''Mistaken Identity'' is the sixth studio album by American singer

Kim Carnes Kim Carnes (; born July 20, 1945) is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, she began her career as a songwriter in the 1960s, writing for other artists while performing in local clubs and working as a sess ...

, released in April 1981 by

EMI America Records EMI America Records was started in 1978 by EMI as a second US label next to Capitol Records. It absorbed Liberty Records in 1984. In the late 1980s, EMI America was consolidated with Manhattan Records to form EMI Manhattan Records, which late ...

. The album spent four weeks at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200, and was subsequently certified platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA). It was nominated for the

Grammy Award for Album of the Year The Grammy Award for Album of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without regar ...

. The album's lead single "

Bette Davis Eyes "Bette Davis Eyes" is a song written and composed by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon in 1974. It was originally recorded by DeShannon in that year for her album '' New Arrangement'' but it was made popular by American singer Kim Carnes in 1981 wh ...

" peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for nine non-consecutive weeks and topped the Hot 100 year-end chart of 1981. Follow-up singles " Draw of the Cards" and "Mistaken Identity" reached numbers 28 and 60 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, respectively. ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wo ...

'' said of the title track that "Dreamy sax/keyboard colors provide the backdrop for arnes'vocal longing."

Release and promotion

The album's supporting tour, titled the Mistaken Identity Summer Tour '81, ran from August to October 1981, split into two legs. The first leg began in

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...

on August 16. It was Carnes' first time headlining a tour. Gary U.S. Bonds was the support act.

Commercial performance

''Mistaken Identity'' became Carnes' best-selling album, and her first to chart within the US Top 40. It entered the ''Billboard'' 200 at no. 66 in the week of May 2, 1981, and climbed to No. 1 in its ninth week. It spent a total of four weeks at the top of the chart, selling 1 million copies and earning Platinum certification. The album's success was buoyed by its lead single "

", which spent nine non-consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 between May and July 1981. Subsequent singles " Draw of the Cards" and "Mistaken Identity" peaked at No. 28 and No. 60, respectively.

Track listing

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Mistaken Identity''.

Musicians

– lead vocals ; piano * Bill Cuomo – arrangements ;

Prophet In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...

* Steve Goldstein – keyboards * Bryan Garofalo – bass, background vocals *

Craig Krampf Craig Krampf (born October 22, 1954) is an American drummer, percussionist, arranger, record producer and songwriter. The majority of his notable credits are as a studio drummer. Since the 1970s, he has played on albums by other artists ranging f ...

– drums, background vocals * Craig Hull – electric guitar,

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...

, background vocals *

Josh Leo Josh Leo (born 1953 in Des Moines, Iowa) is an American guitarist, songwriter, and record producer active in Nashville, Tennessee. Leo was born in Des Moines, Iowa, but was raised in Kansas City, Missouri. In 1976, he moved to Chicago, Illinois ...

– electric guitar, acoustic guitar,

mandolin A mandolin ( it, mandolino ; literally "small mandola") is a stringed musical instrument in the lute family and is generally plucked with a pick. It most commonly has four courses of doubled strings tuned in unison, thus giving a total of 8 ...

, background vocals * M. L. Benoit – percussion * Jerry Peterson – saxophone *

Waddy Wachtel Robert "Waddy" Wachtel (born May 24, 1947) is an American musician, composer and record producer, most notable for his guitar work. Wachtel has worked as session musician for other artists such as Linda Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, Kim Carnes, Randy ...

– electric guitar ; acoustic guitar ;

harmony vocals Vocal harmony is a style of vocal music in which a consonant note or notes are simultaneously sung as a main melody in a predominantly homophonic texture. Vocal harmonies are used in many subgenres of European art music, including Classical chora ...

; background vocals *

Danny Kortchmar Daniel "Danny Kootch" Kortchmar (born April 6, 1946) is an American guitarist, session musician, producer and songwriter. Kortchmar's work with singer-songwriters such as Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, David Crosby, Carole King, David Cassidy, ...

– acoustic guitar * Don Francisco – percussion * Dave Ellingson – harmony vocals ; background vocals * Daniel Moore – harmony vocals ; background vocals *

Wendy Waldman Wendy Waldman (born November 29, 1950) is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Biography Early life Waldman (born Wendy Steiner) grew up in the Los Angeles area. She was raised in a musical environment: her father Fred Steiner w ...

– harmony vocals * Maxine Willard Waters – harmony vocals * Julia Tillman Waters – harmony vocals

Technical

Val Garay Val Garay (born May 9, 1942, in San Francisco, California, United States) is an American recording engineer and record producer who has worked with Kim Carnes, Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Neil Diamond, and others. Garay also co-founded Los An ...

– production, recording *

Niko Bolas Niko Bolas is an American music producer, sound engineer, and consultant and business developer in the fields of virtual reality and Internet radio. In 1989, Bolas founded Fakespace Music with Mark Bolas, Ian McDowall and Christian Greuel, which, ...

– engineering assistance *

Doug Sax Doug Lionel Sax (April 26, 1936 – April 2, 2015) was an American mastering engineer from Los Angeles, California. He mastered three of The Doors' albums, including their 1967 debut; six of Pink Floyd's albums, including ''The Wall''; Ray Charles ...

– mastering * Mike Reese – mastering

Artwork

* Bill Burks – art direction, design * David Alexander – photo

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

References

Bibliography

* {{Authority control 1981 albums Albums produced by Val Garay EMI America Records albums Kim Carnes albums