Chart Performance: Pop (#1) & Adult Contemporary (#10); 1979
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
If you own a copy of White Bucks And Saddle Shoes by Bobby Pedrick, Jr., then you have the first chart single (#74; 1958) by the future Robert John. My Jelly Bean by Bobby and The Consoles on Diamond Records (1963) is also a Robert John 45. Finally, Pedrick – as Robert John – broke into the Top 50 with If You Don’t Want My Love (1964) and then the Top 10 four years later with a re-recording of The Tokens 1961 super hit, The Lion Sleeps Tonight. With a #3 record under his belt, Robert thought success was his, yet, his record label refused to finance a full album. So he quit the music biz. In 1978 a producer friend urged Robert to try his hand writing a song similar to Toby Beau’s #1 AC hit, My Angel Baby. The result of Robert’s effort, Sad Eyes, bumped 1979’s #1 single My Sharona from the top slot.
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:
- George Tobin in association with Mike Piccirillo
Lyrics Written by:
- Robert John
Awards:
- Robert John was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for “Sad Eyes” in 1980
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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