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10 10© Mike OwenNo.
BETTE DAVIS EYES
KIM CARNES
Making direct reference in song to
a major Hollywood megastar can
be fraught with danger but Bette
Davis was nothing but delighted
when Kim Carnes borrowed her
name on her way to the US’s
biggest-selling single of 1981
and a pair of Grammy awards.
Davis, 73 at the time, wrote
to the LA singer with the raspy
voice to thank her for making her
“a part of modern times” when
the song hit the top, staying
there for nine weeks in total.
She subsequently sent roses on
hearing of the Grammy success,
and put gifts of gold and platinum
records on her wall.
Not bad for a song that had
been written seven years earlier
by Jackie DeShannon and Donna
Weiss and was originally a
honky-tonk number. It was then
sent to Carnes, whose keyboard
player Bill Cuomo came up
with the synthesised intro that
illustrates the whole song. With
Carnes’ raucous, chain-smoking
vocal over the top, it outsold
everything in the US that year.
She enjoyed previous and
subsequent hits in the US but
her career never approached
such heights again. In the UK,
it reached No.10 and Carnes
was barely noticed afterwards,
although she got a notable grand
total of two solo words (“when
we”) as part of the USA For
Africa recording in 1985.
Matthew Rudd is the host of Forgotten
80s on Absolute 80sRebel yell! More, more,
more Madonna on DVD
Madonna’s Rebel Heart Tour will fi nally arrive on
DVD, Blu-ray and digital formats on 15 September.
Recorded around the world, the fi lm features both live
and behind-the-scenes footage, culminating with a
gig at the Sydney Qudos Bank Arena in Australia
from March 2016. The package will also include
a 22-song live album.
1,045,479 fans witnessed the Rebel Heart Tour
which made $169.8 million, cementing Madonna’s
status as the top
grossing touring
female artist of all time.
Recently, a mysterious
new Madonna track
titled Two Steps Behind
Me appeared on
iTunes, believed to be
a demo recorded
during the sessions for
her 2015 album. It
was swiftly taken
down but not before it
managed to chart in
numerous countries.A punishing tour awaits synth-pop legends
S
ynth-pop duo OMD are to set off on a massive UK and Irish
tour in support of their 13th studio album. Released on
1 September, The Punishment Of Luxury will be followed by 20
live shows kicking off at Dublin’s Vicar Street on 23 October.
Andy McCluskey and Paul Humphreys very nearly called it
a day after 2013’s English Electric, but found fresh impetus by stepping
out of their comfort zone. “On this album we have managed to make
beautiful things out of noises... There’s a little bit more sort of crunchy
industrial sound in a few things,” explains McCluskey. “The trouble is,
we just can’t help but write a catchy melody!”
The title is taken from an 1891 painting by the Giovani Segantini,
“We’ve taken that idea and extrapolated it into sort of... a metaphor for
modern life, really. First world problems.”SOFT CELL STAR TO
SAY HELLO AGAIN
Marc Almond is hitting the road with
an orchestra. The Soft Cell star has
announced a 17-date orchestral Shadows
And Refl ections Tour this autumn,
performing songs from his 36-year career.
The show is part of Almond’s 60th
birthday celebrations and accompanies
the forthcoming release of his new album,
also titled Shadows And Refl ections. The
record features fresh arrangements of
Almond’s hits alongside Billy Fury, Edith
Piaf, Jacques Brel, David Bowie and Burt
Bacharach covers.
The Shadows And Refl ections Tour
kicks off at London’s Royal Festival Hall
on 3 October.CP30.News.print.indd 10 09/06/2017 11: