When this was a huge hit in the 1980's, Kim Carnes was on a talk show and the host asked her if she has heard from Bette Davis herself. Kim answered that Miss Davis had indeed written to her, thanking her because "now my grandchildren think I'm cool." 😎
"Who is Bette Davis?" Oh, my God. Bette Davis was a HUGE name in Hollywood. She has eleven Academy Awards nominations and two wins. In many of her movies, when she got excited, her eyes tended to bulge out. This song was the biggest hit of 1981. It won Grammys for Song of the Year and Record of the Year. The song was co-written by Jackie DeShannon, who is another singer you should check out.
@@francine8806 Or maybe they're just youngsters. Cut them some slack, at least they're exploring music from the different eras, as they're covered songs from the 40's on up.
@@francine8806 They're exposing themselves to music from that era and many others so I don't find it at all depressing. They may get into the classic old movies if that's something that interests them. If not, I see nothing wrong with that.
Bette Davis was one of the best actresses to ever grace the silver screen. Others have commented that she had big eyes or big beautiful eyes, however, even though that is true, Bette used her eyes to communicate in a way that I have never seen anyone else do. The way she used her eyes enhanced her acting and spoke louder than anything else she was trying to convey. This is the reason this song was inspired.........like I said, no one has ever 'acted' with her eyes the way Bette did to my knowledge. Her movies are worth checking out......'Jezebel,' 'Dark Victory,' 'Now, Voyager,' 'All About Eve,' and one of my favorites cuz she portrayed a woman with a personality disorder that little was known about at that time which I swear is now known as Bipolar disorder....the movie is called 'Of Human Bondage.'
Thanks for writing that! I also liked whatever happened to baby Jane with Joan crawford.would you say she had gummtion and played some strong, independent don't mess with me characters which was different to alot of the female characters written by men at that time?
I think I heard "All About Eve" was Marilyn Monroe's first major role in 1950 too. The most famous line from that movie by Bette Davis was "Fasten your seat belts. It's going to be a bumpy night." Very talented actress who was able to continued acting despite getting older.
Bette Davis was still alive when this song came out and loved it. She sent thank you notes to Kim Karnes and to the writer of the song. She also talked about the song on interviews. Said she was particularly happy because now young people would know she had been a big deal.
Kim took Bette one of her ceremonial framed gold records and she said Bette got a nail and hammer right then and there and put it up on her living room wall.
@@sparksdrinker5650 Sorry, this was years ago when people watched tv. I didn't see the interview on line. However there might be a clip of the interview online now.
I feel like her and Liv Ullman actually are the two actors who can speak more with her eyes in a scene than many actors can with their mouths in a whole movie
Yeah, you two really have to start doing at least a little homework before recording. Who is Bette Davis? She was only one of the best actresses during the heyday of Hollywood.
Bette Davis was an American actress whose career spanned 50 years. She passed away in 1989 and was known for her very distinctive deep blue eyes. From 1938 to 1942 she earned five consecutive Academy Award nominations in the Best Actress category. She won in 1935 for “Dangerous” and in 1938 for “Jezebel”. She was nominated 10 times during her career.
Mention is also made of (Jean) Harlow (first verse, "Her hair is Harlow gold") and Greta Garbo ('She's got Greta Garbo's standoff sighs"), two other amazing actresses of yore.
Bette Davis started her film career in the 1930's and was known as The Eyes. Her eyes were considered hypnotic and captivating. She became a massive superstar and was known world wide. She continued to make movies into the 70's and 80's.
Never understood the eyes thing. They stand out but not in a good way. Like Stephen Merchant, she had to have had some sort of stigmatism to have those weird bug eyes.
@@johnmorris8444 She didn't have the bulging eyes until much later in her life. Though she was never diagnosed a lot of eye specialists are fairly certain she must have developed a mild case of Graves disease at some point.
@@Rowgue51 they bulged more in her old age but they had some degree of bulge to them even in her early career. I feel like as she got older and her face got thinner and looser the eyes were more pronounced but you look at very youthful pictures and the eyes are just weird.
Bettie Davis was one of the most renowned actresses of classical Hollywood cinema. The song also references Greta Garbo and Jean Harlow who were also part of Hollywoods Golden Age.
That's what I can't understand! HOW could they NOT know who BETTE DAVIS was? I wonder if they may have seen her in a movie, but didn't know who she was. My gosh, BETTE DAVIS made around 100 movies in her career starting in 1932 when she was 24 years old. Maybe these kids never watch old movies, but she was still making movies into the late 1980s, her last film was "THE WHALES OF AUGUST" in 1987 along with the famous LILLIAN GISH who began her acting career during the Silent Movies era of the early '20s.
Bette Davis was not easy to please so the fact that she liked the song is a huge compliment to Carnes. And this song was huge! It was Billboard’s #1 song in a year of successful ballads.
Better Davis was a huge star in the golden age of Hollywood. She hit her peak in the 40s and 50s. She was known for playing tough women with an acerbic wit. "All About Eve" is a must see. It contains one of her most famous lines "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy ride". In her later years, she specialized in creepy films like "The Nanny" and "Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?". She is a true Hollywood icon.
Yes! All about Eve is a fantastic movie. Betty Davis had such huge eyes and she became known for them. And she always played a tough woman --independent and confident. They say that is how she was in real life. They say the studios would not dare mess with her.
@@jasongreenspan1546 OMG I know! She had the look like JESUS WOMAN! Volume down 4 please!!! But they had rehearsed the bridge multiple times, so it's not like Kim didn't know that Cyndi wasn't going to nail it, but still, that look is so freakin on cue!
Bette Davis was one of the most legendary actresses in Hollywood, and one of my personal heroes because she never used her sexuality to get ahead. Her fights with Jack L. Warner for more better, more serious roles were legendary. She was tough all the while remaining a lady. I strive to be a woman just like her.
Since everyone else has told you who Bette Davis was, I'll share some of her most well known quotes. "I was thought to be 'stuck up.' I wasn't. I was just sure of myself." "You will never be happier than you expect. To change your happiness, change your expectation." "My passions were all gathered together like fingers that made a fist. Drive is considered aggression today; I knew it then as purpose." "It's better to be hated for who you are, than to be loved for someone you're not." "Old age is no place for sissies." "If you want a thing done well, get a couple of old broads to do it."
In 1962 Bette Davis became the first person to secure ten Academy Award nominations for acting. She was fearless. "What Ever Happened to Baby Jane" is one of my favs!
OMG!! Bette Davis!!! The absolute GREATEST actress in movie history!!!! I believe she won 3 best actress Academy Awards. She had the biggest and most beautiful eyes!
True story: Bette Davis was still alive when this was first released. She heard about it, listened to it, and approved. She said the song helped her win a whole new generation of fans. Trailer for "Dark Victory" (1939) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Rawg6NoIP7M.html
You guys should check out Norah Jones, She has a wonderful soulful voice. Not an artist that comes up in conversation very often, but well worth the listen. "Don't Know Why" and "Come Away With Me" are two of her most popular songs, although she has many good ones to choose from. She also play piano on most of her songs.
"Dont know why" for sure. I remember me and my friend driving all over town looking for the "Come away with me CD back then. I was so in love with that song 😁
This is Kim Carnes biggest hit, she has a great duet with Kenny Rogers called Don't Fall In Love With A Dreamer which was a big hit on the pop, country and AC charts,and her other substantial hit was More Love. Bette Davis is consider the greatest actress of our time. Her movies are pretty fantastic if you want to watch old classics.
Omg, I LOOOOOVE Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer!!! It's on my heavy rotation playlist, and no matter how many times I hear it, it never gets old-- so, SOOOOO good!!!
oooh that's a great song. For another, and I don't remember if it was a big hit or not, but I remember "crazy in the night' getting a decent rotation on MTV. Definitely worth a listen.
this was one of the biggest hits of the early 80's. Bette Davis even shows up in another song you reacted to, Vogue by Madonna (with the words "Bette Davis, we love you")
I love that you covered this song. I haven't heard it in years. Bette Davis was the first bad a** woman to break through the Hollywood stereotype of female characters. She had a withering glare that could make men shake.
I miss growing up in the 70's,80's and early 90's the music was so much better and a lot of different styles and sounds were coming out. Wish I could go back and do it all over again.
Love Kim Carne's, the female Rod Stewart! She had a nice duet with Kenny Rogers, Don't Fall in Love With a Dreamer. Betty Davis was a Hollywood icon from the 30s thru the 80s. Her life long public rivalry with Joan Crawford was epic! Both were in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? My favorite role of her's was the Gunsmoke episode The Jailer, where she kidnaps and imprisons Miss Kitty to wait for Matt Dillon to hang "on the morning of the second day", starring Bruce Dern and Tom Skerrit.
Bette Davis was one of the greatest American actors of all time. She was at her best when she portrayed tough, hard women not afraid of any man. She was an elegant, classy woman with a career that spanned over five decade's with an Oscar or two thrown in for good measure
Yes, but, early in her acting career she played an attractive leading lady.. However as she got a bit older, she developed a certain look and she started to be cast as some shady characters which she wisely fully embraced..
even if our parents hadn't all told us back then, We in the 80's all knew who Bette Davis was and her eyes!!! You guys hit it right on the head.... Bette was absolutely FIERCE!!!
My favorite Bette Davis line in a movie is, "what a dump.." dripping with contempt. Bad ass is the best description of her. Hush Hush Sweet Charlotte, The Nanny, and Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, there of her most awesome movies.
It was written by Jackie DeShannon. You should check out her song “When You Walk in the Room.” This song Bette Davis Eyes” was considered by some to be the #1 song of the 80’s; it was #1 on the Billboard charts for 10 straight weeks. Bette Davis is considered by many as the greatest actress of all time; she had 10 academy award nominations for Best Actress and won 2; and was cheated out of a 3rd. Her eyes had a way of showing whatever emotion she was conveying on the screen.
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (April 5, 1908 - October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her performances in a range of film genres, from contemporary crime melodramas to historical films, suspense horror, and occasional comedies, although her greater successes were in romantic dramas. A recipient of two Academy Awards, she was the first thespian to accrue ten nominations.
This song was a mega hit in the eighties! Bette Davis was a legendary actress from the thirties and forties! She always played tough women who took no crap much like her biggest rival, and my favorite classic movie actress, Joan Crawford!! ❤️❤️
You’ve heard her one time before… She was part of the “We Are The World” ensemble, she sings her part right after Cyndi Lauper ♥️ Bette Davis is an iconic legendary actress. You have to watch “What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?” to see her in action. Her costar was another leading lady of the time, Joan Crawford. But later she became kinda more infamous after the movie “Mommy Dearest” came out, its biographical about her abusing her 2 adoptive kids, specifically her daughter Christina.
To be clear, It was Joan Crawford who was 'mommy dearest' NOT Bette Davis. NO WIRE HANGERS. WHY ARE THERE WIRE HANGERS IN YOUR CLOSET??!?! *Edit because I'm dumb.
For all the superstars of the 80s, this song was the #2 song of the entire DECADE, (having spent 9 weeks at #1 on the Hot 100) just behind 'Physical' (10 weeks at #1) by Olivia Newton John. When you consider the 80s gave us Michael Jackson (Thriller), Madonna (Like A Virgin), and Prince (Purple Rain), this is an amazing feat.
This song was a HUGE HUGE hit and a big video hit too on MTV. If I’m not mistaken it was #1 on the US Hot 100 singles chart for something like 9 weeks in 1981 and became Billboard’s #1 single of 1981.
Kim Karne’s has a female version of Rod Stewart’s voice. This song was so played in the 80’s. I still love it. At school my niece’s teacher asked the kids who their favorite celebrity was, and she said Bette Davis. She was about 7 at the time. As an adult she became a film major. Bette Davis is one of the most famous American actresses of all time. She always played tough women. Her eyes were unusual and incredibly expressive.
"I don't think I heard a voice like hers" he says. Well, I put Kim Carnes in along with Bonnie Tyler and Rod Stewart for those who have those lovely raspy voices in music history so far that I know of! By now it has been mentioned that Bette Davis was one of the Biggest Hollywood Stars of the Golden Age of Hollywood movies. I haven't seen her films but I understand she made the look of slapping a person on the face look really good on screen! After reading the earlier comments, I must agree that Bette Davis played some badass characters on screen! Those viewers would know more than me! Great reaction you two.
She mentions Gretta Garbo, Jean Harlow and Betty Davis they were 3 Iconic actresses who were world famous. Their careers spanned from 1920's silent movies (Garbo) to 1989 when Betty Davis passed away.
This was a cool song in the early 1980s. If you like that vibe, I recommend Bonnie Tyler from that same era. “Holding Out For A Hero,” “It’s a Heartache,” and Total Eclipse of the Heart” are her big hits.
Better Davis was the iconic actress for decades! She was a sweet young lady in her movies from the '30s. She was a major pin-up formour troops during WWII. Then she became an even bigger SUPER STAR after. In her later years see played many darker roles and she played them perfectly. Many decades of amazing movies. So many quirky and even startling moments in her movie career. A super star that attracted audiences for decades.
@@ckobo84 I always said that if Rod Stewart and Bonnie Tyler got together and had a baby, they'd name her Kim Carnes....but I LOVE the rasp on both of those ladies.
Kim Carnes was one of the artists who participated in the "USA for Africa" video. Her voice is amazing! Someday the two of you need to watch a Bette Davis movie. She was one of the most celebrated actors of all time. If you ever see her on screen, you will never forget her.
Dark Victory, Now Voyager, and All About Eve are my 3 favorite Bette Davis classics. All About Eve has one of my favorite lines as well; "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night". This was also one of Marilyn Monroe's first movie roles.
This was the SECOND biggest hit of the 80's, just behind "Physical" by Olivia Newton-John & just ahead of "Endless Love" by Diana Ross & Lionel Richie. FUN FACT: All 3 of those songs came out in 1981! Yep, the top 3 songs of the 80's all came out in 1981. :)
Physical came out in 1981, this is true, but how Billboard starts their charts in December (I believe) so it counts as a 1982 release and was the #1 song of 1982.
@@claytoncourtney1309 Most years, they started the next year in November. Physical counted towards 1982, but it did come out in 1981. That's all true. 🙂
Bette Davis was one of the biggest Hollywood movie stars from the 1930's-1950's. She is one of the truly legendary Hollywood stars of that period. One of the things she was known for (along with her acting talent and a lot of famous movies) was her big, sexy, alluring, mysterious eyes. In some of her most famous movies she played women who played by their own rules, and twisted men around her finger.
Bette Davis was not only one of the best actresses ever, she was fierce onscreen and in real life. She took on her studio for better parts which was a big deal in those days because studios basically owned stars. She also helped put together the Hollywood canteen during world War II. Thousands and thousands of service members went there and got served food and drinks by the Hollywood stars of the day. There was music and lots of dancing. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_Canteen
This was my favorite song at the time it was released. It spent 9 weeks at #1 (5 weeks, then dropped to #2, then back to #1 for 4 more weeks) and was the #1 song of 1981. It won Grammy awards for Record of the Year, and Song of the Year.
Betty Davis was one of the very top Hollywood actresses starting in the '30s she came up with the idea for the Hollywood Canteen for servicemen during WW2 where the stars ran the place for the G.I.s. She lasted a long time, passing in 1989. She was one of the greats.
For another female with grit in her voice, try Canadian rocker Sass Jordan. Make You a Believer or High Road Easy. Bette Davis was an actress with a 50+ year career.
She's know for this sound and having one of the coolest raspy voices of all time. You did hear her before. She sang on WE ARE THE WORLD, right after Cindy Lauper's part. Bette Davis is an amazing actress from the 30s - 90s who was knows for her large mesmerizing eyes. She was in a lot of old movies that were quite famous. You has a lot of great songs, but you would probably love her duet with one of your favorites, Kenny Rogers, "DON'T FALL IN LOVE WITH A STRANGER".
Bette Davis had one of the greatest movie lines of all time "I'd love to kiss you, but I just washed my hair". I was lucky enough to see KC perform (back before her giant hit "Bette Davis eyes") when she opened for James Taylor. I only knew her from her hit "More Love" at that time.
Bette Davis -- one of the greatest actresses that ever lived. "The Letter", "All About Eve," "Jezebel" are all remarkable performances. . .out of more than one hundred films she made.
Her voice is a juxtaposition - two separate contrasting sounds that sound great when blended together. Soft & Airy but Strong & Gravelly at the same time.
One of my favorite 80's song. The song was written by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon in 1974. But made popular by Kim Carnes in 1981. The song gives a shoutout to the iconic actress Bette Davis who passed away in 1989. According to Kim Carnes, the woman being referenced in the song has this attribute similar to the actress. Despite her luring looks, the song basically warns the listener to be wary of such a female.
Nice reaction- She is so unique! Kim Carnes was in the We Are the World song. Betty Davis was a famous actress from the golden era of Hollywood. She had a stare that took no prisoners.
"Crazy in the Night (Barking at Airplanes)", "More Love", & "Don't Fall in Love With a Dreamer" with Kenny Rogers are other great songs from Kim Carnes.
