"Bette Davis Eyes" is a song made popular by American
singer-songwriter, Kim Carnes.
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 Kim Carnes recording of the song 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
over eight million copies of the album on which the song
appeared,
Mistaken Identity, were sold. The single went on to
become the highest seller of the year and 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 UK Singles Chart, peaking at
number ten. 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 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 number 12 on 's list of the top 100
songs in the first 50 years of the
BillboardHot 100 chart.[1]
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(Volare)" ·
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"Theme from A Summer
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"I Left My Heart in San
Francisco" ·
"Days of Wine and
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"The Girl from
Ipanema" ·
"A Taste of
Honey" ·
"Strangers in the
Night" ·
"Up, Up and
Away" ·
"Mrs. Robinson"
"Aquarius/Let the Sunshine
In" ·
"Bridge over Troubled
Water" ·
"It's Too
Late" ·
"The First Time Ever I Saw
Your Face" ·
"Killing Me Softly with His
Song" ·
"I Honestly Love
You" ·
"Love Will Keep Us
Together" ·
"This
Masquerade" ·
"Hotel
California" ·
"Just the Way You
Are"
"What a Fool
Believes" ·
"Sailing" ·
"
Bette Davis Eyes
" ·
"Rosanna" ·
"Beat It" ·
"What's Love Got to Do with
It" ·
"We Are the
World" ·
"Higher Love" ·
"Graceland" ·
"Don't Worry, Be
Happy"
"Wind Beneath My
Wings" ·
"Another Day in
Paradise" ·
"Unforgettable" ·
"Tears in
Heaven" ·
"I Will Always Love
You" ·
"All I Wanna
Do" ·
"Kiss from a
Rose" ·
"Change the
World" ·
"Sunny Came
Home" ·
"My Heart Will Go On"
"Smooth" ·
"Beautiful
Day" ·
"Walk On" ·
"Don't Know
Why" ·
"Clocks" ·
"Here We Go
Again" ·
"Boulevard of Broken
Dreams" ·
"Not Ready to Make
Nice" ·
"Rehab" ·
"Please Read the
Letter"
"Use Somebody"
