I Only Have Eyes For You
JAZZ-Doris-Day-and-Harry-James Lyrics
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I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
'Cause I only have eyes for you dear
The moon may be high
But I can't see a thing in the sky
'Cause I only have eyes for you
Or on a crowded avenue
You are here, so am I
Maybe millions of people go by
But they all disappear from view
And I only have eyes for you
Are the stars out tonight
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
'Cause I only have eyes for you
Only have eyes for you
I don't know if we're in a garden
Or on a crowded avenue
You are here, so am I
Maybe millions of people go by
But they all disappear from view
And I only have eyes for you
Only have eyes for you
The song “I Only Have Eyes For You” by JAZZ-Doris-Day-and-Harry-James is a passionate declaration of love that implies a sense of belonging to another person utterly. The first verse of the song shows the singer as someone who is oblivious to the environment surrounding them. It creates an image of a person who cannot see beyond the object of their affection. The moon may be high; the stars might be out or not, but nothing matters because the person only has eyes for the object of their love.
The second verse takes the idea further, with the singer admitting they don't even know where they are. They could be in a garden or on a crowded avenue, but it doesn't matter where they are because being with the person they love is all that counts. The way the song is put together creates a feeling of tunnel vision where nothing else can be seen except the one the singer loves. The love is so intense that anyone or anything else doesn't matter. Overall, “I Only Have Eyes For You” is a song about love and the power it has over the one that loves.
Line by Line Meaning
Are the stars out tonight
I am not able to tell if the sky is lit up with stars tonight
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
I don't know the current state of the weather, whether it's overcast or sunny outside
'Cause I only have eyes for you dear
However, the only thing that concerns me is you, my beloved
The moon may be high
The moon could be rising up in the sky
But I can't see a thing in the sky
But I am oblivious to anything else happening in the sky
'Cause I only have eyes for you
As all I can pay attention to is you
I don't know if we're in a garden
I am unsure of our location, whether we're in a garden or on a crowded street
Or on a crowded avenue
or maybe we are walking along a busy street
You are here, so am I
Despite my uncertainty about the surroundings, I am certain that we are together
Maybe millions of people go by
There might be a multitude of passing strangers
But they all disappear from view
But none of them cross my mind because my focus is solely on you
And I only have eyes for you
So I can't see anyone else, for you are the sole object of my affection
Are the stars out tonight
Reiterating my lack of attention to any other stimulus around us
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
I am completely consumed by my fondness towards you
'Cause I only have eyes for you
My heart and soul are fixated only on you
Only have eyes for you
I realize that my love for you is all-consuming and absolute
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
Jeanne G Nadeau
Genius is frequently flawed in an area other than that of the genius which is so great....Harry James was a great trumpet player: technically, musically, artistically....that he was less than perfect in some of his private life does not detract from his gifts to us all. God bless him, and I can't wait to hear him trading fours with Gabriel, Clifford Brown, Dizzy, Pops and all the other greats up there in Heaven!
Hal Wheeler
I literally grew up with the sound and style of Harry James. My brother bought a lot of his records while he was in high school and I was 12 years younger. Except for Harry had a distinction o sound and style that n one else has ever successfully duplicated. Louis Armstrong and Bobby Hackett are also inimitable, but Harry was "the first trumpet of American popular music in the 40s, 50s and 60s." He combined a great classical technique with swing style with tremendous success. I would be happy to play like Harry in his last days---loving the melody with a special touch of inventiveness. I was on the air the day we heard of his death and devoted 15 minutes of the show to is most famous recordings. (I wasn't supposed to play that kind of music because it was one of those tortuous ""easy listening"" stations that played nothing but pablum.) I caught hell from the owner for breaking format but I had to do it. I was a trumpet player and he was not
boris mendes
Muito linda a canção e a japonesa e james com seu trumpete maravilhoso
Bonnie Parr
This is just wonderful. a person is the same person from birth to death and every segment of their life is just as important and valued. Thank you for posting this.
frankfan42
Thanks for posting these. I had no idea that he recorded these, sad that they did not want this released. I agree, Harry is still Harry here, and while the flame is dying it is not yet gone in these recordings. I own and have read Levinson's book and I always felt that he has a somewhat unconscious bias against Mr James. None of us is without flaw, but looking down on Harry seemed to permeate the whole book. It left me with a sad feeling, the opposite of when I LISTEN to James play. Thank you
Adriano Campos
Primoroso e inigualável.Bussola de minha infância e juventude.Atualmente um dos grandes trompetistas celestiais ad aeternitates...Congratulaçôes...
donal heffernan
it takes a lifetime to play the trumpet and another lifetime to play like HARRY JAMES maybe Levinson did not understand this, Harry was one of the greats, RIP
Antonio Carlos Novelli
Diz o velho ditado, "quem foi rei, nunca perde a majestade" digo, a embocadura, rsrsrsrs Harry James, é um exemplo desse dito popular, pois ainda tem aquela técnica e aquele velho e lindo timbre que o caracterizou durante muitos anos como o grande virtuose do trumpet.
Michael Klein
I read the Levinson biography just recently myself and really was expecting something sad to hear based on his description. Listening to this and knowing it was Mr. James' final performance, left me with a glowing smile. He sounds wonderful! Thanks so much for sharing this.
Ward Harrah
i havent read all of trumpet blues, but have finished his Livin in a great big way about Tommy Dorsey....I just dont understand why Levinson felt the need to knock all of my musical heros off their "white horse"...Its almost like a bandleader from the 40's killed his parents or something