Bette Davis Eyes
| Bette Davis Eyes | |
|---|---|
| Kim Carnes | |
| publication | March 27, 1981 |
| length | 3:45 |
| Genre (s) | Pop , new wave |
| Author (s) | Jackie DeShannon , Donna Weiss |
| Producer (s) | Val Garay |
| album | Mistaken Identity |
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Chart positions Explanation of the data |
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Bette Davis Eyes is a song by Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss that became known worldwide in 1981 as a version by Kim Carnes . The version by Kim Carnes was released as a single on March 27, 1981 and was a number one hit in over 30 countries including the USA, Germany and Switzerland. The piece was also released on Carne's album Mistaken Identity .
Origin and content
Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss wrote the piece, which is about a woman, her eyes like Bette Davis has and the men turned the heads, in 1974. First, a demo was recorded, which according to producer Val Garay "like a song by Leon Russell with the piano part of the Beer Barrel Polka ”sounded. In 1975 the song was released on DeShannon's album New Arrangement .
When recording with Kim Carnes in 1981, the synthesizer used was a Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 played by Bill Cuomo. The published recording is a live take and the mix is the first raw mix. Producer Val Garay said in a 2003 interview that the energy of this mix was the best. Since there were no separate tracks, no maxi version of the title was created.
The 73-year-old Davis was delighted with the success of the song and wrote letters to Carnes and the composers, in which she thanked her for having made her “a part of modern times” and thus earned her the recognition of her grandson.
Music video
Russell Mulcahy directed the music video . At the beginning of the video, Kim Carnes is lying in a bed with a shadow on the wall. Then she sings the song with some accompanying musicians in a dance hall. The costumed audience dances to it. At the end of the clip, Carnes is in bed again.
More cover versions
- 1981: Ute Berling
- 1982: Silly
- 1982: Sylvie Vartan (live version)
- 1982: Alvin and the Chipmunks
- 1994: Stars on 45 (Star Wars and Other Hits)
- 2000: Gwyneth Paltrow
- 2004: Mylo (In My Arms)
- 2013: Milk Inc.
- 2014: Kylie Minogue
- 2016: Michael von der Heide
Web links
- Kim Carnes - Bette Davis Eyes at Discogs (English)
- Music video on YouTube
Individual evidence
- ↑ Sources chart positions: DE AT CH UK US
- ↑ Classic Tracks: Bette Davis Eyes (Mixonline) ( Memento of the original from December 2, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ 'Feud': 7 Ways Bette Davis Defied and Defined Hollywood . In: The Hollywood Reporter . ( hollywoodreporter.com [accessed April 6, 2018]).
- ↑ Music video on Youtube.com
