The Flamingos - I Only Have Eyes For You

On this day October 31, 1958 at the Bell Sound studios in New York City, the Flamingos recorded "I Only Have Eyes For You."


 









 

 "I Only Have Eyes for You" is a popular song by composer Harry Warren and lyricist Al Dubin, written in 1934 for the film Dames where it was introduced by Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler.

According to Billboard magazine, the song was a #2 hit for Ben Selvin in 1934. The orchestras of Peter Duchin and Anson Weeks also figured in the song's 1934 popularity, and was used the following year in the film, The Woman in Red, produced by Warner Brothers, starring Barbara Stanwyck and Gene Raymond. This song was recorded in 1950 by Peggy Lee, and most notably by The Flamingos in 1959, becoming one of their most popular hits. Rolling Stone magazine ranked the Flamingos' version #157 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. This version peaked at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #3 on the R&B charts. It was released in the UK in january 1960 on the Top Rank label but amazingly never entered the charts!

The song is a jazz standard, and has been covered by thousands of musicians. Frank Sinatra recorded this in 1962 with the Count Basie Orchestra. The Lettermen did a version in 1966, and Jerry Butler covered it in 1972. Johnny Mathis named an album after this song in 1976. The Count Basie Orchestra did it again in 1990 with George Benson. Art Garfunkel made a very romantic version on his 1975 Breakaway album, it became a number one song on the UK Singles Chart in October 1975 for two weeks. The song was his first hit as a solo artist in the UK. In the US, the song reached #18 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the adult contemporary chart. Garfunkel performed the song on the second episode of Saturday Night Live. (Info mainly Wiki)