Of course, Rod Stewart sings 'Bette Davis Eyes'! Everybody knows this! How my life partner had gone so long without ever even hearing the song was somewhat mystifying to me, so I Googled "Rod Stewart Bette Davis Eyes" so he could hear what I thought was the original cover.
However, it was me getting schooled that day, for as I searched for a singer that never sang that song, it became clear that what I had Shazamed, thinking it was a female singer doing a cover of Rod Stewart's song - was the actual singer the entire time.
Rod Stewart doesn't sing the popular version of Bette Davis Eyes, Kim Carnes does. In fact, she released the song in the spring of 1981.
I grew up hearing this song on the radio I don't know how many times and the general consensus was that it was Rod Stewart. But it was just a common, severe case of mistaken identy.
I know this is a lighthearted post, but perhaps some of you out there know what that indescribable feeling is when you thought you knew truth, reality, and fact with such certainty that you are convinced what you know is accurate information. But then that gets challenged, not by a debate but by a moment of discovery. Where the real truth is indisputable. It can shake you to your core.
This was a life foundational song for me. Believing it was a man singing the song, I remember being a child and thinking that that was what was important to garner a man's attention: being mysterious, having big eyes, yet being too clever would frighten them, despite being enticed. Those were my initial impressions of the lyrics, it was like a warning, "don't be too smart or the boys will think you're a spy." It's a song about using men, but when you think the song is sung by a man, whatever kind of potential female essence of the originating voice is lost to the listener.
It just becomes a song you accept, another brick in the wall of your reality. Nobody educates kids on song lyrics, except maybe when you question your parent on them, but it's going to be tinged by your parent's life perspective or limited knowledge.
So did Rod Stewart sing Bette Davis Eyes?
No.
How did my hearing change? It's obviously a woman singing the song...
...but what is she singing about?
Another woman.
It's a woman singing about another woman. There's pain and admiration in her voice. That 'S' as a hiss. It's not just about her having pretty big eyes anymore, for instance, who was Bette Davis becomes more important. She was an actress who was known for playing strong, independent women. The lyric, "her hands are never cold", means her heart is. Then you got to try really hard to remember who the fuck Gretta Garbo was and you realize she was another old-timey actress. That turns out to be the cause of method acting and somehow earned credit for being one of the "first modern women" (an assertive woman?).
So this song isn't as pop as I thought, this shit is deep. It's complex. This sounds more like a lesbian ode.
Yup. That's exactly what Bette Davis Eyes is about. The romantic interest of a woman for another woman.
If only I had grown up knowing that.
