Olney moved to Nashville in 1973, attempted to sell his songs to record labels, and then formed the band "The X-Rays" who recorded two albums for Rounder Records, appeared on Austin City Limits, opened for Elvis Costello, and broke up in 1985.
Subsequently, Olney performed as a solo singer-songwriter, and released more than 20 albums over four decades, including 6 live recordings. He collaborated with artists such as John Hadley and Sergio Webb.
His songs have been covered by, and co-written with, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Linda Ronstadt, Steve Young, Del McCoury and Laurie Lewis, among others.
David Olney and his live performances with multi-instrumentalist Sergio Webb converted new audiences while continuing to give the fans what they wanted. MTV's Urge.com witnessed a show and testified, "Olney Unbound...part Baptist preacher, part caustic comedian, and part existential bluesman... Olney shouted, moaned and howled his sharply observed hard-luck tales and quirky character studies. Webb, who looks like he stepped out of a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western, provided a dizzying array of textures, employing unconventional techniques"
Awarded the "People's Choice" at the Moab Folk Festival and having played the Hardly, Strictly Bluegrass Festival in Golden Gate Park & the Kerrville (TX) Wine & Music Festival, David & Sergio toured as a duo in support of Mr. Olney's critically acclaimed current studio album - "ONE TOUGH TOWN" (Red Parlor Records). The CD earned a spot on several 2007 "Best Of" lists online and in The Rochester (NY) Democrat & Chronicle, The Nashville Scene (TN), The Montreal Gazette (Canada), Rhythms Magazine (Australia) and others.
Olney infused his live performances with an intensity that converted many new listeners into die-hard fans. Olney's intelligent compositions radiated that same intensity, many of which have been recorded by Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Del McCoury, Tim O'Brien, Lonnie Brooks, James King, Slaid Cleaves, Dale Ann Bradley, Tom Rozum, Ann Rabson, Kevin Welch / Keiran Kane / Fats Kaplin and others.
According to late Olney friend and fan Townes Van Zandt, "Anytime anyone asks me who my favorite music writers are, I say Mozart, Lightnin' Hopkins, Bob Dylan and Dave Olney. Dave Olney is one of the best songwriters I've ever heard — and that's true. I mean that from my heart."
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I Only Have Eyes For You
David Olney Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
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
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
David Olney's song "I Only Have Eyes for You" is a beautiful ballad that depicts a person's unrelenting love and devotion to someone special. The first verse, "My love must be a kind of blind love, I can't see anyone but you, Sha bop sha bop," indicates that the love this person has can make them blind to the world around them. This kind of love is consuming and all-encompassing, making that person see only their loved one. The chorus, "Are the stars out tonight? I don't know if it's cloudy or bright, I only have eyes for you dear," strengthens the idea that the person's concentration is solely on the one they love, and they do not care about anything else in the world. They are blind and do not care for anything else to exist around them.
The second verse, "The moon may be high, but I can't see a thing in the sky, I only have eyes for you," further emphasizes the point that even the beauty of the sky, the stars, and the moon cannot distract this person from their lover. The final verse says, "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." This verse shows that it doesn't matter where they are; this person can only see their lover, and their love wipes out the rest of the world.
Overall, "I Only Have Eyes for You" is a beautiful song that expresses an undivided and steadfast love for someone special, so consuming that the world around them fades away, and they can only see their love.
Line by Line Meaning
My love must be a kind of blind love
The love I have for you is so strong that it makes me blind to everything else
I can't see anyone but you
My focus is solely on you and I don't notice anyone else
Sha bop sha bop
(This line does not have a definitive meaning, it is simply a vocalization that adds energy to the song)
Are the stars out tonight
I don't know if the stars are visible tonight
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
I'm not aware of the weather or the sky's appearance
I only have eyes for you dear
Despite my lack of awareness of my surroundings, my attention is completely fixed on you
The moon may be high
I don't have a clear view of the sky, even though the moon is up
But I can't see a thing in the sky
I am so focused on you that I don't see anything else, even if it's right in front of me
I only have eyes for you
No matter what's happening around me, my entire being is captivated by you
I don't know if we're in a garden
I am so lost in thought that I couldn't tell you where we are, whether it's a garden or a busy street
Or on a crowded avenue
It doesn't matter to me if we're in a busy place, my focus is only on you
You are here and so am I
No matter where we are, we are both present in this moment
Maybe millions of people go by
There could be countless individuals around us, but they don't matter to me
But they all disappear from view
My attention is so fixated on you that everyone else fades away and is forgotten
And I only have eyes for you
My love for you is so intense that it consumes me and is all I see
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Al Dubin, Harry Warren
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind