The Night Has a Thousand Eyes (song) explained
"The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" is a song written by Benjamin Weisman, Dorothy Wayne, and Marilyn Garrett. It became a popular hit in 1962 for Bobby Vee and has had several cover versions over the years.
Bobby Vee version
The song was first recorded in October 1962 by American pop music singer Bobby Vee, at United Recorders, Hollywood, California. The recording was arranged by Ernie Freeman and produced by Snuff Garrett.[3]
Released as a single in late 1962, it spent 14 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching number 3,[4] while ranking number 2 on Billboards Middle-Road Singles chart,[5] [6] and number 8 on Billboards Hot R&B Singles chart.[7] [8] It also spent 12 weeks on the UK's Record Retailer chart, achieving number 3 on March 6, 1963.[9] The song was included on Vee's 1963 Liberty Records album, The Night Has a Thousand Eyes.[10] Vee also recorded a Scopitone promotional video for the song.[11]
Chart performance
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
| Chart (1963) | Rank |
|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100[16] | 78 |
| US Cash Box[17] | 31 |
|
Other versions
- In 1965, Gary Lewis & the Playboys included a version of the song on their first album This Diamond Ring; it can also be heard on their album Complete Hits.
- The Carpenters featured the song on their 1973 album Now & Then.
- Canadian pop singer-songwriter Dan Bryk's cover version appeared on the 1997 compilation Super Secret Songs: A Benefit For Kitchener’s Korova Cafe and as a Japanese bonus track on his Lovers Leap album in 2000.[18]
- Alex Proyas' 1998 science fiction film Dark City features a scene with Jennifer Connelly as a nightclub singer, performing a jazzy, sultry minor key version of the song. The "thousand eyes" motif also relates to the theme of surveillance that permeates the film. For the theatrical release, Anita Kelsey's voice was dubbed for Connelly's; while the actor's own voice is heard in Proyas' Director's Cut.
Notes and References
- Web site: Phonograph Recording Contract . . The Wrecking Crew . October 14, 2015.
- http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-night-has-a-thousand-eyes-mw0000845919 The Night Has a Thousand Eyes - AllMusic Review by Bruce Eder
- https://www.discogs.com/release/2230131-Bobby-Vee-The-Night-Has-A-Thousand-Eyes Bobby Vee – The Night Has A Thousand Eyes
- http://www.billboard.com/artist/295437/bobby-vee/chart Bobby Vee - Chart History - The Hot 100
- http://www.billboard.com/artist/295437/bobby-vee/chart?f=341 Bobby Vee - Chart History - Adult Contemporary
- "Middle-Road Singles", Billboard, January 12, 1963. p. 35. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
- http://www.billboard.com/artist/295437/bobby-vee/chart?f=367 Bobby Vee - Chart History - Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
- "Hot R&B Singles", Billboard, January 19, 1963. p. 16. Retrieved July 7, 2017.
- http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/9455/bobby%20vee/ Bobby Vee - Full Official Chart History
- Web site: Cover Versions of The Night Has a Thousand Eyes . SecondHandSongs . October 14, 2015.
- http://www.scopitonearchive.com/scopitones/by_artist/v_z.html Scopitones by artist: V to Z
- "Billboard Hits of the World", Billboard, February 23, 1963. p. 22. Retrieved November 22, 2016.
- http://chumtribute.com/63-01-07-chart.jpg CHUM Hit Parade, January 07, 1963
- http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=Lever%20hit%20parades&qyear=1963&qmonth=Mar&qweek=07-Mar-1963#n_view_location "Lever Hit Parade" 07-Mar-1963
- Web site: Cash Box Top 100 Singles . Tropical Glen . October 14, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161013223055/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/19630202.html . October 13, 2016 . dead .
- Web site: Top 100 Songs of 1963 . Music Outfitters . October 14, 2015.
- Web site: The Cash Box Year-End Charts: 1963 . Tropical Glen . October 14, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140713020757/http://tropicalglen.com/Archives/60s_files/1963YESP.html . July 13, 2014 . dead .
- Web site: Dan Bryk: Discography . November 21, 2023.
