Bette Davis was often filmed in close-up shots because the camera loved her distinctive eyes. Her eyes were a deep blue, yet they appeared to be brown in her black and white movies.
Writer Graham Green wrote:
“Even the most inconsiderable film … seemed temporarily better than they were because of that precise, nervy voice, the pale ash-blond hair, the popping, neurotic eyes, a kind of corrupt and phosphorescent prettiness.“
The song Bette Davis Eyes was written by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon. They were inspired to write the tune after seeing Davis in Now Voyager (1942) where, along with Paul Henreid and Claude Rains, her eyes are one of the stars of the film.
In spring 1981, the song was recorded by Kim Carnes, but DeShannon had already recorded the song on her album New Arrangement in 1975. Still, it was Carnes’ version that became the big hit.
Bette Davis Eyes was so big that year; ubiquitous really. There was no escaping it. It was the Number One song of 1981, and the third bestselling song of the entire 1980s decade, only behind Physical by Olivia Newton John and Endless Love from Diana Ross and Lionel Richie. In 1981, it won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year and Record of the Year. This tune spent a total of nine weeks at Number One on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart during April, May, and June. It remained in the Top 40 for about 20 weeks. It was the first single from the Carnes’ album Mistaken Identity, which was the Number One album of the year, selling over nine million copies.
In 1980, Carnes was a 34-year-old singer and songwriter who had experience in Hollywood and the music business. She started her career at 18 in Los Angeles, singing commercial jingles.
In the 1960s she joined the New Christy Minstrels, a folk group that also featured the late Kenny Rogers. She had a couple of solo albums in the 1970s. But, she was more successful at songwriting, composing hits for Frank Sinatra, David Cassidy, Rogers, and others.
She recorded a duet with Rogers, Don’t Fall In Love With A Dreamer in early 1980 which went to Number Five on the Billboard pop charts. Her 1980 album Romance Dance sold well and included Carnes’ first solo Top 10 hit, a really nice cover of Smokey Robinson‘s More Love.
On a search for new material, Carnes had Weiss bring some of her songs to the studio where she was working. One was a demo for a reworked version of Bette Davis Eyes. Carnes and her producer both liked the melody and the lyrics, but they decided on more contemporary New Wave sound, heavy on the synthesizers. Carnes recorded the song in three takes with no over-dubs. Her distinctive raspy vocal style reminded me of a female Rod Stewart.
Davis was still very much alive when Bette Davis Eyes became a hit. In fact, she was still working in films and television. She heard about the song from her young niece who played it for her on her Sony Walkman. She wrote letters to Carnes, Weiss and DeShannon thanking them for making her “a part of modern times”. Carnes:
“After the release of the record, Miss Davis sent me a note explaining how much she loved the song and that she was especially thrilled because her young grandson now considered her to be very contemporary. I developed a warm and special friendship with Miss Davis that lasted through the years. Shortly before her death, I sang the song live for her at a tribute held in her honor.“
Besides Bette Davis Eyes, Davis is also mentioned in Madonna‘s Number One hit song of 1990, Vogue.
Bette Davis Eyes has been covered by Taylor Swift in 2011, Gweneth Paltrow‘s vagina in 2000 and in 2014 by Kylie Minogue.
Her hair is Harlow gold
Her lips are sweet surprise
Her hands are never cold
She’s got Bette Davis eyes
You won’t have to think twice
She’s pure as New York snow
She got Bette Davis eyes
And she’ll tease you, she’ll unease you
All the better just to please you
She’s precocious, and she knows just what it
Takes to make a pro blush
She got Greta Garbo’s standoff sighs
She’s got Bette Davis eyes
She’ll let you take her home
It whets her appetite
She’ll lay you on the throne
She’s got Bette Davis eyes
She’ll take a tumble on you
Roll you like you were dice
Until you come out blue
She’s got Bette Davis eyes
Weiss/DeShannon, 1974
