Budd Johnson (December 14, 1910 – October 20, 1984) was an American jazz sa… Read Full Bio ↴Budd Johnson (December 14, 1910 – October 20, 1984) was an American jazz saxophonist and clarinetist who worked extensively with, among others, Ben Webster, Benny Goodman, Big Joe Turner, Coleman Hawkins, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Billie Holiday and, especially, Earl Hines.

Johnson initially played drums and piano before switching to tenor saxophone. In the 1920s he performed in Texas and parts of the Midwest, working with Jesse Stone among others. Budd Johnson had his recording debut while working with Louis Armstrong's band in 1932-1933 but he is more known for his work, over many years, with Earl Hines. It is contended that he and Billy Eckstine, Hines' long-term collaborator, led Hines to hire "modernists" in the birth of bebop which came largely out of the Hines band. Johnson was also an early figure in the bebop era doing sessions with Coleman Hawkins in 1944. In the 1950s he led his own group and did session work for Atlantic Records - he is the featured tenor saxophone soloist on Ruth Brown's hit, "Teardrops from My Eyes". In the mid-1960s he began working and recording again with Hines. His association with Hines is his longest lasting and most significant. In 1975 he began working with the New York Jazz Repertory Orchestra. He was inducted into the Big Band and Jazz Hall of Fame in 1993. His grandson, Albert Johnson (aka Prodigy), is a member of the hip-hop duo Mobb Deep.

I Only Have Eyes For You
Budd Johnson Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

My love must be a kind of blind love
I can't see anyone but you
Sha bop sha bop

Are the stars out tonight
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
I only have eyes for you dear

The moon may be high
But I can't see a thing in the sky
I only have eyes for you

I don't know if we're in a garden
Or on a crowded avenue

You are here and so am I
Maybe millions of people go by

But they all disappear from view
And I only have eyes for you

Overall Meaning

The song 'I Only Have Eyes for You' is a romantic ballad that highlights a deep love and devotion towards a significant other, who is the center of the singer's attention. The opening lines, 'My love must be a kind of blind love, I can't see anyone but you,' suggests that the person's affection is so intense that it becomes an obsession. The Sha-bop Sha-bop refrain that follows reiterates the singer's blindness and also serves as a playful way of expressing their dedication to their partner.

The second stanza presents the singer's tunnel vision when it comes to their love, stating that they are unaware of their surrounding or any other element of the environment except for their beloved. They are so fixated on their lover that the singer doesn't observe the stars, the moon, or anything else in the sky. They are so focused on their relationship that they do not acknowledge their location, whether it is a garden or a busy street. The final stanza reinforces the power of this infatuation, emphasizing that despite the presence of other people, the singer's attention is entirely on their love interest. The singer acknowledges that there might be millions of people around them, but their beloved is the only one they can see.

Line by Line Meaning

My love must be a kind of blind love
My love is so intense that it blinds me to everything else

I can't see anyone but you
My focus and attention is only on you

Sha bop sha bop
N/A - this is a meaningless refrain added for musical effect

Are the stars out tonight
I am not aware of anything else happening right now except my love for you

I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
I am not paying attention to the world outside of my love

I only have eyes for you dear
You are the only thing I see and care about in this moment

The moon may be high
Even if the beauty of the world outside is at its peak, it doesn't matter to me

But I can't see a thing in the sky
I am too blinded by my love for you to notice anything else

I only have eyes for you
My attention and focus is solely on you

I don't know if we're in a garden
I am so consumed by my love for you that I am not aware of our surroundings

Or on a crowded avenue
It doesn't matter where we are, as long as I am with you

You are here and so am I
Our togetherness is all that matters in this moment

Maybe millions of people go by
The world around us is moving, but I am stuck in this moment of love

But they all disappear from view
Everyone else fades into the background when I am with you

And I only have eyes for you
You are the only thing that matters to me right now

Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: AL DUBIN, HARRY WARREN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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