She got Greta Garbo stand off sighs, She’s got Bette Davis eyes

Quick Hit

“Bette Davis Eyes”, Kim Carnes  (1980)

When I first heard her on the radio I thought “Jeez cut down on the cigarettes just a bit girl”.

Some people call Kim Carnes the female Rod Stewart, but understand that this is strictly due to her raspy voice and is in no way a comparison to Rod’s talent or longevity.

Probably the first appearance of Kim Carnes is her song “Nobody Knows” in the ending credits of the very bizarre 1971 film “Vanishing Point” – a very cool car movie, but a bit of a downer. 

Kim worked with some very talented people on several albums including Don Henley,Glen Fry, J.D. Souther and producer Jerry Wexler,but had little success. 

Bette Davis

In 1980 she had a successful duet with Kenny Rodgers on “Don’t Fall in Love with a Dreamer” and a top ten hit of her own with “More Love”, a Smokey Robinson song. 

The song most people know Kim for now is of course her interpretation of Jackie DeShannon¹ and  Donna Weiss’ “Bette Davis Eyes”. It was second  only to rival female artist Olivia Newton John’s “Physical” for top song of 1980.

Bette Davis herself heard the song and liked it. She sent Kim a note saying “It was a thrill to become part of the rock and roll generation”. 

1.        Jackie DeShannon most notably did: “Lonely Girl”, 1960, “Needles and Pins”, 1963, “What the World Needs Now Is Love”, 1965, and ”Put a Little Love in Your Heart”, 1969.