The 1980s will likely always be revered as one of the best decades in rock music. Included in that era are these three incredible songs. All out in 1981, it’s likely that every 80s kid can still sing all the lyrics word for word today.
“Bette Davis Eyes” by Kim Carnes
“Bette Davis Eyes”, out ten years after Kim Carnes released her debut “I Won’t Call You Back” single, is her first No. 1 single. On Carnes’s Mistaken Identity album, Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon are the song’s writers. Written in 1974, Weiss first recorded “Bette Davis Eyes”. But it wasn’t until Carnes recorded her version that “Bette Davis Eyes” became a big hit.
Videos by American Songwriter
A tribute of sorts to the iconic actress, and movies of that era, “Bette Davis Eyes” says, “And she’ll tease you / She’ll unease you / All the better just to please you / She’s precocious, and she knows just / What it takes to make a pro blush / She got Greta Garbo’s standoff sighs / She’s got Bette Davis eyes.”
“Bette Davis Eyes” spent nine nonconsecutive weeks in the No. 1 spot on the charts. It is Carnes’s only single as a solo artist to reach No. 1.
“Endless Love” by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross
By the time Lionel Richie and Diana Ross released “Endless Love”, Ross was already having hits as a solo artist, after leaving The Supremes. But “Endless Love” is Richie’s first solo single, after he left The Commodores.
Written by Richie and James Anthony Carmichael, “Endless Love” is part of the soundtrack for a movie of the same name. The romantic song says, “I want to share / All my love with you / No one else will do / And your eyes / Your eyes, your eyes / They tell me how much you care / Ooh yes, you will always be / My endless love.”
“Endless Love” also spent nine weeks at the top of the charts.
“Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” by Christopher Cross
“Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)” is written by Christopher Cross, along with Burt Bacharach, Carole Bayer Sager, and Peter Allen. The song appears on the soundtrack for the Arthur film.
The sweet song says, “When you get caught between the moon and New York City / I know it’s crazy, but it’s true / If you get caught between the moon and New York City / The best that you can do / The best that you can do / Is fall in love.”
Cross was originally supposed to do all the music for Arthur. But when the film’s director didn’t feel Cross had enough experience, the role went to Bacharach instead. After “Arthur’s Theme (Best That You Can Do)”, Cross only had one other No. 1 single, with “Think Of Laura”.
Photo by Gary Gershoff/Getty Images