Dusty's 'Something In Your Eyes'

[newvillefan]

In Waterstone's bookstore this past Christmas, I read an unbelievable quote from Dusty Springfield in a new book I picked up which lists every studio song she ever recorded, together with her annotated quotes from over the years, her recollections etc.



For this recording session, she said she had a sore throat but at Richard's urging did the vocal take anyway with bare instrumentation and none of the usual orchestration and vocal overdubs that he subsequently put on after she left (his usual style lol).

Months later, on hearing the finished album version she really regretted not being given the chance (by Richard or the label, not sure) to come back and do a final vocal retake, believing that she could have made the song even more majestic, given how he'd polished up the track in her absence but with her inferior vocal.

One striking comment she made was that although she believed the song to be strong, she never, ever believed it would ever be pulled as the first - and promotional - single for his album. A sign of her own self doubt, she refused to join Richard for promotion purposes, and was disappointed that the sleeve belittled her contribution as lead singer (i.e. smaller print).​

​

The summary paragraph for this discography entry went on to say that because of these factors, it sank without a trace on the main charts.​

Contrary to beliefs though that she fell out with Richard over the song's marketing, she is quoted speaking warmly about the experience of working with him and saying how she tried to sound like Karen but the realised that was exactly what he didn't want.

I am not sure what the book is called, but it's brand new and I searched the pages for any quotes about this song, stunned at the above recollections. I remember standing in the bookstore for about twenty minutes reading this over and over, thinking 'what a difference it makes to hear it from her for a change!'.

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

I actually don't think her vocal on the tune is that good (in terms of what she was capable of). She absolutely managed to get away with it but that's about all. Every single line is "punched in" and it's hard to listen to as a result. The edits in the vocal track ruins it for me. I absolutely believe that if she could have come back in and cut it again, she'd have nailed it without all the edits.

I also find it quite sad that her credit is smaller than Richards. It certainly shouldn't be.

Ed

 

[Harry]

I never followed along with the outrage at Dusty Springfield's supposed missing credit on the "Something In Your Eyes" single.

She was a guest vocalist on his album (on this one song), which was thought to be good enough for a single release, so the record company puts out a record with only the credit of "Richard Carpenter" on the label. Dusty Springfield's name appears on the picture sleeve they created for the record - but not the record label itself.

Well - it WAS a record by Richard Carpenter. He's a pianist, composer, conductor and had a guest soloist. She's credited on the album.

Keep in mind this is the same record company that for years put out Sergio Mendes and Burt Bacharach records with no credits for the vocalists out front on the many songs released, so I suppose it came naturally to them. It was a Richard Carpenter single from his album. Buy the album and you'll find out that the vocalist is Dusty Springfield.

In all the years that the Carpenters as a duo released records, never once did a single list the vocalist as being Karen (or Richard!) Carpenter. So many records, by so many groups, released records with no credit to a lead vocalist. It was just the way of the business, IMHO.

It's changed now, where any guest appearance on any single seems to generate a "XXXXXXX /featuring YYYYYY" type of artist labeling.

I don't know. I just never found it to be such a big deal back then.

Harry

 

[Rick-An Ordinary Fool]

How weird is this...I just search Richard Carpenter on google and asked for most recent articles and this article from Jan 4, 2012 came up about this same topic. Ok, what's my prize?

http://popdose.com/category/music/
Scroll down to see album cover from Time or
or click below to jump to article

http://popdose.com/greatest-un-hits...sty-springfields-something-in-your-eyes-1987/

 

[song4u]

How weird is this...I just search Richard Carpenter on google and asked for most recent articles and this article from Jan 4, 2012 came up about this same topic. Ok, what's my prize?

You get a cookie Chris!

Very cold article though.

 

[Toolman]

Were two different sleeves created for the single? If you search "Something in Your Eyes" on Wikipedia, the accompanying image shows what I assume is another sleeve that replicates the "Time" cover art/photo.

I don't think it's a big deal either, but if Dusty had some minor criticisms there may be several reasons. First, she was battling rumors in the '80s that she'd become unreliable and had lost her voice -- easy to understand why she'd want to be accommodating and sound as good as possible. Second, only months later she scored a #2 Hot 100 smash with the Pet Shop Boys and "What Have I Done to Deserve This", probably helping her regain some confidence and assertiveness.

Personally, having become a Dusty fan in the '70s, I thought it was pretty cool that she re-emerged in 1987 with both a pretty ballad and an uptempo pop hit...recalling the days when she was scoring equally well with MOR material like "Wishin' and Hopin'" or "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself" and faster numbers like "Stay Awhile" or "I Only Want to Be With You".

 

[Dave]

I say: Come on. Give Dusty a Break!

At this point in her career, then in her forties, the closest she'd had to a "comeback" was the guest shot w/ The Pet Shop Boys, "What Have I Done To Deserve This?"...

She was sadly washed up in the history of "Oldies Has-Been Rock", before dying of breast cancer in her 60th year...

I'd say a more in-depth collaboration w/ Richard could have yielded a much better breakthrough, if not one w/ greater impact, such as 'what could have been', in the case of her appearance on Time...

(Which needless-to-say, was as a "behind the scenes" effort as a background vocal done for another singer, back in the 1970's for Dunhill/ABC, Thomas Jefferson Kaye... Sadly, 'Tommy' died, too...)


-- Dave

 

[newvillefan]

Were two different sleeves created for the single? If you search "Something in Your Eyes" on Wikipedia, the accompanying image shows what I assume is another sleeve that replicates the "Time" cover art/photo.quote]

It would seem there were two more sleeve covers produced...something I never knew until looking just now.

The second one was obviously A&M Japan's effort, but I don't know which market the first one was produced for...

 

[GaryAlan]

Following are excerpts from Paul Howes book The Complete Dusty Springfield on the making and reception of “Something In Your Eyes.”

Dusty’s collaboration with Richard Carpenter on “Something In Your Eyes” must have seemed a backward step after gaining credibility with the Pet Shop Boys but, in fact, the song was recorded before “What Have I Done To Deserve This?”However, the single, taken from Richard Carpenter’s album Time, wasn’t released until the duet with the Pet Shop Boys was in the charts. Time was Carpenter’s first project since the death of his sisterKaren and it certainly seemed as if he was looking to fill the gap left by Karen when he called in Dusty and Dionne Warwick to do lead vocals on a couple of tracks. When Dusty was asked how she felt about stepping into the spot previously occupied by Karen, she admitted that she was nervous. “I thought there’s no way I can do it as well as Karen did and then I thought that’s probably not what [Richard] wants anyway. Otherwise he wouldn’t have asked me.”

. . . “After completing the song with Pamela Phillips Oland, the first vocalist who came to mind (other than Karen) was Dusty,” says Richard Carpenter. “Karen and I had always enjoyed her work, and I was looking for a vocalist who had her own unique sound. I sent a demo tape to Dusty, who at that time was in semi-retirement. I received word back that she liked it, and we went on to record the tune in Studio D at A&M Studios. I enjoyed working with her. As Dusty herself will admit, she’s a character. She has a great sense of humour, and is an absolutely terrific singer. I remain very pleased with the finished product.”

This lush ballad unfortunately only made a brief appearance in the lower regions of the Top 100 in the UK. Of course it might have had more success if released a few years later, when the Carpenters were back in vogue, but Dusty certainly didn’t help matters back in 1987. Although she and Richard Carpenter made a video, she refused A&M’s invitation to come over and promote the single in the UK. [Note: Dusty was living in Los Angeles at the time.] Dusty received no credit whatsoever for her vocal on either the UK or the US single. Could there be a connection?
In the States, the record didn’t enter the Billboard Hot 100 at all, although it did make the Adult Contemporary chart, peaking at #12.

 

[arthowson]

Dusty always requested punch-in edits and would re-record little snippets of words so that each phrase, word, syllable had the right emotion she was looking for. Plus, there is not ONE vocal of hers that she doesn't criticize. Preacher Man, "Oh Aretha does it better," Dusty says.

Dusty was very humble, even more than Karen. I feel bad for her that she felt anything, but love for the whole project. I wish that Richard had reached out to more friends of Karen's, like Olivia.

 

[Must Hear This Album]

I love RC so much. I really do. A true genius, etc., etc. That said, his insecurity has always been sadly apparent (and irritating) to me, as if he’s constantly saying, “Wait a minute, everybody! I’m the real hero of Carpenters!” Sigh... That he cut-and-pasted his resume to use as the title of his second solo album, Pianist, Arranger, Composer, etc. is all too much. We get it, RC, you are THE man. Seriously. I mean that - he’s one of the greats. He needs to learn to bask in his awesomeness, no matter what a few critics say (or do not say).

I mention this, because, true to form, RC overdoes it again in this video, where he goes OVERBOARD to demonstrate his leadership role in making this record, going so far as to mime the words along with Dusty, as if he’s dictating each phrase for her to sing and instructing her in how to sing it and even mimicking the stringed (and hilariously tuxedo’d?) musicians, as if he’s showing them how to play an instrument they're touching for the very first time. Chuckling, here. Cracks me up whenever I see this clip, which is otherwise tastefully done. Oh, well. It is what it is, I guess...

Oh, and I think this song should have been a major hit. Loved it then, love it now.

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

Dusty always requested punch-in edits and would re-record little snippets of words so that each phrase, word, syllable had the right emotion she was looking for...

You can hear many of the "punch in"s in "Something In Your Eyes." "Time" is a train wreck but "Something..." is a nice song that, like the rest of the record, was over-produced. He's always had a penchant for going too far and it reached it zenith during "Made In America." He threw in everything and the kitchen sink on "Touch Me..." Not everything needed an orchestration. He disagreed with that. He was clearly trying to emphasize his role as producer/arranger and he summarily shoved it down our throats from "Made In America" on. He sort of got away with that because of Karen on "Made In America." "Time" didn't have either her voice or strong enough songs to survive his approach and the album flopped as as result.

Ed

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

I mention this, because, true to form, RC overdoes it again in this video, where he goes OVERBOARD to demonstrate his leadership role in making this record, going so far as to mime the words along with Dusty, as if he’s dictating each phrase for her to sing and instructing her in how to sing it and even mimicking the stringed (and hilariously tuxedo’d?) musicians, as if he’s showing them how to play an instrument they're touching for the very first time. Chuckling, here. Cracks me up whenever I see this clip, which is otherwise tastefully done. Oh, well. It is what it is, I guess...

Those moves might have been given him by the director. Don't know that I'd be so hard on Richard for that. Unintentionally funny video though.

Ed

 

[Vinylalbumcovers]

I'd say a more in-depth collaboration w/ Richard could have yielded a much better breakthrough, if not one w/ greater impact, such as 'what could have been', in the case of her appearance on Time...

I'm not sure Richard was the man for that job. He's already failed miserably with "Something..." Richard, even with Karen, was commercially cold. Richard without Karen. Iceberg. No one wanted to know about him. There's no way he didn't know that.

Ed

 

[newvillefan]

Greatest Un-Hits: Richard Carpenter and Dusty Springfield’s “Something In Your Eyes” (1987)
BRIAN BOONE
on January 4, 2012 at 7:00 pm


When duos split up, there’s usually only one breakout star who goes on to any semblance of a successful solo career, with the public casting its vote with its dollars and chart showings, making it clear to the duo who the real star of there little group was. Hall vs. Oates, Simon vs. Garfunkel, Michael vs. Ridgeley, Bill Medley vs. Jim Righteous, etc.

I don’t think anyone is going to argue that the biggest talent in Carpenters (no definite article, it’s just Carpenters, which was intended to sound cool, not silly and pretentious) wasn’t Karen Carpenter, whose voice was evanescently beautiful and heartbreaking even before she tragically died while recovering from anorexia at age 32 in 1983. But with her unable to go on to an ’80s soft rock solo career—she was working on a solo album just before she died and she would have been a huge star, at least on adult contemporary radio—you’d think the public might give her goofy, piano-playing brother Richard Carpenter a respectful shot. He probably shouldn’t have waited four years to have a go at it.

Richard Carpenter erred on the side of caution for his solo debut and presented himself in the familiar, Carpenters motif by getting a charismatic, stunningly talented lady singer to sing while he played, which was Dusty Springfield, one of the most beloved pop singers ever. It should have marked a new era for him and a comeback for her. Actually, it makes sense this wasn’t a hit, as it’s supremely schmaltzy, totally generic, and is a dated relic harkening back to a time when bands like Carpenters ruled the radio. Not even the recent cheesy-pop-for-cheesy-Adults smash “Friends and Lovers” by Gloria Loring could propel Richard Carpenter and Dusty Springfield into chart success. It’s biggest success was as a moderate hit on the AC radio chart.

Richard Carpenter presumably consoled himself with his giant pile of publishing royalties and supportive wife, who is also his cousin. True story.

http://popdose.com/greatest-un-hits...sty-springfields-something-in-your-eyes-1987/

 

[CraigGA]

I prefer the version sung by Claire Dela Fuente. It has its own energy and not as closely tied to the framework of a past Carpenters song. And, I can feel the truth in her voice and she is convincing in her delivery. A gift Karen also had in the delivery of creating a personal relationship with the listener.



Craig

 

[GaryAlan]

Now, in observing the Single-Sleeve for the "Something In Your Eyes" as vocalized by
Dusty Springfield....it truly is a dis-service to her in the manner in which she is (not)
emphasized--or, at the least, given equal billing-- on the 45-single sleeve.
It is a great song.
Marketing the song without Dusty Springfield featured prominently on the sleeve, this, not respectful.
Well,we all remember the (dis) content when Karen Carpenter was signed to Magic Lamp Records, and
not Richard Carpenter.
Karen Carpenter named as the artist on the actual record, Richard Carpenter credited as writer. (ML-704)
( And, that is another story, another thread).
Professional courtesy (then, or now) is never out of fashion, and that song should have been a much bigger hit.
Terry Ellis, way back in 1975, said as much regarding Richard Carpenter's insecurity. (Coleman and Schmidt).
And, I, too, am a staunch Richard Carpenter supporter! ( Always will be.)
But, enough said, we all make perplexing decisions.
Even musical geniuses.
Interesting to read all of the commentary on this song.
MustHearThisAlbum, your analysis seems spot-on to me.

 

[wideawakeat4am]

I don't know Dusty's voice enough to know whether or not she could have done better, but professional courtesy would surely mean that Richard should have allowed her another go when she was feeling better.

As for her billing on the record, she was cutting a track for someone else's album so I guess she should have expected more of a minor credit. I always regarded it as a Dusty Springfield and Richard Carpenter song anyway - ladies first and all that

 

[CraigGA]

It may have been better to include Dusty I'm top billing, for it may have been confusing to radio stations to play a female singer then credit Richard Carpenter.
In the years that followed, for example, Whitney Houston had many different styles depending on her producers and arrangers and their names were only written and hardly spoken.
My feelings are that when you want to move in a forward direction but end the song like "I Won't Last A Day Without You", or "Merry Christmas Darling", that preserving the past and career of Karen Carpenter while moving forward as a solo artist is not something the listener heard, in fact, it's just creepy when you end a new song like one of the past (when one of the team from the past is dead) and that creepy feeling is felt by a casual listener making a forward direction as questionable direction giving the product an uneasy emotion. So, with the creepy feeling, the mixed gender credits, and the plastic (if that word can be used descriptively) vocalization Dusty applied to the song made an otherwise good song forgettable.
That is why I mentioned the other version in my earlier post. Claire Dela Fuente gave it credibility with a good reading and good vocals! It has energy and emotion that is contagious and pleasing to the listener. The same song has the exact opposite outcome.

 

[mr J.]

"Something In Your Eyes" wasn't a particularly interesting or memorable single-not surprised it didn't get any chart action.

The ironic thing about this track: while Dusty got no credit for the single upon it's release,it's now considered an exclusive Dusty Springfield track-and is only available on Dusty's various compilations.

Incidently,if there's any Dusty fans on this forum-check out her fantastic version of Barry Manilow's "Sandra" from 1978. Excellent recording and one of Dusty's best performances.

 

[aaflyer98]

The best thing about Someting In Your Eyes is the instrumental break mid song with the multiple key changes. I love that!

 

[davidgra]

I guess I'm very much in the minority here, but I think "Something in Your Eyes" is an amazing song. I love everything about it. I own every album that Dusty Springfield ever released, so I'm a bit biased toward her, but I think her vocal sounds as good as anything she did in her later years. The only real improvement I would like to have seen would have been the inclusion of Dusty in the backing vocals, for a more "balanced" sound than the all-Richard backing vocals.

For me, this is absolutely the stand-out track from Time, and I rank it in my top 20 favorite "Carpenters" tunes. Had Made in America included this, I would probably have liked that album a lot more than I do now.

 

[arthowson]

I never followed along with the outrage at Dusty Springfield's supposed missing credit on the "Something In Your Eyes" single.

She was a guest vocalist on his album (on this one song), which was thought to be good enough for a single release, so the record company puts out a record with only the credit of "Richard Carpenter" on the label. Dusty Springfield's name appears on the picture sleeve they created for the record - but not the record label itself.

Well - it WAS a record by Richard Carpenter. He's a pianist, composer, conductor and had a guest soloist. She's credited on the album.

Keep in mind this is the same record company that for years put out Sergio Mendes and Burt Bacharach records with no credits for the vocalists out front on the many songs released, so I suppose it came naturally to them. It was a Richard Carpenter single from his album. Buy the album and you'll find out that the vocalist is Dusty Springfield.

In all the years that the Carpenters as a duo released records, never once did a single list the vocalist as being Karen (or Richard!) Carpenter. So many records, by so many groups, released records with no credit to a lead vocalist. It was just the way of the business, IMHO.

It's changed now, where any guest appearance on any single seems to generate a "XXXXXXX /featuring YYYYYY" type of artist labeling.

I don't know. I just never found it to be such a big deal back then.

Harry

its like carlos santana single that Rob Thomas is the lead. It's a Carlos Santana song.

 

[BarryT60]

Given her stature, I would have thought: Richard Carpenter featuring Dusty Springfield. No smaller fonts, no guessing... Just the facts ma'am....

Schmaltzy?? Maybe... But it contains one of the prettiest lyrics I have ever heard:

"And as I watch you framed in sunlight, and a sky of blue... I know what my life's been leading to.... "