Musicians are a closely knit bunch. They love sharing ideas, and invoking their mentors by redoing their songs from time to time. Most times, this is very clear (tribute albums, acoustic concerts, etc.), but some times it's not.

In this feature, I play the original versions of songs you may have never known existed if it wasn't for the cover version that later soared up the charts.

In 1981, Kim Carnes made a name for herself with a sultry, new wave-ish song about the girl with the mysterious 'Bette Davis Eyes'. The song racked up Grammy Awards for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

The irony here is that Carnes was well known for her song writing capabilities, so it was always assumed she had penned 'Eyes', but that wasn't the case.

The song was written back in 1973 by Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss, and was originally recorded for DeShannon, who had scores a couple of hits in the '60s. The song went nowhere for her, and was later offered to Cher for a project in 1979, but she turned it down on the advice of her manager and former singing partner and husband, Sonny Bono.

The main difference between the two versions, and what may have made the song a hit for Carnes, was her decision to slow it down a bit, and intensify the electronic keyboards into more of sultry groove. DeShannon's version was done with honky-tonk pianos and had a light hearted feel that kind of made it more whimsical, which took away from the mystery of the lyrics. As in, 'what are Bette Davis Eyes?'

If you don't know, Bette Davis loved the song, and claimed it made her 'a part of modern times'.

 

 

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