Chart Performance: Pop (#1 for 9 weeks); 1981
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
The Top 3 records of 1981 – Physical, Bette Davis Eyes, and Endless Love – were also the Top 3 for the decade. Bette Davis Eyes first saw the light of day on an album by its cocomposer, singer Jackie DeShannon, on her 1974 New Arrangement album. According to Kim, she first heard the song about a year before she recorded it. After several days of rehearsal, she and the band laid it down live with no overdubs, and they nailed it on the second take. Carnes wasn’t initially sold on Bette Davis Eyes. However, when keyboardist Bill Cuomo came up with some unique chord changes, she knew she had something. Interestingly, the #2 single for three weeks behind Kim, was Being With You, a song singer Smokey Robinson originally earmarked for Kim. At the 1981 Grammies, Eyes walked off with awards for Record and Song Of The Year. It made its movie debut in John Hughes’ The Great Outdoors, starring John Candy and Dan Ackroyd.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2023 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Val Garay
Lyrics Written by:
- Donna Weiss
- Jackie DeShannon
Awards:
- Won Record of the Year at the 24th Grammy Awards in 1982.
- Won Song of the Year at the 24th Grammy Awards in 1982.
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).
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