Uploaded January 2017 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
This version of "Bette Davis Eyes", by American singer-songwriter Kim Carnes in 1981, spent nine weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the chart's biggest hit for that entire year. Carne's recording won the 1982 Grammy Awards for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. The song was co-written and originally recorded by Jackie DeShannon in 1974, however Carnes's version used a radically different synthesizer-based arrangement that made the "new wave " genre song a commercial success. The single also reached #5 on Billboard's Top Tracks charts, #26 on the Dance charts, and was a number one hit in 21 countries. Famed actress Bette Davis wrote letters to Carnes and DeShannon thanking them for making her "a part of modern times". Kim Carnes is a two-time Grammy Award winner, and continues to write music to this day. She began her career in the 1960's writing for other artists while performing in local clubs, and working as a session background singer.
This version of "Bette Davis Eyes", by American singer-songwriter Kim Carnes in 1981, spent nine weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the chart's biggest hit for that entire year. Carne's recording won the 1982 Grammy Awards for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year. The song was co-written and originally recorded by Jackie DeShannon in 1974, however Carnes's version used a radically different synthesizer-based arrangement that made the "new wave " genre song a commercial success. The single also reached #5 on Billboard's Top Tracks charts, #26 on the Dance charts, and was a number one hit in 21 countries. Famed actress Bette Davis wrote letters to Carnes and DeShannon thanking them for making her "a part of modern times". Kim Carnes is a two-time Grammy Award winner, and continues to write music to this day. She began her career in the 1960's writing for other artists while performing in local clubs, and working as a session background singer.
