What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?
| "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" | |
|---|---|
 Sheet music cover, 1916 | |
| Song | |
| Written | 1916 |
| Composer(s) | James V. Monaco |
| Lyricist(s) | |
"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
[edit]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
[edit]| "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Emile Ford and the Checkmates | ||||
| A-side | "Don't Tell Me Your Troubles" | |||
| Released | October 1959 | |||
| Recorded | October 1959[10] | |||
| Studio | Lansdowne Studios, London[10] | |||
| Genre | Doo-wop | |||
| Length | 2:01 | |||
| Label | Pye | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Emile Ford and the Checkmates singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
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
[edit]- 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
[edit]| Chart (1959–1960) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[13] | 1 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] | 3 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[15] | 1 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[16] | 1 |
Shakin' Stevens version
[edit]| "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Shakin' Stevens | ||||
| from the album Let's Boogie | ||||
| B-side | "(Yeah) You're Evil" | |||
| Released | 16 November 1987 | |||
| Recorded | 1987 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 2:49 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Shakin' Stevens singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
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
[edit]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
[edit]| Chart (1987–1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[18] | 25 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[19] | 8 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[17] | 5 |
Other versions
[edit]- In 1960, Danish rock singer Otto Brandenburg recorded a cover of the song that gave him his breakthrough on the Danish music scene.[citation needed]
- 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.[20]
- Swedish singer Christer Sjögren released recorded the song on his 2008 album Mitt sköna sextiotal.[21]
See also
[edit]
- List of number-one singles from the 1950s (UK)
- List of UK Singles Chart number ones of the 1960s
- List of number-one singles in Australia during the 1960s
- List of number-one hits in Norway
References
[edit]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.
- ^ "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.)
- 1916 songs
- 1959 singles
- 1960 singles
- Hep Stars songs
- Shakin' Stevens songs
- 1987 singles
- UK singles chart number-one singles
- Number-one singles in Australia
- Number-one singles in Norway
- Songs with lyrics by Joseph McCarthy (lyricist)
- Songs with lyrics by Howard Johnson (lyricist)
- Songs with music by James V. Monaco
- Christmas number-one singles in the United Kingdom
- Pye Records singles
- Epic Records singles