Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss wrote, “Bette Davis Eyes” in 1974. The tune was included in Jackie DeShannon’s New Arrangement album.
Early versions of the song, according to producer Val Garay, “sounded like a Leon Russell track, with this beer-barrel polka piano component.”
Actress Bette Davis was 73 years old when Kim Carnes’ version became well-known. In letters to Carnes, Weiss, and DeShannon, she expressed her appreciation, saying that it was because of their efforts to “make her a part of current times” that her grandson now looked up to her.
Jackie Deshannon Bette Davis Eyes Meaning
The song “Bette Davis Eyes” was written and produced in 1974 by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon. The meaning of this song is it describes the physical appearance of the woman, referring to actress Bette Davis.
Kim Carnes, an American singer, made it famous by having it spent nine distinct weeks at the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in 1981. DeShannon had initially recorded it for her album New Arrangement that year.
Billboard ranked the song as the year’s most significant success when it ruled the charts for five weeks, was dethroned by “Stars on 45” for just one week, and then returned for another four.
The song reached No. 5 on Billboard’s Top Tracks and No. 26 on its Dance charts. It peaked at No. 10 in the U.K. and was her only Top 40 hit. It was also a No. 1 hit in 21 other countries. It was 1981’s second-biggest success in Canada, behind “Stars on 45,” and twelve weeks were spent there.
Why Is The Actress In Her Lyrics?
After the song “Bette Davis Eyes” became a well-known single, she sent emails to vocalist Kim Carnes, composers Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon, and the record company RCA questioning how they got to know so much about her.
After seeing Bette in the movie Now Voyager, she was featured in the song and lyrics.
One of the reasons Davis liked the song was that her grandson thought it was “amazing” that his grandmother was the subject of a well-known song.
The song won the Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year, and it was ranked No. 12 on Billboard’s list of the Top 100 singles in the first 50 years of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
What Happened To Bette Davis?
Sadly, Ruth Elizabeth Davis, better known by her stage name as Bette Davis, passed away from breast cancer on October 6, 1989, in Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine, France. However, many of her admirers resisted accepting that she had passed away.
In Lowell, Massachusetts, on April 5, 1908, Ruth Augusta (Favor) Davis and patent attorney Harlow Morrell Davis gave birth to Bette.
Bette believed that dancers led a life of luxury, but after learning about the theatre, she changed her mind and opted to pursue acting instead of dancing. She discovered it to be considerably more challenging.
In 1932, she consented to a seven-year deal with Warner Brothers Pictures. She made her acting debut with them in The Man Who Played God (1932). She gained notoriety as an actress who could handle various challenging roles due to her beauty.
After declining a role she thought was beneath her skill in 1936, she was sent on an unpaid leave of absence. She received an Oscar nomination for portraying a psychotic former child star in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane (1962).