"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. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

song about a man away from home who is worried that his paramour may unwittingly stray from their relationship. The song was recorded in many different styles by many artists. It was written by Winston L. Moore (whose

stage name A stage name is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers—such as actors, comedians, singers, and musicians. Such professional aliases are adopted for a wide variety of reasons and they may be similar, or nearly identical, to an individu ...

was Slim Willet) and published in 1952.

Perry Como Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como (; May 18, 1912 – May 12, 2001) was an Italian-American singer, actor and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century, he recorded exclusively for RCA Victor for 44 years, after signing ...

's recording of the song became a No. 1 hit 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 ( Columbia 4-21025, reaching No. 4 in the Country charts).

Skeets McDonald Enos William McDonald (October 1, 1915–March 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 i ...

followed with a

Western swing Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the Western United States, West and Southern United States, South among the region's Western music (North America), Western string bands. It is dan ...

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) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

(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 Goldie Hill (January 11, 1933 – February 24, 2005), born Argolda Voncile Hill, was an American country music singer. She was one of the first women in country music, and became one of the first women to reach the top of the country music char ...

.The most popular recording of the song, selling over a million and a half copies, was a pop 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 currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

, 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

, as a single (catalog number 68-0722) with the flip side "No Hay Bote Como El De Remo." *In the United Kingdom, by

HMV Sunrise Records and Entertainment, trading as HMV (for His Master's Voice), is a British music and entertainment retailer, currently operating exclusively in the United Kingdom. The first HMV-branded store was opened by the Gramophone Company ...

, as a 78 rpm single (catalog number B-10400), with the flip side " To Know You (Is to Love You)." This release reached No. 1 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

in February 1953. *In Germany, by HMV, 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 Eli ...

. 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 (born 8 March 1925) is 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 the young female po ...

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 an English actress, singer, comedian and star of cinema and music hall who 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 (HMV 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 in ...

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 Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

(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 dirty face, overalls, and a floppy hat. ...

(released by Mainstreet Records as catalog number 950, with the flip side "Boxcar Blues") *

(recorded October 7, 1952, released by

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

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. One of the most popular and enduring American entertainers of the mid-20th century, Martin was nicknamed "The King of Cool". M ...

(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. As his contributions to comedy and charity made him a global figure in popular culture, pop culture ...

radio show) *

Faron Young Faron Young (February 25, 1932 – December 10, 1996) was an American country music producer, musician, and songwriter from the early 1950s into the mid-1980s. Hits including "If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')" and " Live Fast, Love Hard, D ...

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 "Keep It a Secret" is a popular song written by Jessie Mae Robinson and published in 1952. Jo Stafford version The best-selling recording of the song was made by Jo Stafford with Paul Weston and His Orchestra in 1952. It was released by Columb ...

") * Johnnie and Jack (released by

RCA Victor Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also Aris ...

as catalog number 20-5040, with the flip side "The Only One I Ever Loved, I Lost") * 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

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

as catalog number 2256, with the flip side "My Favorite Song", and in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

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. In the United States, it is ...

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 "The Poor People of Paris" is a US pop song that became a number-one instrumental hit in 1956. It is based on the French language song "La goualante du pauvre Jean" ("The Ballad of Poor John"), with music by Marguerite Monnot and words by René R ...

") *

Slim Whitman Ottis Dewey Whitman Jr. (January 20, 1923 – June 19, 2013), known as Slim Whitman, was an American country music singer-songwriter and guitarist known for his yodeling abilities and his use of falsetto. He claimed he had sold in excess of ...

for his album ''I'll See You When'' (1973). *

Jerry Lee Lewis Jerry Lee Lewis (September 29, 1935October 28, 2022) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Nicknamed "The Killer", he was described as "rock & roll's first great wild man". A pioneer of rock and roll and rockabilly music, Lewis made ...

*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 80 years, first in silent films and on stage as a child actor, then in radio, movies and tel ...

Florence Henderson Florence Agnes Henderson (February 14, 1934 – November 24, 2016) was an American 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 also appeare ...

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939) is an American-born Swiss retired singer and actress. Widely referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", she rose to prominence as the lead singer o ...

performed the song on an episode of ''

The Brady Bunch Variety Hour ''The Brady Bunch Hour'' is an American variety show featuring skits and songs produced by Sid & Marty Krofft Productions in association with Paramount Television. It ran on ABC from November 28, 1976, to May 25, 1977. The series starred the o ...

''. *

k.d. lang Kathryn Dawn Lang (born November 2, 1961), known by her stage name k.d. lang, is a Canadian pop and country singer-songwriter and occasional actress. Lang has won Juno Awards and Grammy Awards for her musical performances. Hits include the s ...

(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 Gottehrer ...

as track number 8 on the album '' Shadowland'') *

Jimmie Dale Gilmore Jimmie Dale Gilmore (born May 6, 1945) is an American country singer, songwriter, actor, recording artist and producer, currently living in Austin, Texas. Life and career Gilmore is a native of the Texas Panhandle, having been born in Amarillo ...

(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 Al ...

as track 4 on the album ''

Come on Back "Come On Back" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Carlene Carter. It was released in September 1990 as the second single from her album '' I Fell in Love''. The song reached number 3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Si ...

'') *

Alberto Semprini Alberto Fernando Riccardo Semprini (27 March 1908 – 19 January 1990), known as Alberto Semprini (), or by his stage name Semprini, was an English pianist, composer and conductor, known for his appearances on the BBC, mainly on radio. Ea ...

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 "She Wears Red Feathers" is a popular music, popular song, which was written by Bob Merrill and published in 1952. Background and reception The best-known sound recording and reproduction, recording of the song was made by Guy Mitchell in 1952 ...

" and "Wild Roses." The medley was released by

EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British transnational conglomerate founded in March 1931 in London. At the time of its break-up in 201 ...

on the

His Master's Voice His Master's Voice (HMV) was the name of a major British record label created in 1901 by The Gramophone Co. Ltd. The phrase was coined in the late 1890s from the title of a painting by English artist Francis Barraud, which depicted a Jack Russ ...

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 co ...

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 1 ...

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 o ...

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 versio ...

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 Arlo Guthrie and many others including John Denver, ...

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

and 13 other popular

Italian-American Italian Americans ( it, italoamericani or ''italo-americani'', ) are Americans who have full or partial Italian ancestry. The largest concentrations of Italian Americans are in the urban Northeast and industrial Midwestern metropolitan areas, w ...

singers. *

LaVern Baker Delores LaVern Baker (November 11, 1929 – March 10, 1997) was an American R&B singer who had several hit records on the pop chart in the 1950s and early 1960s. Her most successful records were "Tweedle Dee" (1955), " Jim Dandy" (1956), and "I ...

, for her album ''See See Rider'' 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 its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

(1962).

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 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

Chart performance

Other recorded versions

See also

References