"Bette Davis Eyes" is a song written and composed by Donna Weiss and

Jackie DeShannon Jackie DeShannon (born Sharon Lee Myers, August 21, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter and radio broadcaster with a string of hit song credits from the 1960s onwards, as both singer and composer. She was one of the first female singer-songw ...

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 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 ...

in 1981 when it spent nine non-consecutive weeks on top of the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The song was #1 for five weeks, interrupted for just one week by "

Stars on 45 Stars on 45 was a Dutch novelty pop act that was successful in Europe, the United States, and Australia in the early 1980s. The group later shortened its name to Stars On in the U.S., while in the UK and Ireland it was known as Starsound (aka S ...

" before it returned to the top spot for another four weeks and became ''Billboard'''s biggest hit of the year. The single also reached No. 5 on ''Billboard''s Top Tracks charts and No. 26 on the Dance charts. It was also a No. 1 hit in 21 countries and peaked at No. 10 in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, to date her only Top 40 hit in that country. It also reached No. 2 in Canada for twelve consecutive weeks, and was the No. 2 hit of 1981 in that country after "

". The song won the Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record 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 reg ...

; it also ranked at No. 12 on ''Billboard'''s list of the Top 100 songs in the first 50 years of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Cleopatra Records released a re-recording of the song as a single in 2007. This song is written in the key of

F major F major (or the key of F) is a major scale based on F, with the pitches F, G, A, B, C, D, and E. Its key signature has one flat. Its relative minor is D minor and its parallel minor is F minor. The F major scale is: : F major is the ...

Background

The song was written in 1974 by Donna Weiss and

, the latter of whom recorded the song that same year on her album '' New Arrangement.'' In this original incarnation, the track is performed in an 'R&B lite' arrangement, featuring a prominent uptempo piano part, as well as flourishes of pedal steel guitar and horns. However, it was not until March 1981, when Kim Carnes recorded her version of the song in a radically different synthesizer-based arrangement, that "Bette Davis Eyes" became a commercial success. According to producer Val Garay, the original demo of the tune that was brought to him sounded like "a Leon Russell track, with this beer-barrel polka piano part." The demo can be heard in a Val Garay interview on TAXI TV at 21:50. Keyboardist Bill Cuomo came up with the signature synth riff, using the Sequential Circuits Prophet-5 synthesizer, which now defines Carnes's version. The song was recorded in the studio on the first take. Actress

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

was 73 years old when Kim Carnes's version became a hit. She wrote letters to Carnes, Weiss, and DeShannon to thank all three of them for making her "a part of modern times" and stated that her grandson now looked up to her. After their Grammy wins, Davis sent them roses as well.

Music video

The video was directed by Australian film director

Russell Mulcahy Russell Mulcahy ( ; born 23 June 1953) is an Australian film director. Mulcahy's work is recognisable by the use of fast cuts, tracking shots and use of glowing lights, neo-noir lighting, windblown drapery, and fans. He directed music videos ...

Track listing and formats

*7" single #"Bette Davis Eyes" – 3:45 #"Miss You Tonite" – 5:11 *US 12" maxi-single #"Bette Davis Eyes" – 3:45 #"Miss You Tonite" – 5:11

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

Gwyneth Paltrow version

American actress Gwyneth Paltrow recorded a cover of "Bette Davis Eyes" that was included on the soundtrack to the 2000 road trip film '' Duets''. It was released as a single in Australia on March 26, 2001, debuting and peaking at number three on the ARIA Singles Chart on April 8, 2001. It spent nine weeks in the top 10. Paltrow's cover ended 2001 at number 35 on Australia's year-end chart and earned a platinum certification from the

Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) is a trade association representing the Australian recording industry which was established in the 1970s by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing ...

for shipments exceeding 70,000 units.

References