Story of the song: Bette Davis Eyes by Kim Carnes

Kentucky-born Jackie DeShannon was one of early rock’n’roll’s rare female all-rounders. DeShannon, inspired by the film Now, Voyager, and in particular the scene in which Paul Henreid lights cigarettes for Bette Davis, worked out a melody for a song that namechecked Hollywood heroines: “Her hair was Harlow gold/ Her lips sweet surprise.” DeShannon demoed “Bette Davis Eyes” as a straight-ahead rocker but for the album, it was recorded as a schmaltzy jazz-shuffle, much to DeShannon’s disappointment. When the album flopped, “Bette Davis Eyes” was written off by DeShannon as a lost opportunity. Included was the original demo of “Bette Davis Eyes”. Carnes loved “Bette Davis Eyes” but it needed a new hook to take it into the Eighties.