IN MY SENIOR YEAR, AS PART OF A CLASS I TOOK ABOUT A&R, I WAS PROMPTED TO CONDUCT A DETAILED ANALYSIS OF A SONG'S EVOLUTION THROUGH TIME. I WAS TOLD TO CHOOSE A PARTICULAR SONG AND COMPARE AND CONTRAST THREE RECORDINGS OF THAT SONG. THE MORE VARIED MY CHOICE OF COVER SONGS WERE, THE BETTER MY ANALYSIS WOULD BE. THE CHALLENGE HERE WOULD BE TO TAKE A SONG THAT WENT THROUGH REAL TRANSFORMATION WITH EACH RECORDING. AFTER MUCH THOUGHT, I CHOSE TO WRITE ABOUT THE SONG "I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU. BELOW IS A SAMPLE OF MY ANALYSIS:
I chose to evaluate the song “I Only Have Eyes for You,” a song written by composer Harry Warren and lyricist Al Dubin. I specifically analyzed the earliest recorded version of the song that I could find, as featured in the 1934 musical film Dames. Additionally, I focused on the most recognizable version of the song done by the doo-wop group The Flamingos in 1959. Lastly, I chose a very recent recording, done by British jazz-pop vocalist Jamie Cullum.
Harry Warren and Al Dubin teamed up in the early 1930s to write “I Only Have Eyes for You” for the musical comedy film Dames. The song, performed by actors Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler, served as a key musical number in the film, featuring elaborate dance sequences. In fact, the scene starts off with Powell dreaming that he sees Keeler’s face everywhere—every corner he turns and every person he looks at. At one point, the chorus girls—all donning Keeler masks—huddle together to form one giant human puzzle of Keeler’s face.
Warren and Dubin worked together throughout the rest of the decade, producing songs such as “We’re in the Money,” “Forty-Second Street,” and “Lullaby of Broadway.” The two had real music chemistry and were said to have together written 60 songs per year.
The Thirties, while being the decade of great poverty for Americans, also saw the creation and fruition of swing bands and big band music. Swing was the new dance music and its corresponding music featured jazz-inspired improvisations and big instrumentation. Other hits in the 1930s included music from another hugely successful songwriting team, George and Ira Gershwin—specifically, “I Got Rhythm,”—as well as Cole Porter’s “Night and Day.”
I chose to study “I Only Have Eyes for You” after hearing The Flamingos version of the song on the radio several weeks ago. It had been a really long time since I had heard the song and I was captured again by the song’s oozing romanticism. I loved the crisp and controlled vocals of the male solo, the subtle harmonies, as well as the sweeping dance-like rhythm of the song. I also think I have a soft spot for songs that depict the romantic and innocent nature of the 1950s (I think I’ve seen too many 1950s movies for my own good…)
Song: “I Only Have Eyes For You”
By: Harry Warren (composer), Al Dubin (lyricist)
Click on the links below to see performances/videos of each recording...
Recordings:
a) Dick Powell and Ruby Keeler
Dames Soundtrack, 1934
This nine minute recording paints a very elaborate picture of a man so in love he is not quite sure where he is or what he is seeing in front of him. It takes us from the main character’s primary confession, then onto the streets of his town, and then to his encounter with others (who gently mock his obsession), then leads us into instrumental breaks, and then into a choir of female voices. The recording is truly a major production, intertwining music with speaking and storytelling (the recording is part of the 1934 musical comedy film Dames.) We, as listeners, are taken upon a nine minute journey that builds and builds in dynamics—we move from a solo voice to multiple voices to noises in the street—and then the recording quiets down and ends in a whisper. Instrumentation in this recording is big and orchestral—a common feature of pop music of the time—and vocal delivery is dramatic and projecting. The pace of the recording seems to glide smoothly at times, while at other times (particularly in the instrumental section), we feel a bit of a quickened dance-like motion. What makes the recording feel like it’s gliding is the way in which the song is written to be syncopated—the vocalist always begins on the off beat with each phrase.
b) The Flamingos
Flamingo Serenade, 1959
It’s no wonder the 1959 recording by the Flamingos is the most recognizable one of the batch. After being featured in many TV shows and films, the recording has become a classic due to its dripping romanticism, immaculate four-part harmonies, and its sonic signature “doo bop, she bop.” The vocals and the doo-wop group’s harmonies are what make the recording a perfect love song. The lead vocalist, Sollie McElroy, sings smoothly and delivers the song’s lyrics with real conviction. The slowed down tempo requires McElroy to extend many of the phrases—creating a sleepy, sort of swooping sound—and he does so quite effortlessly. McElroy also has a knack for delighting his listeners by jazzing up the melody at points. Additionally, the recording is multi-layered and complex—lead vocals atop staccato piano playing (which continues throughout the song), a repeating “doo bop she bop,” a morose-sounding keyboard, snare drum, and string bass. However, the song’s inherent qualities have a lot to do with the recordings excellence. We cannot overlook the romantic simplicity of the lyrics, describing a man who is so obsessively in love that he walks the streets thinking of nothing else. More so, the melody—dribbled with lots of stepwise motion and great scan—is what carries the song through. The written melody has an inherent quality of gliding and floating (representative of the main character’s state of mind), and this is only further highlighted through the vocal performance and harmonic interpretation of the Flamingos.
c) Jamie Cullum
Catching Tales, 2005
Jamie Cullum’s 2005 release featured many tracks further expanding his musical repertoire of modern piano jazz pop songs. His cover of Warren and Dubin’s “I Only Have Eyes for You” is tucked in the very start of the album, at track 4, and the track begins by sounding anything but a Broadway standard written in the 1930s. The track opens with a thumping bass, sounding like a heart beat—perhaps setting up the theme of the love obsession. The track continues by building a complex sonic landscape with a multitude of programmed beats, drums, keyboard, guitar, piano, and vocals. And oh yes, there’s tons of reverb. Jamie’s voice echoes against the droning darkness of the keyboards and the pounding bass. At moments, short outbursts of improvised piano playing break the cloud of electronic noise—reminding us that Jamie is in fact a jazz piano master. However, while the sound landscape is so altered, the recording still stays true to the original song’s melodies and ballad-style tempo. In between the electronica/New Age/lounge sound, there is still that same romanticism in the recording that was inherent in the original song’s lyrics and smoothly written melody.
COMPARE & CONTRAST RECORDINGS:
The differences in all three recording of “I Only Have Eyes for You,” goes much further than mere genre title. Sure, the 1934 version would be called “Broadway,” the 1959 version labeled “R&B” or “doo-wop,” and the 2005 version labeled “jazz/pop”—however, there is much more to evaluate. Firstly, the differences in voicing are particularly interesting—with the 1934 version being a duet, as well as an exchange of many other different speaking/singing voices. In contrast, the Flamingos recording builds the song into a four-part harmony, one in which the voice is utilized in creating musical layers for the song. Jamie’s 2005 version instead presents the song with one solitary voice—his own—allowing instead the instruments to speak their parts.
When it comes to rhythmic elements and the general tempo of the recordings, there seems to be more similarities than differences. Though the 1934 and 2005 versions are both in duple meter, the 1959 version is in 6/8. However, all these versions, I believe still exhibit a smooth ballad feel, as well as a general feeling of gliding and floating. While Jamie’s version is more dreamy and lounge-sounding, it still has the crucial vocal element of crooning and floating smooth vocals that were also present in the Flamingos and Dames versions. It’s marvelous to observe such transformative versions still sharing such mutual qualities—obviously elements that were embed into the songs through the songwriting of Harry Warren and Al Dubin.
MY REACTION TO THE MULTIPLE RECORDINGS:
Since my first impression of the song “I Only Have Eyes for You” came from the Flamingos version of the song, the recording from Dames came to me a complete—but delightful—surprise. Immediately, the song was transformed from an R&B tune to a Broadway standard! I’m laughing as I write this because that shouldn’t be such a big deal—all genres are intertwined and borrow from one another—but at the time, I was flabbergasted. I watched a youtube clip of the Dames clip and couldn’t believe that this song I had such an affinity for was even older than I had imagined it to be! To be more specific, my initial feelings about the song were not just the classification of it as an R&B, but a general sound that was imprinted in my head. I had a sound imprint of smooth vocals and harmonies, as well as a jazzy rhythm. When I listened to the 1934 version of the song, the initial sound I had imprinted in my head was challenged—instead, I heard a much more operatic, head-voice vocal quality to the song. As a singer, this was the quality that jumped at me first. At the same time, the song turned into a conversation and into a story; through the speaking parts of the extended 1934 recording, and I began to develop a larger picture of what the song represented. After getting over the change of vocal quality, I was intrigued with the bright instrumental sections and intrigued by all the sound effects of street noises and whistles. After listening to Jamie Cullum’s version of the recording, I enjoyed his electronic interpretation of the love-struck man. Instead of creating layers of vocal harmonies, he created a landscape of various dreamy and spacey electronic noises. Listening to this made me, firstly, like Jamie Cullum even more than I had before—he had taken the original song and transformed it to another level. It made me also rethink this concept of how best to tell a story. Jamie told the story through his intense and emotional vocals, but he also made a deep impact with the electronic daze he created, essentially reflecting the state of mind of the character. I appreciated the recording, and still like it a lot—for it expanded my appreciation and consideration for the song—but I’d have to say that my heart still goes out to the Flamingos version of the track. The vocal harmonies speak to my love for singing, I guess. But more than that, I believe the Flamingos created a truly unique romantic soundtrack.
