Soul Music

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Series about pieces of music with a powerful emotional impact

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Soul Music: I Only Have Eyes For You

I Only Have Eyes For You

BBC Radio 4 - Soul Music, I Only Have Eyes For You

The hypnotic beauty of a Tin Pan Alley song made famous by The Flamingos.

When I Only Have Eyes For You first emerged in 1934 it was a jaunty ditty written by Harry Dubin and Al Warren for the movie "Dames".  But it gained huge popularity when the 1950s doo wop group The Flamingos under the musical arrangement of Terry Johnson transformed it into a dreamy otherworldly love song.  Terry explains how he went about turning the song into an evergreen hit that has been covered by many including Art Garfunkel and Carly Simon.
Musicologist Luis Cruz attributes the genius of the song to its pedal chord - the repeated use of the C note. It adds to the feeling of fixation he says where the singer cannot see anyone else but the object of his affection.
The song is obviously one that speaks of deep love and Vivian Fransen was one of many who chose the song to play at her wedding.  She'd been introduced to the Art Garfunkel version in 1975 when she met the man who was to become her husband. 12 years later he revealed a secret he'd been keeping from her which ended their marriage and caused her to reassess the song's meaning.
Jess Farr Cox would sing the song to her aged rescue dog Pico as his health deteriorated.  Only that song and the theme to Antiques Roadshow would send him to sleep  when he was in pain and distress and she still gets emotional when she hears it over a year after he was eventually put to sleep. People underestimate the love you get from a rescue dog, she says.
Chris Deerin is a political journalist and part of Scottish band Fat Cops.  He recorded a version of I Only Have Eyes For You for the Tiny Changes Young People's Mental Health Charity founded following the death of the singer Scott Hutchison in 2018.  Chris says he and fellow musician Bobby Bluebell had always loved the song and felt it was a fitting tribute to fellow musician Scott.

Producer: Maggie Ayre

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