"Eyes Are the Soul" is the third and final single from

MC Lyte Lana Michele Moorer (born October 11, 1970), better known by her stage name MC Lyte, is an American rapper, DJ, actress and entrepreneur. Considered one of the pioneers of female rap, Lyte first gained fame in the late 1980s, becoming the first ...

's third album '' Act Like You Know''. Produced by

Wolf The wolf (''Canis lupus''; : wolves), also known as the gray wolf or grey wolf, is a large canine native to Eurasia and North America. More than thirty subspecies of ''Canis lupus'' have been recognized, and gray wolves, as popularly u ...

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements Epic or EPIC may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and medi ...

, it was released on April 9, 1992. In the song Lyte talks about

social issues A social issue is a problem that affects many people within a society. It is a group of common problems in present-day society and ones that many people strive to solve. It is often the consequence of factors extending beyond an individual's cont ...

such as

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...

, crack and

teenage pregnancy Teenage pregnancy, also known as adolescent pregnancy, is pregnancy in a female adolescent or young adult under the age of 20. This includes those who are legally considered adults in their country. The WHO defines adolescence as the period bet ...

Conception and composition

In each verse of the song, Lyte describes a different afflicted person. The first person in the narrative is a male with HIV–AIDS, the second person is a crack addict wanted by the law, and the third is a young, black, pregnant teenager who is considering

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

. Shortly after the single was released, speaking at a

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

school, she confessed that "Sometimes I get discouraged when I do songs like this and they don't get as popular as (others). I'm just trying to get the message out." During an interview with ''

Ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus ''Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when pol ...

'' in 2012, Lyte commented on the song's AIDS prevention message:

Appearances

"Eyes Are the Soul" was included on her compilation albums ''

The Very Best of MC Lyte ''The Very Best of MC Lyte'' is a compilation album by MC Lyte. It was released on September 4, 2001, for Atlantic Records and Rhino Entertainment Rhino Entertainment Company is an American specialty record label and production company foun ...

'' (2001), ''Rhyme Masters'' (2005), and ''Cold Rock a Party – Best of MC Lyte'' (2019) The music video was included on the compilation video album ''Lyte Years'' (1991).

Critical reception

Connie Johnson of the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' highlighted the song in her album review, saying "AIDS, crack addiction and teen pregnancy are topics treated with nonjudgmental empathy." James Bernard of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' called the song "my own favorite", commenting "Lyte slips into a storytelling mode to convey the anguish of her peers who are grappling with AIDS, drug addiction, and the specter of the abortion clinic. Rather than tossing around empty rhetoric, Lyte takes us face-to-face with these people, forcing us to look into their eyes." In a retrospective review,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Alex Henderson also highlighted the song, describing it as "a poignant reflection on the destruction caused by crack cocaine". In a 2010 review, Quentin B. Huff of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' commented on the song "In ''“Eyes Are the Soul”'', MC Lyte turns the eyes into symbols of our collective humanity. There's a frailty in this symbolism, one that is echoed by the swelling synth backdrop and busy but light percussion." further highlighting its similarities to the

TLC TLC may refer to: Arts and entertainment Television * ''TLC'' (TV series), a 2002 British situational comedy television series that aired on BBC2 * TLC (TV network), formerly the Learning Channel, an American cable TV network ** TLC (Asia), an A ...

hit song "

Waterfalls A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

". In the book ''Stare in the Darkness: The Limits of Hip-hop and Black Politics'' (2011), political scientist

Lester Spence Lester K. Spence (born June 5, 1969), Professor of Political Science and Africana studies at Johns Hopkins University is known for his academic critiques of neoliberalism and his media commentary and research on race, urban politics, and police vio ...

commented on the song:

Single track listing

12" Vinyl

A-Side

# "Eyes Are the Soul" (Soul Remix) (4:10) # "Eyes Are the Soul" (Jazzy Soul Remix) (5:24)

B-Side

# "Eyes Are the Soul" (LP Version) (3:53) # "Eyes Are the Soul" (Soul Remix Instrumental) (4:10)

Cassette Maxi-Single

A-Side

# "Eyes Are the Soul" (Soul Remix) (4:10) # "Eyes Are the Soul" (Jazzy Soul Remix) (5:24)

B-Side

# "Eyes Are the Soul" (LP Version) (3:53) # "Eyes Are the Soul" (Soul Remix Instrumental) (4:10)

Personnel

Credits are taken from the liner notes. *Lyrics By – MC Lyte *Mixed By – Carman Rizzo *Music By – Bret Mazur, Richard Wolf *Producer – Wolf & Epic

Charts

References

{{authority control 1992 songs Songs written by Epic Mazur MC Lyte songs Atlantic Records singles Songs written by Richard Wolf Songs about drugs Songs about HIV/AIDS Songs about abortion Songs written by MC Lyte