulcahy.

According to producer Val Garay, the original demo of the tune that was brought to him sounded like "a Leon Russell track, with this beer-barrel polka piano part." Keyboardist Bill Cuomo came up with the signature synth riff, using the then-new Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 synthesizer, which now defines Carnes' version. The song was recorded completely live in the studio on the first take.

Bette Davis admitted to being a fan of the song and approached Carnes and the songwriters to thank them for making her "a part of modern times."

The song was ranked at No. 12 on Billboard's list of the top 100 songs in the first 50 years of the Billboard Hot 100 chart and at No. 2 on the biggest hits of the 80s.[3]

Music video

The video opens in a dance hall with a black-draped leaning figure. The drape opens to reveal Kim Carnes wearing sunglasses as she sings the first verse. In the first chorus, she performs with a band; halfway dancers enter the hall. In the second verse, the dancers make slapping and floor-pounding dance motions. They disappear and reappear in the second chorus. The song finishes with the dancers making dance motions while approaching Carnes; the band is already gone when the video ends with the black-draped leaning figure. A shadowed silhouette of Bette Davis smoking a cigarette appears throughout the video. The video was directed by Australian film director Russell Mulcahy.

Lyrics

There is much confusion over whether the lyrics are "she knows just what it takes to make a crow blush" or "... pro blush." Jackie DeShannon sings "crow" in her version, and Kim Carnes recorded it as "pro" from a mistranscription of the lyrics. This error has proliferated through numerous cover versions. The phrase "could make a crow blush" is an early 20th century Midwestern United States colloquialism meaning that one could unease someone with little effort, and the arranger from Carnes's version was unfamiliar with the term.^{[citation needed]}

Appearances in other media

• Voice of America used the song as background when announcing the death of Bette Davis on October 6, 1989, as did other radio and TV stations around the world that day.
• The song is referenced in "Glory of the 80s" by Tori Amos.
• The song was played in Take Me Home Tonight, directed by Michael Dowse.

Track listings

7" Single

1. Bette Davis Eyes 3:45
2. Miss You Tonite 5:11

12" Single

1. Bette Davis Eyes 3:45
2. Miss You Tonite 5:11

Chart positions

Chart (1981/2007)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks	15
UK Singles Chart	10
German Singles Chart	1
Austrian Singles Chart	2
Swiss Singles Chart	1
Dutch Top 40	17
French Singles Chart	1
Italian Singles Chart	1
Brazilian Singles Chart	1
Swedish Singles Chart	1
Norwegian Singles Chart	1
Danish Singles Chart	14
Australia Singles Chart	1
New Zealand Singles Chart	2

Preceded by "Morning Train (Nine to Five)" by Sheena Easton "Stars on 45 Medley" by Stars on 45	Billboard Hot 100 number-one single May 16, 1981 - June 13, 1981 June 27, 1981 - July 18, 1981	Succeeded by "Stars on 45 Medley" by Stars on 45 "The One That You Love" by Air Supply
Preceded by "This Ole House" by Shakin' Stevens	Australian Kent Music Report number-one single June 15, 1981 - July 13, 1981	Succeeded by "Stars on 45 Medley" by Stars on 45
Preceded by "Stars on 45 Medley" by Stars on 45	Swiss number-one single July 5, 1981 - August 16, 1981	Succeeded by "More Stars" by Stars on 45
Preceded by "Stars on 45 Medley" by Stars on 45	German Singles Chart July 10, 1981 - August 21, 1981	Succeeded by "Dance Little Bird (Chicken Dance)" by Electronica's
Preceded by "Pour le plaisir" by Herbert Léonard	French SNEP number one single July 17, 1981 - October 23, 1981	Succeeded by "La danse des canards" by J.J. Lionel
Preceded by "(Out Here) On My Own" by Nikka Costa	Italian Singles Chart number-one single November 21, 1981 – December 11, 1981	Succeeded by "Cicale" by Heather Parisi
Preceded by "Hubba Hubba Zoot-Zoot" by Caramba	Norwegian VG-lista number-one single June 15, 1981 – August 27, 1981	Succeeded by "For Your Eyes Only" by Sheena Easton

Cover versions

• Alvin and the Chipmunks covered this song in 1982 on their album Chipmunk Rock.
• The East German band Silly (then still known as Familie Silly) made a note-for-note cover of the song in 1982, released as a single with three other cover hits by East German stars. Performance of covers of Western pop hits was a contractual requirement for East German recording artists, to avoid having to pay the performance royalties for the original versions. As such, it is the only song ever released by Silly in English.
• Italo disco act China Town covered the song in 1983.
• Actress Gwyneth Paltrow performed the song in the movie Duets (2000), and her single release was a hit in some parts of the world.
• Handsome Devil covered the song in 2004, featured on their second CD Knock Yourself Out.
• American indie band Sexton Blake covered the song for their 2007 album Plays the Hits.
• Australian singer Paul Dempsey covered this song on his 2009 solo single Ramona Was a Waitress.
• Actress Leighton Meester, star of the CW hit series Gossip Girl, recorded a cover of the song which was leaked via Perez Hilton.
• Canadian R&B/Soul singer, Mac Graham, released a cover version in 2011 (from his solo album, Midnight).
• American singer/songwriter Taylor Swift covered this song in 2011 on her Speak Now World Tour. The cover was then included in her 'Speak Now: World Tour Live' album, released the same year.

Live cover performances

• French singer Sylvie Vartan performed the song during her Live in Las Vegas Concert in 1982 (it is included in her Integrale Live box set) and during her 2004 show at the Palais des Congrès (also included in her "Live au Palais des Congrès 2004" album and DVD).
• A live recording by Brad Roberts of the Crash Test Dummies was included on his first solo CD, 2001's Crash Test Dude.
• Tori Amos performed the song at one of her concerts at Phoenix, Arizona in 2005.
• German Idol contestant and later winner of the second season Elli Erl performed the song on the Top 4 round on February 14, 2004.
• Australian Idol contestant Brooke Addamo performed the song on the Top 11, 80's themed night on the 2008 season of the show.
• American Idol contestant Jesse Langseth performed the song on the Top 36 round on February 25, 2009, and although she was not voted through by the public, she was granted a second chance by the judges with a wild-card.
• Brandon Flowers of The Killers performed the song during his Flamingo Road Tour, including one of his concerts at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel & Casino, as well as a performance at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He also performed the song as part of his set on the British music TV show Live From Abbey Road in July 2011.
• Taylor Swift covered the song while on her 2011 Speak Now Tour in Los Angeles, California, as part of a tribute to musicians from LA (Kim Carnes).

Sampling

• Scottish electronica artist Mylo sampled this song for his 2005 single "In My Arms".
• Swedish singer September sampled the track for a song called "Midnight Heartache" on her 2005 album In Orbit.
• Play-N-Skillz sampled the tune of the original song for hip hop artist Akon's 2009 song "Angel Eyez".

Parodies

• The song was parodied by Bruce "Babyman" Baum in 1981, as "Marty Feldman's Eyes".
• The title was also parodied by Half Man Half Biscuit in their song "Dickie Davies' Eyes" (where Dickie Davies was the presenter of the British sports programme World of Sport). Shirley Stockewell recorded a parody called "Lizzy Taylor Thighs."
• Eddie Murphy's character Buckwheat on Saturday Night Live parodied the song in a commercial parody named "Buh-Weet Sings". He sang the lyrics so incoherently that question marks appeared on the screen instead of the song's title.
• A Norwegian parody was made in 1981 called "Ivar Medaas Øyne" (Ivar Medaas Eyes) by Prima Vera. The parody made fun of the folk singer Ivar Medaas' eyes. The song spawned controversy and Ivar Medaas ended up suing Prima Vera.
• Various parodies that were played on the Doctor Demento Show included: "Jimmy Durante Nose", "Col. Sanders Thighs", and "Lou Ferrigno Thighs".
• Dire Straits made a joking reference to the song on the track "Industrial Disease" from the album Love Over Gold ("I don't know how you came to get the Bette Davis knees / But worst of all young man, you've got Industrial Disease.")

References

• Guinness Book of British Hit Singles
• Official German Charts "Number 1 Finder"

External links

• EMI music video