Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes
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"Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" is a
country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...
song about a man away from home who is worried that his paramour may unwittingly stray from their relationship. It was written by Winston L. Moore (whose
stage name A stage name or professional name is a pseudonym used by performers, authors, and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. The equivalent concept among writers is called a ''nom de plume'' (pen name). Some performers ...
was
Slim Willet Slim Willet (born Winston Lee Moore; December 1, 1919 – July 1, 1966) was an American disc jockey, musician, and songwriter. Born in Dublin, Texas, Moore attended Hardin-Simmons University in Abilene and graduated in 1949 with a degree i ...
) and published in 1952. The song has been recorded in many different styles by many performers, with
Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987 ...
's version hitting number 1 in both the US and UK. The title comes from the opening refrain: :''Don't let the stars get in your eyes,'' :''Don't let the moon break your heart.''


Chart performance

The song was first recorded by Slim Willet and the Brush Cutters (4 Star 11614, reaching No. 1 in the ''Billboard'' country charts) and then by
Ray Price Noble Ray Price (January 12, 1926 – December 16, 2013) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and guitarist. His wide-ranging baritone is regarded as among the best male voices of country music, and his innovations, such as prope ...
( Columbia 4-21025, reaching No. 4 in the Country charts).
Skeets McDonald Enos William McDonald (October 1, 1915March 31, 1968), better known as Skeets McDonald, was an American country and rockabilly musician popular during the 1950s and 60s. Best known for the Slim Willet-penned song " Don't Let the Stars Get in Your ...
followed with a
Western swing Western swing, country jazz or smooth country is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands. It is dance music, often with an up-tempo beat, which att ...
version, reaching No. 1 and staying on the Country charts for 18 weeks. His version was released by
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
(catalog number 2216, with the flip side "Big Family Trouble"). Slim Willet and Tommy Hill also wrote the female
answer song An answer song, response song or answer record is a song (usually a recorded track) made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s to the 1950s. Answer son ...
" I Let the Stars Get In My Eyes", which was performed by Hill's sister, Goldie Hill.The most popular recording of the song, selling over a million and a half copies, was a
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
version recorded by Perry Como with The Ramblers on November 4, 1952. It was released in several countries: *In the United States, by
RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...
, as a 78 rpm
single Single may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Single (music), a song release Songs * "Single" (Natasha Bedingfield song), 2004 * "Single" (New Kids on the Block and Ne-Yo song), 2008 * "Single" (William Wei song), 2016 * "Single", by ...
record (catalog number 20-5064) and a 45 rpm single (catalog number 47-5064), with the flip side " Lies." This record reached No. 1 on the US ''Billboard'' Best Selling Singles charts. *In Argentina by
RCA Victor RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...
, as a single (catalog number 68-0722) with the flip side "No Hay Bote Como El De Remo." *In the United Kingdom, by
His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...
, as a 78 rpm single (catalog number B-10400), with the flip side "
To Know You (Is to Love You) "To Know You (Is to Love You)" is a popular song. The music was written by Robert Allen, the lyrics by Allan Roberts. The song was published in 1952. The best-known recording of the song was made by Perry Como. It was first recorded on June 1 ...
." This release reached No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in February 1953. *In Germany, by
His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...
, as a 78 rpm single (catalog number X-8080), with the flip side " Outside of Heaven" by
Eddie Fisher Edwin Jack Fisher (August 10, 1928 – September 22, 2010) was an American singer and actor. He was one of the most popular artists during the 1950s, selling millions of records and hosting his own TV show, '' The Eddie Fisher Show''. Actress E ...
. In the UK, "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyes" first entered the sheet music charts on January 17, 1953. The song peaked at No. 1 on February 7, its fourth week on chart, staying there for a week. In total, it spent 16 weeks on the sheet music charts. The first recording to be issued in the UK was a British recording by
Dennis Lotis Dennis Lotis (8 March 1925 – 8 February 2023) was a South African-born British singer, actor, and entertainer, whose popularity was greatest in the 1950s. He was described as having "a sophisticated style that was particularly attractive to t ...
in December 1952. The following month, versions were released by
Gisele MacKenzie Gisèle MacKenzie (born Gisèle Marie Louise Marguerite LaFlèche; January 10, 1927 – September 5, 2003)
Accessed April 2010 ...
, Perry Como with The Ramblers, Jack Gray,
Red Foley Clyde Julian "Red" Foley (June 17, 1910 – September 19, 1968) was an American musician who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II. For more than two decades, Foley was one of the biggest stars of the gen ...
and veteran performer
Gracie Fields Dame Gracie Fields (born Grace Stansfield; 9 January 189827 September 1979) was a British actress, singer and comedian. A star of cinema and music hall, she was one of the top ten film stars in Britain during the 1930s and was considered the h ...
. Other versions issued in the UK were by Troise and his Novelty Orchestra with The Four-in-A-Chord, Lola Ameche and Bobby Maxwell (harp) with The Windy City Symphony. Como's version was issued on 45rpm in March 1953 as a separate release to his 78rpm single (
His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...
7M 118). That month also saw a parody version by
Mickey Katz Meyer Myron "Mickey" Katz (June 15, 1909 – April 30, 1985) was an American musician and comedian. He was the father of actor Joel Grey and paternal grandfather of actress Jennifer Grey. Early life Meyer Myron Katz was born on Sawtell Court i ...
and his Orchestra released, titled "Don't let the Schmaltz get in your eyes". The versions by Ameche and Maxwell were re-issued by Mercury (who had taken over the original issuing label, Oriole) in June 1954. The same week that the song entered the British sheet music charts, Como's version also entered the UK's singles chart, based on record sales (week ending January 16). The latter chart had only been launched in November 1952, and "Don't Let the Stars Get In Your Eyes" thus became the first of Como's many UK chart hits. It peaked at the top of the singles chart the same week that the song made No. 1 on the sheet music listing (week ending 6 February, its fourth week on chart). Como's recording – the only one to chart in the UK – spent five weeks at No. 1, and 15 weeks on chart in total.


Other recorded versions

*
Boxcar Willie Lecil Travis Martin (September 1, 1931 – April 12, 1999), whose stage name was Boxcar Willie, was an American country music singer-songwriter, who sang in the "old-time hobo" music style, complete with overalls, and a floppy hat. "Boxcar Will ...
(released by Mainstreet Records as catalog number 950, with the flip side "Boxcar Blues") *
Red Foley Clyde Julian "Red" Foley (June 17, 1910 – September 19, 1968) was an American musician who made a major contribution to the growth of country music after World War II. For more than two decades, Foley was one of the biggest stars of the gen ...
(recorded October 7, 1952, released by
Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis after his acquisition of a gramophone manufacturer, The Decca Gramophone Company. It set up an American subsidiary under the Decca name, which bec ...
as catalog number 28460, with the flip side "Sally") *
Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...
(1952 in a Dean Martin and
Jerry Lewis Jerry Lewis (born Joseph Levitch; March 16, 1926 – August 20, 2017) was an American comedian, actor, singer, filmmaker and humanitarian, with a career spanning seven decades in film, stage, television and radio. Famously nicknamed as "Th ...
radio show) *
Faron Young Faron Young (February 25, 1932 – December 10, 1996) was an American country singer, musician, and songwriter from the early 1950s into the mid-1980s. His hits including " If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')" and " Live Fast, Love Hard, Die ...
on the LP ''Talk About Hits!'' (1959) *
Henry Jerome Henry Jerome (November 12, 1917 – March 23, 2011) was an American big band leader, trumpeter, arranger, composer, and record company executive. Jerome formed his first dance band in 1932 in Norwich, Connecticut. His bands flourished throughou ...
(released by
MGM Records MGM Records was a record label founded by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film studio in 1946 for the purpose of releasing soundtrack recordings (later LP albums) of their musical films. It transitioned into a pop music label that continued into the ...
as catalog number 11385, with the flip side " Keep It a Secret") * Johnnie and Jack (released by
RCA Victor Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic ...
as catalog number 20-5040, with the flip side "The Only One I Ever Loved, I Lost") *
George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American Country music, country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for a long list of hit records, and is well known for his distinctive voice an ...
(released October 1962 by
United Artists Records United Artists Records was an American record label founded by Max E. Youngstein of United Artists in 1957 to issue movie soundtracks. The label expanded into other genres, such as easy listening, jazz, pop, and R&B. History Genres In 1958 ...
on the album "George Jones Sings the Hits of His Country Cousins") * Jimmy Justice (released 1964 by Blue Cat Records as catalog number 101, with the flip side "The Guitar Player (Her and Him)") *
Gisele MacKenzie Gisèle MacKenzie (born Gisèle Marie Louise Marguerite LaFlèche; January 10, 1927 – September 5, 2003)
Accessed April 2010 ...
(released by
Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...
in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
as catalog number 2256, with the flip side "My Favorite Song", and in
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
as catalog number CP-200, with the flip side "Adios") * Bobby Maxwell (released by
Mercury Records Mercury Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group. It had significant success as an independent operation in the 1940s and 1950s. Smash Records and Fontana Records were sub labels of Mercury. Mercury Records released ...
as catalog number 70047, with the flip side "Ching-Ching-A-Ling") *The Parisian Sextet (released in 1962 by Challenge Records as catalog number 59137, with the flip side " The Poor People of Paris") *
Slim Whitman Ottis Dewey "Slim" Whitman Jr. (January 20, 1923 – June 19, 2013) was an American country music singer and guitarist known for his yodeling abilities and his use of falsetto. Recorded figures show 70 million sales, during a career that spanne ...
for his album ''I'll See You When'' (1973). *
Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American pianist, singer, and songwriter. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock 'n' roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis m ...
*In 1977,
Milton Berle Milton Berle (born Mendel Berlinger; ; July 12, 1908 – March 27, 2002) was an American actor and comedian. His career as an entertainer spanned over eight decades, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and ...
,
Florence Henderson Florence Agnes Henderson (February 14, 1934 – November 24, 2016) was an American singer and actress. With a career spanning six decades, she is best known for her starring role as Carol Brady on the ABC sitcom ''The Brady Bunch''. Henderson ...
&
Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...
performed the song on an episode of '' The Brady Bunch Variety Hour''. *
k.d. lang Kathryn Dawn Lang (born November 2, 1961), known by her stage name k.d. lang (stylised in all lowercase), is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Lang has won Juno Awards and Grammy Awards for her musical pe ...
(released in 1988 by
Sire Records Sire Records (formerly Sire Records Company) is an American record label owned by Warner Music Group and distributed by Warner Records. History Beginnings The label was founded in 1966 as Sire Productions by Seymour Stein and Richard Gotteh ...
as track number 8 on the album '' Shadowland'') *
Jimmie Dale Gilmore Jimmie Dale Gilmore (born May 6, 1945) is an American country singer-songwriter currently living in Austin, Texas. Life and career Gilmore is a native of the Texas Panhandle, having been born in Amarillo and raised in Lubbock, Texas. His ear ...
(released in 2005 by
Rounder Records Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts, by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by A ...
as track 4 on the album '' Come on Back'') * Alberto Semprini recorded it as the third song of the medley "Dancing to the piano (No. 12) - Hit medley of quick-steps", along with " She Wears Red Feathers" and "Wild Roses." The medley was released by
EMI EMI Group Limited (formerly EMI Group plc until 2007; originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At t ...
on the
His Master's Voice His Master's Voice is an entertainment trademark featuring a dog named Nipper, curiously peering into the horn of a wind-up gramophone. Painted by Francis Barraud in 1898, the image has since become a global symbol used across consumer elect ...
label as catalog number B 10457. *The song was also
covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...
by
Eileen Barton Eileen Barton (November 24, 1924 – June 27, 2006) was an American singer best known for her 1950 hit song, "If I Knew You Were Comin' I'd've Baked a Cake." Early years Barton was born in Brooklyn, New York. Her birthdate is often given as ...
in a recording issued by
Coral Records Coral Records was a subsidiary of Decca Records that was formed in 1949. Coral released music by Patsy Cline, Buddy Holly, the McGuire Sisters and Teresa Brewer. Coral issued jazz and swing music in the 1940s, but after Bob Thiele became head ...
as catalog number 60882, with the flip side "Tennessee Tango". *It was spoofed by
Homer and Jethro Homer and Jethro were the stage names of American country music duo Henry D. "Homer" Haynes (1920–1971) and Kenneth C. "Jethro" Burns (1920–1989), popular from the 1940s through the 1960s on radio and television for their satirical version ...
on their album ''America's Song Butchers: The Weird World of Homer and Jethro'' in a song entitled "Don't Let the Stars Get in Your Eyeballs," the lyrics of which are also found in a
Steve Goodman Steven Benjamin Goodman (July 25, 1948 – September 20, 1984) was an American folk and country singer-songwriter from Chicago. He wrote the song " City of New Orleans", which was recorded by artists including Arlo Guthrie, John Denver, The ...
song entitled "Talk Backwards." *The song was recorded in 2008 by Australian singer and composer Alfio for his album ''Classic Rewinds'' which pays tribute to
Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an American singer, actor, and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, from 1943 until 1987 ...
,
Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...
and 13 other popular
Italian-American Italian Americans () are Americans who have full or partial Italians, Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeastern United States, Northeast and industrial Midwestern United States, Midwestern ...
singers. *
LaVern Baker Delores LaVern Baker (born Delores Evans; November 11, 1929 – March 10, 1997) was an American rhythm and blues singer who had several hit records on the pop charts in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her most successful records were " Tweedle Dee" ...
, for her album ''
See See Rider "See See Rider", also known as "C.C. Rider", "See See Rider Blues" or "Easy Rider", is a popular American 12-bar blues song that became a standard in several genres. Gertrude "Ma" Rainey was the first to record it on October 16, 1924, at Par ...
'' on
Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
(1962).


See also

*
List of number-one singles from the 1950s (UK) The UK singles chart is the official record chart in the United Kingdom. Record charts in the UK began life in 1952 when Percy Dickins from NME, ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') imitated an idea started in American ''Billboard (magazine), Billb ...
* List of number-one singles of 1953 (U.S.)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Don't Let The Stars Get In Your Eyes 1952 singles Slim Willet songs Ray Price (musician) songs Skeets McDonald songs Perry Como songs Red Foley songs Gisele MacKenzie songs Jerry Lee Lewis songs K.d. lang songs Number-one singles in the United States UK singles chart number-one singles Western swing songs Pop ballads Songs written by Slim Willet 1952 songs