On the Billboard Hot 100, the song was No. 1 for five weeks, interrupted for just one week by "Stars on 45" before it returned to the top spot for another four weeks, becoming Billboard's biggest hit of the year.[8] The single also reached No. 5 on Billboard's Top Tracks charts and No. 26 on the Dance charts.[9] It reached No. 2 in Canada for twelve consecutive weeks, and was 1981's No. 2 hit in that country, after "Stars on 45".[10][11] It peaked at No. 10 in the United Kingdom,[12] to date Carnes's only Top 40 hit in that country. Additionally, it ranked No. 12 on Billboard's list of the top 100 songs in the first 50 years of the magazine's Hot 100.[6] "Bette Davis Eyes" was a No. 1 hit in 21 countries.[13]
Backgroundedit
"Bette Davis Eyes" was written in 1974 by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon, the latter of whom recorded the song that same year for her album New Arrangement.[14] In this original incarnation, the track is performed in an "R&B lite" arrangement,[1] featuring a prominent, uptempo piano part, as well as flourishes of pedal steel guitar and horns.[15] However, it was not until March 1981,[16] when Carnes recorded her version of the song in a radically different, synthesizer-based arrangement, that it became a commercial success.
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."[a] Keyboardist Bill Cuomo, using the Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 synthesizer, came up with the signature riff which defines Carnes's version. The recording was done in a single take.[18]
Actress Bette Davis was 73 when Carnes's version became a hit. She wrote letters to Carnes, Weiss, and DeShannon to thank them for making her "a part of modern times", and said that her grandson now looked up to her. After their Grammy wins, Davis sent them roses, and accepted the gift of gold and platinum records from Carnes, and hanging them on her wall.[13][19]
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
Gwyneth Paltrow versionedit
American actress Gwyneth Paltrow covered "Bette Davis Eyes" for the soundtrack for the 2000 road trip film Duets.[67] This version was released as a single in Australia on March 26, 2001,[68] debuting and peaking at No. 3 on the ARIA Singles Chart on April 8, 2001.[69] It spent nine weeks in the top 10,[69] and came in at No. 35 on Australia's year-end chart for 2001. It earned a platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association for shipping more than 70,000 units.[70]
^The demo can be heard in a TAXI TV interview with Garay, at 21:50.[17]
Referencesedit
^ abGreenwald, Matthew. "Bette Davis Eyes – Song Review". AllMusic. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
^Useted, Tom (February 18, 2010). "Jackie DeShannon: Jackie DeShannon, Me About You / To Be Free, New Arrangement". PopMatters. Retrieved May 3, 2014. It's hard to approach this album without focusing on the presence of "Bette Davis Eyes", which, issued forth from the tortured larynx of Kim Carnes, became one of the defining new-wave records.
^"80s classics that should be remade". Virgin Media. Archived from the original on February 23, 2015.
^Doyle, Tom (March 2005). "Mylo". Sound on Sound. Retrieved June 30, 2014.
^Breihan, Tom (May 6, 2020). "The Number Ones: Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes". Stereogum. Retrieved July 19, 2023. The new version of 'Bette Davis Eyes' is state-of-the-art '80s synth-rock.
^ ab"The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs (20-11)". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008.
^"80sonVEVO GAMV Takeover Week 9 w/ FEATURED VIDEO Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes"". March 20, 2013. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
^ ab"Top 100 Hits for 1981". The Longbored Surfer. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
^ ab"Kim Carnes – Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
^ abBronson, Fred (1992). Billboard Book of Number One Hits (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Billboard Publications, Inc. p. 543. ISBN 0-8230-8298-9.
^Cad, Saint (October 14, 2012). "10 More Famous Songs with Unknown Originals". Listverse. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
^Deming, Mark. "Jackie DeShannon – New Arrangement". AllMusic. Retrieved June 10, 2014.
^ ab"Kim Carnes – Bette Davis Eyes" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
^"Legendary Producer Val Garay". Ustream. November 27, 2012. Archived from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
^Jackson, Blair. "Classic Tracks: Kim Carnes' "Bette Davis Eyes"". Mix. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014.
^Bubbeo, Daniel (October 29, 2001). The Women of Warner Brothers: The Lives and Careers of 15 Leading Ladies, with Filmographies for Each. McFarland. ISBN 9780786411375.
^"Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes – Digital Sheet Music". Alfred Publishing. August 23, 2012. Retrieved April 28, 2021 – via Musicnotes.
^"Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. March 28, 1981. p. 1. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
^"The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List". Billboard. October 13, 2023. Archived from the original on November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
^Sheffield, Rob (November 23, 2023). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1980s". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on November 27, 2023. Retrieved November 27, 2023.
^Bette Davis Eyes (US 7-inch Single liner notes). Kim Carnes. EMI. 1981. 006-86 359.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Bette Davis Eyes (US 12-inch Maxi Single liner notes). Kim Carnes. EMI. 1986. 052-86 359.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^"Australia No. 1 hits -- 1980's". World Charts. Archived from the original on January 9, 2017. Retrieved June 19, 2014.
^"Kim Carnes – Bette Davis Eyes" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
^Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Kim Carnes". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021(PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 43. Retrieved June 23, 2022.
^"Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 80's". InfoDisc (in French). Retrieved May 12, 2016.
^ ab"The Irish Charts – Search Results – Bette Davis Eyes". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 24, 1981" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
^"Kim Carnes – Bette Davis Eyes" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
^"Kim Carnes – Bette Davis Eyes". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
^"Kim Carnes – Bette Davis Eyes". VG-lista. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
^"South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (C)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
^Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
^"Kim Carnes – Bette Davis Eyes". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 3, 2014.
^"New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 26th March 2001" (PDF). ARIA. March 26, 2001. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 20, 2002. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
^ ab"Australian-charts.com – Gwyneth Paltrow – Bette Davis Eyes". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
^"2001 ARIA Singles Chart". ARIA. Retrieved June 26, 2020.
^Keefe, Jonathan (November 28, 2011). "Review: Taylor Swift, Speak Now World Tour Live". Slant Magazine. Retrieved January 1, 2024.