
The other night I watched the wonderful classic 1942 film Now, Voyager, starring Bette Davis, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains on Turner Classic Movies. Seeing Davis in scenes on the cruise ship, her famous eyes luminescent beneath the wide-brimmed white hat, made me think of the 1981 Kim Carnes hit song “Bette Davis Eyes”. It’s my favorite song of 1981, and ranks among my favorite songs of all time.

“Bette Davis Eyes” was written in 1974 by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon, who’d had prior success with her hits “What the World Needs Now is Love” and “Put a Little Love in Your Heart”. With lyrics about a strong-willed, alluring and precocious woman with “Greta Garbo standoff sighs and Bette Davis eyes“, the song was originally recorded in 1974 by DeShannon for inclusion on her album New Arrangement. Her original recording has more of a country vibe, with twangy guitars and honky tonk piano, but it was Kim Carnes’ more synth-heavy 1981 version that made “Bette Davis Eyes” a massive worldwide hit. It spent nine weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and reached #1 in many countries, including Australia, Canada, France, Spain, Germany, Norway, Switzerland and South Africa. It was ranked the #1 song of 1981 on the Hot 100, and also won Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
Though she’d been writing and recording music for well over a decade, it wasn’t until 1980 that the raspy-voiced Carnes broke through with two top 10 hits – her duet with Kenny Rogers “Don’t Fall in Love With a Dreamer”, which she co-wrote with her husband Dave Ellingson, and a terrific cover of the Smokey Robinson song “More Love”. But it was her cover of “Bette Davis Eyes” that shot her to international fame and acclaim.
The song fell into her lap almost by accident during the search for material for her album Mistaken Identity, which she was recording with music producer/engineer Val Garay (who’d previously produced “More Love”). Garay later recalled that songwriter Donna Weiss had contacted him about a song she’d just written with Bruce Roberts that she wanted to play for him and Carnes. “So she came over and played us the song, and Kim and I kind of looked at each other and we thought, ‘Yeah, not bad.’ But it wasn’t what we were looking for. So she said, ‘Well, you know, I have this other song I gave to George Tobin and nothing ever came of it.’ And that was ‘Bette Davis Eyes.’ Kim had actually heard it before, and liked it. So she played the demo for me, and it was totally different than the record. It sounds like a Leon Russell track, with this beer-barrel polka piano part. But I loved the melody and I loved the lyrics.”
Garay had keyboardist Bill Cuomo come up with the signature synth riff, using a Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 synthesizer, which became a defining element of Carnes’ more sensual and rather mysterious version. The song was recorded in the studio on the first take. (Wikipedia, MIX webzine)
Bette Davis was 73 years old when Carnes’ version of “Bette Davis Eyes” became a hit, and was thrilled to have a song named after her and inspired by her legacy. She wrote letters to Carnes, Weiss, and DeShannon, telling them she loved the song and thanking them for making her “a part of modern times“, also adding that her grandson now looked up to her and told her she had “finally made it”. After their Grammy wins, Davis sent all three of them roses as well. In her 1987 memoir This ‘N’ That, Davis wrote “It was a thrill to become a part of the rock generation” as a result of the song. Carnes and Davis also struck up a special friendship, with Carnes visiting Davis at her home several times before her death in 1989.
Her hair is Harlow gold Her lips a sweet surprise Her hands are never cold She's got Bette Davis eyes She'll turn her music on you 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 a throne She 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 She'll expose you, when she snows you Off your feet with the crumbs, she throws you She's ferocious and she knows just what it Takes to make a pro blush All the boys think she's a spy, she's got Bette Davis eyes 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 All the boys think she's a spy, she's got Bette Davis eyes She'll tease you She'll unease you Just to please you She's got Bette Davis eyes She'll expose you When she snows you 'Cause she knows you, she's got Bette Davis Eyes She'll tease you
The song’s official video, which shows Kim Carnes singing in front of her support band before an audience of oddly-costumed people doing bizarre dance moves and symbolically slapping one another in sync with the percussive synths, is deeply unsatisfying to me. I think it would have been far more effective to have Carnes sing the song against a visual backdrop of scenes of Bette Davis from some of her most iconic film roles, but my guess is that it would have been prohibitively expensive or a lengthy legal process, or both, to obtain the rights to be able to include such scenes.
Here’s a simple audio of the song, which has much better sound quality:
I love this one too – such a great vocal.
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You know me well enough to know that the 80s were hit and miss to me but this one? I love it. I bought the single and Kim Carnes voice is just awesome. Most of my favorite female singers have some rasp in their voices. Her voice toughens it all up.
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I love female singers with deeper and raspier voices too.
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It all began when I heard Janis for the first time. I don’t like country much but Tanya Tucker I like because of that…and Bonnie Tyler.
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This is one of the ’80s songs that still hold up well for me. I’ve always liked Kim Carnes’ raspy voice. I also happen to dig the synthesizer sound on that tune. It’s a great song. The video is pretty awkward though.
Have you also heard the tune’s original recording? Based on the way you described it, it sounds intriguing to me (honky tonk piano and twangy guitars).
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Yes, I listened to Jackie DeShannon’s original version in preparation to write this post.
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Thanks! So I just listened to the original as well. Two reactions: 1. Pretty cool. 2. Now I’m even more impressed with the The Kim Carnes version, which is really more of a remake than a cover.
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That song is iconic for sure. Cool back story. I had no idea Bette Davis was alive at the time the song was popular.
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Jeff great perspective on a great song
The lyrics are haunting and Kim brings the reality of the lyrics forward with her earthy delivery
It’s been a fav of mine for years.
Thanks for bringing it forward to those who may not have heard it or for some that remember and it it makes them smile!
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Thanks for reading and commenting Joanne!
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I had no idea this song was a cover and it’s great to hear Bette Davis’ reaction to the song. Wonderful write-up as usual.
I really like this song but my wife absolutely loves it. It’s probably in her top 3 of all time!
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Thanks Horacio!
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I am not sure I knew this was a cover. I thought it was always just Kim’s. Her version is fantastic.
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Oh man, whenever I compile a list of favorite 80s songs, this one always escapes me. I don’t know because it’s great! A German band covered it in the 80s called Familie Silly. It’s pretty much the same as Kim Carnes but I always liked its live version because the singer looks a lot like Bette Davis. Hopefully the link works 🤷♂️
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Never mind, it won’t let me post the link. Sry
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Have not heard this in some time – listened just now – thanks for posting EML!
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Thanks for listening blackwings666!
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Great choice. Her vocals are outstanding.
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I liked her raspy vocal style.
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I love this song. There’s an official video?!!! Omg. So glad to know. 🙂
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ooop. you said the video sucks. most videos back then weren’t good. it’s ok. i usually just have videos playing in the background. 🙂
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LOL. It’s not that bad, but could have been much better.
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