Bette Davis Eyes
Kim Carnes
1981
Annual listening list: initial release cycle, with recent carryovers; not an original-release-date field. Release chronology remains partly unverified.
Release: 1981
Release: 1981Source checked
Source-supported first release year of the original recording at year precision. Later single-chart appearances and anthology or remaster dates are separate. Exact user-file audio, edit and mastering remain unverified.
The large badge identifies this listening list, not a newly issued recording. Later reissues and renewed chart popularity do not replace an original release date. How years are assigned.
Kim Carnes - official recording background
More Love is a Smokey Robinson cover; Bette Davis Eyes is written by Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss and appears on 1981 Mistaken Identity.
Inspiration and background
Researched recording background
Bette Davis Eyes was written by Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss and became a defining recording on Kim Carnes's 1981 Mistaken Identity album. Carnes's official biography connects it with her Grammy recognition for Record of the Year. The original 1981 performance remains distinct from later Carnes rerecordings and remixes.
Evidence scope: Source-supported recording, release and career context; personal songwriting inspiration is not inferred.
Sources for this information
Kim Carnes - official recording background
More Love is a Smokey Robinson cover; Bette Davis Eyes is written by Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss and appears on 1981 Mistaken Identity. | Retrieved 2026-10-19
Earlier note and its recorded status
Earlier status: Supplied note - not independently verified. This earlier wording is retained as historical context; the reviewed account above is the current summary.
Written by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon in 1974, the song gained popularity when Kim Carnes recorded it. The track was inspired by the distinctive eyes of actress Bette Davis.
Other appearances and versions
catalog version unspecified
Source-supported first release year of the original recording at year precision. Later single-chart appearances and anthology or remaster dates are separate. Exact user-file audio, edit and mastering remain unverified.
An annual chart year and an original release date are different. Similar titles may be covers or different masters; no audio fingerprint has been performed.
Sources and scope
Source-backed annual association (secondary source; not a complete discographic review)
Editorial artist-repertoire classification
Billboard year-end 1981 table (Wikipedia transcription)
Secondary chart transcription reviewed for title, artist and annual association. Not proof of release date, genre or inspiration.
Browse by year
1960-2025. Each year contains 150 selections.