From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
1916 song, covered by Emil Ford in 1959
"What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For? " is a song written by
Joseph McCarthy ,
Howard Johnson and
James V. Monaco in 1916 for the
Broadway production Follow Me , in which it was performed by Henry Lewis.
[1]
[2]
Early recordings
Lewis' version was released as a single on
Emerson Records in early 1917.
[3]
[4]
[5] Around the same time, a version by
Sam Ash was released in February on
Columbia Records , having been recorded on 11 December 1916.
[6]
[7] It was first a hit when released in March that year by
Ada Jones and
Billy Murray on
Victor Records , peaking at number 3 on the US
Billboard chart .
[8]
[9]
Emile Ford and the Checkmates version
The song became a UK hit in 1959 when a
doo-wop version was recorded by
Emile Ford and the Checkmates as the B-side of their single "Don't Tell Me Your Trouble". This B-side became more popular and it topped the charts for six weeks over the Christmas and New Year of 1959/60. It retained the number one position for the first three weeks of 1960.
[11] This earned Ford his first
gold disc for sales of over a million, which was "an incredible feat for an unknown singer with his debut recording".
[12] The song was co-produced by Ford and
Joe Meek .
[10]
Personnel
Emile Ford – lead vocals, guitar
George Sweetman – saxophone
Dave Sweetman – bass
Ken Street – guitar
Pete Carter – guitar
Les Hart – tenor saxophone
Alan Hawkshaw – piano
John Cuffley – drums
Charts
Shakin' Stevens version
In 1987, Welsh singer
Shakin' Stevens covered the song for his album
Let's Boogie . It became his first UK Top 10 hit in two years, peaking at number 5 on the
Singles Chart and became his last until the re-entry of "
Merry Christmas Everyone " in 2018.
[17]
Track listings
7": Epic / SHAKY 5 (UK)
"What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For" – 2:49
"(Yeah) You're Evil" – 2:11
7": Epic / 651255 7 (Australia)
"What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For" – 2:49
"If You're Gonna Cry" – 3:43
EP: Epic / SHAKY G5 (UK, Limited Edition)
"What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For" – 2:49
"(Yeah) You're Evil" – 2:11
"
Merry Christmas Everyone " – 3:39
"With My Heart" – 2:45
Charts
Other versions
The 1945 film Nob Hill , starring George Raft, Joan Bennett and Peggy Ann Garner, featured Vivian Blaine singing this song.
The 1950 film
Wabash Avanue , starring
Betty Grable ,
Victor Mature and
Phil Harris , had used the chorus as a transition between scenes, following "
I've Been Floating Down the Old Green River "
In 1960, Danish rock singer
Otto Brandenburg recorded a cover of the song that gave him his breakthrough on the Danish music scene.
In 1963, Italian singer Don Backy recorded another cover of the song, using Italian lyrics, under the title "Ho rimasto". The title is intentionally grammatically wrong (it should have been "Sono rimasto") to catch public attention.
Les Gray 's 1977 recording is on
Warner Bros. Records K 17007.
[20]
Swedish rock band
Hep Stars incorporated the song into their repertoire, and a live version of it was recorded on their 1965 live album
Hep Stars on Stage .
[21]
Swedish singer
Christer Sjögren released recorded the song on his 2008 album
Mitt sköna sextiotal .
[22]
See also
References
Specific
^ Copyright 1916 Leo Feist Inc., USA. Sub-published Francis Day & Hunter Ltd., U.K.
^
"What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For? · Sheet Music" . library.uta.edu . Retrieved 2020-11-08 .
^
"Henry Lewis (3) - What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For? / Love Is A Wonderful Thing" . Discogs . Retrieved 2020-11-08 .
^
"EMERSON 500/5000 numerical listing discography" . www.78discography.com . Retrieved 2020-11-08 .
^
"Emerson Phonograph Co" (PDF) .
Talking Machine World . Vol. 13, no. 3. 15 March 1917. p. 126. Retrieved 8 November 2020 .
^
"Cover versions of What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For? by Samuel Ash | SecondHandSongs" . secondhandsongs.com . Retrieved 2020-11-08 .
^
"Columbia Graphophone Co" (PDF) .
Talking Machine World . Vol. 13, no. 2. 15 February 1917. p. 117. Retrieved 8 November 2020 .
^
"Victor 18224" . Encyclopedic Discography of
Victor Records .
University of California, Santa Barbara Library . Retrieved 30 November 2011 .
^
"What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For? (song by Ada Jones & Billy Murray) ••• Music VF, US & UK hits charts" . www.musicvf.com . Retrieved 2020-11-06 .
^
a
b
c Thompson, Gordon (2008-09-10).
Please Please Me: Sixties British Pop, Inside Out . Oxford University Press, USA.
ISBN
978-0-19-533318-3 .
^ Rice, Jo (1982). The Guinness Book of 500 Number One Hits (1st ed.). Enfield, Middlesex: Guinness Superlatives Ltd. p. 47.
ISBN
0-85112-250-7 .
^ Davis, Sharon (2012-01-06).
Every Chart Topper Tells a Story: The Sixties . Random House.
ISBN
978-1-78057-416-5 .
^
"Every AMR Top 100 Single in 1960" . www.top100singles.net .
^ "
Emile Ford & the Checkmates – What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" (in Dutch).
Single Top 100 .
^ "
Emile Ford & the Checkmates – What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" .
VG-lista .
^
"Emile Ford and the Checkmates: Artist Chart History" .
Official Charts Company .
^
a
b
"Shakin Stevens: Artist Chart History" .
Official Charts Company .
^ "
Shakin' Stevens – What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For" (in Dutch).
Ultratop 50 .
^ "
The Irish Charts – Search Results – What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For" .
Irish Singles Chart .
^
"Les Gray - What Do You Want To Make Those Eyes At Me For (Vinyl) at Discogs" . Discogs.com. 1977. Retrieved 2014-04-04 .
^
"The Hep Stars on Stage" . www.thehepstars.se . Retrieved 2020-06-28 .
^
"Mitt sköna sextiotal / Christer Sjögren" (in Swedish). Svensk mediedatabas. 2008. Retrieved 2 January 2016 .
General
Nostalgia Book of Hit *Singles by Jimmy Savile and Tony Jasper (page 60, 1st pub. in G.B. in 1982 by Frederick Muller Ltd.)
Rock File 4 edited by Charlie Gillett & Simon Firth (page 167, 1st pub. 1976 by Panther Books Ltd., Frogmore, St Albans, Herts. U.K.)