She would produce a variety of other songs, a duet with a legend, and much more.
It is Kim Carnes birthday today, and a good chance to look back.
In the beginning
Kim Carnes started her career in 1962, signing her first publishing deal. She released her first solo album in 1971, and her second one in 1975. That album yielded her first chart single, “You’re A Part of Me”, which peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
Kim Carnes started her career in 1962, signing her first publishing deal. She released her first solo album in 1971, and her second one in 1975. That album yielded her first chart single, “You’re A Part of Me”, which peaked at number 32 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
Her third album came out in 1976. In 1978, she recorded “You’re A Part of Me” as a duet with Gene Cotton, and it went all the way to number 36 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Her career would take off just as a new decade was starting.
Dawn of the decade
In 1980, Kim Carnes teamed up with country music super star Kenny Rogers on “Don’t Fall in Love With a Dreamer”. It was a duet written by Carnes and her husband Dave Ellingson for Rogers’ 1980 album “Gideon”.
In 1980, Kim Carnes teamed up with country music super star Kenny Rogers on “Don’t Fall in Love With a Dreamer”. It was a duet written by Carnes and her husband Dave Ellingson for Rogers’ 1980 album “Gideon”.
The song peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100; number two on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart; and number three on the Billboard Hot Country chart. The song also garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus
Later in 1980, Carnes recorded a cover of “More Love” by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. That song was Carnes’ first top 10 single as a solo artist, peaking at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number six on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
The next year Kim Carnes’ career would explode.
Smash hit
“Bette Davis Eyes” was originally written and composed by Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss in 1974.
“Bette Davis Eyes” was originally written and composed by Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss in 1974.
Kim Carnes recorded “Bette Davis Eyes” in 1981, releasing it in March. The song went all the way to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, and spent nine weeks there. It was the first single from the album “Mistaken Identity”, which also hit number one on the Billboard 200 album chart, staying there for four weeks.
Wikipedia reveals “Bette Davis Eyes” was the biggest hit of 1981 and, according to Billboard, is the second biggest hit of the 1980s, after “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John.
“Bette Davis Eyes” won the Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, while Carnes was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Performance Female. “Mistaken Identity” was also nominated for Album of the Year.
It would be next to impossible to top that, but Carnes kept on recording and performing through the rest of the ‘80s.
Best of the rest
Kim Carnes would chart several singles over the next few years. In 1981, “Draw of the Cards” peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1982, “Voyeur” peaked at number 29, and earned Carnes a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance Female, while “Does it Make You Remember” peaked at number 36.
Kim Carnes would chart several singles over the next few years. In 1981, “Draw of the Cards” peaked at number 28 on the Billboard Hot 100. In 1982, “Voyeur” peaked at number 29, and earned Carnes a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance Female, while “Does it Make You Remember” peaked at number 36.
In 1983, “Invisible Hands” went all the way to number 40 on the Billboard Hot 100, and it earned Carnes another Grammy nomination for Best Rock Vocal Performance Female.
In 1984, “You Make My Heart Beat Faster (And That’s All That Matters)” went to number 54 on the Billboard Hot 100.
That summer of 1984, I was working in the sugar beat fields and listened to a pocket radio while I worked. A song I kept hearing was “I Pretend” by Kim Carnes, and I really liked it. It peaked at number 74 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number nine on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
Last hurrah
Kim Carnes would find her final chart success in 1984 and 1985.
Kim Carnes would find her final chart success in 1984 and 1985.
She recorded “What About Me?” in 1984 with Kenny Rogers and James Ingram. The song went all the way to number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
Then, in 1985, she recorded another great solo song in “Crazy in the Night (Barking at Airplanes)”. It peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, and is still one of my favourite Kim Carnes songs. It is also Kim Carnes’ last top 20 single to date.
It was the debut single from the album “Barking at Airplanes”, which went all the way to number 48 on the Billboard 200 album chart.
We Are the World
In 1985, drought and famine struck Africa in the 1980s, hitting Ethiopia particularly hard. After a group of British artists banded together at Christmas of 1984 to record a charity single called “Do They Know It’s Christmas?”, artists around the world began to raise money and awareness.
A group of American artists called USA for Africa recorded a single called “We Are the World”, co-written by Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson. Carnes has a part in the song singing “While we stand together as one” with Cyndi Lauper and Huey Lewis.
Kim Carnes continues to record and produce to this day.
Parting thoughts
“Bette Davis Eyes” truly is an anthem of the ‘80s. It is no surprise it was the top song of 1981 and the number two song for the entire decade, because it was always on the radio. I had heard it several times long before I really got into music.
“Bette Davis Eyes” truly is an anthem of the ‘80s. It is no surprise it was the top song of 1981 and the number two song for the entire decade, because it was always on the radio. I had heard it several times long before I really got into music.
Not only popular, it was a much decorated song as well. I recall seeing Carnes accept the award for Record of the Year on the Grammy broadcast that year, wondering what “Bette Davis Eyes” meant.
Kim Carnes would go on to have moderate chart success after “Bette Davis Eyes”, proving she was not a one-hit wonder.
“Bette Davis Eyes” is a big part of the soundtrack of the ‘80s.
Even if Kim Carnes was, what a one-hit wonder, what a hit it is.
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