"Sad Eyes" is a song written and recorded by

Robert John The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, and released in April 1979. It debuted May 19 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, reaching the top of the chart on October 6. It was produced by George Tobin in association with Mike Piccirillo. Reminiscent of the doo-wop ballads of the 1950s, "Sad Eyes" became one of just a few non-

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

, or disco-influenced, tunes to top the 1979 pop chart, although by then the anti-disco backlash had made it easier for other styles to reach the top. It is also notable as the song that ended the six-week reign of the biggest smash hit of the year,

The Knack The Knack was an American rock band based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with its first single, "My Sharona", an international number-one hit in 1979. History Founding (1977–1978) Singer Doug Fieger was a native of Oak Park, Michigan, a no ...

's "

My Sharona "My Sharona" () is the debut single by the Knack. The song was written by Berton Averre and Doug Fieger, and it was released in 1979 from their debut album, '' Get the Knack''. It reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 singles chart, w ...

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Personnel

Album credits list these musicians involved during the sessions from which "Sad Eyes" was recorded. *

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

* Dennis Belfield - bass * Ed Greene - drums *

Stewart Levine Stewart Levine (born 1946) is an American record producer. He has worked with such artists as The Crusaders, Minnie Riperton, Lionel Richie, Simply Red, Hugh Masekela, Dr. John, Randy Crawford, B.B. King, Huey Lewis and the News, Patti LaBelle ...

, Mike Thompson - keyboards *

Darlene Love Darlene Wright (born July 26, 1941), known professionally as Darlene Love, is an American singer and actress. She was the lead singer of the girl group the Blossoms and she also recorded as a solo artist. She began singing as a child with her ...

George Tobin George Tobin is an American musical artist and record producer who has produced albums for a long list of musical artists including Robert John, Smokey Robinson, Kim Carnes, Kicking Harold, and PC Quest. He is best known, however, for discove ...

, Edna Wright - vocals * Bill Neale - guitar *

Mike Piccirillo Michael Lynn Piccirillo (born 1951) is an American record producer, songwriter, and musician, who began working professionally in the Los Angeles music business in 1976. In conjunction with production partner George Tobin, and subsequently Ga ...

- engineer, guitar, vocals * Ryan Ulyate - engineer * Howard Lee Wolen - percussion, engineer

Cover versions

A cover by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

group Trader-Price peaked at number 55 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Country Singles Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

chart in 1989.

Kyle Vincent Kyle Vincent is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and entertainer, labeled as the "crown prince of soft pop," by '' Goldmine.'' Barry Manilow has called him, "One of the best singer-songwriters to come along since the heyday ...

also recorded the song, released on ''Absolutely The Best of the 70s'', credited to

Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods Bo Donaldson and The Heywoods are an American pop music group, known mainly for their 1970s hit singles, "Billy Don't Be a Hero" and "Who Do You Think You Are". History The band was formed in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1965 by their leader, Robert Walt ...

, and produced by

Ron Dante Ron Dante (born Carmine John Granito, August 22, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter, session vocalist, and record producer. Dante is best known as the real life lead singer of the fictional cartoon band the Archies; he was also the voice o ...

. Another rendition appeared on

Robin Lee Robin Huntington Lee (December 2, 1919 in Saint Paul, Minnesota – October 8, 1997 in Minneapolis) was an American figure skater. He was the 1935-1939 U.S. national champion. At age 12, he became the youngest skater to win the junior nationa ...

's album, '' Black Velvet'', released in 1990.

References

External links

"Sad Eyes"
at

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 ...

1979 singles 1989 singles Robert John songs Trader-Price songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Number-one singles in New Zealand 1979 songs EMI America Records singles {{1970s-pop-song-stub