Kim Carnes is an American singer-songwriter. She is noted for her distincti… Read Full Bio ↴Kim Carnes is an American singer-songwriter. She is noted for her distinctive, raspy voice which she attributes to many hours spent singing in smoky bars and clubs.

Born in Pasadena, California, Carnes pursued a songwriting career from an early age. She was a member of the New Christy Minstrels from 1966 to 1970. Kenny Rogers was also a member, and during this time Carnes met and married Dave Ellingson, with whom she would write most of her songs. For a short while in the early 1970s, she and Ellingson formed the folk duo Kim and Dave. Their track "Nobody Knows"" features on the Vanishing Point soundtrack, alongside another Carnes-Ellison track, "Sing Out for Jesus", performed by Big Mama Thornton.

Carnes began releasing solo music in the early 1970s. Her self-titled album in 1975 contained her first hit, You're a Part of Me" – later re-recorded as a duet with Gene Cotton. Carnes recorded her third album, Sailin', with producer Jerry Wexler. One track, "Love Comes From Unexpected Places", won best song at the 1977 American Song Festival and gained some additional notice after it was recorded by Barbra Streisand on her 1977 album, Superman.

In 1980, Carnes and Ellingson were invited to write a concept album for Kenny Rogers. Gideon follows the story of a fictional cowboy, with each track focusing on a moment in his life. Rogers asked Carnes to record "Don't Fall in Love with a Dreamer" as a duet, and it became a major hit on the country and pop charts. Her cover version of the Smokey Robinson & The Miracles song "More Love" became her first solo hit single in 1980 when it reached the U.S. Top 10.

In 1981 she recorded the Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss song "Bette Davis Eyes". As the first single released from the album Mistaken Identity, it spent 9 weeks at number one on the US singles charts and became a worldwide hit. The single went on to become the #1 bestseller for the year and won Grammy Awards for Song of the Year and Record of the Year. It is second only to Olivia Newton-John's "Physical" (released later in 1981 and late enough to be the number one single of 1982), which spent 10 weeks at number one, as the biggest hit of the entire decade of the 1980s. In 1986, she recorded "Room Enough For Two," theme to CBS sitcom "My Sister Sam" starring Pam Dawber and the late Rebecca Schaeffer.

It is ironic that Carnes' best known and most popular song "Bette Davis Eyes" written in 1974 was originally rejected by Carnes. It was only after a new instrumental arrangement was done by Bill Cuomo that Carnes agreed to record it and it became a huge hit. Bette Davis admitted to being a fan of the song and approached Carnes and the songwriters to thank them. Davis wrote to Carnes after the song was released and stated that she was very pleased with the song as it made her seem very up to date with her grandson. She had Carnes sing the song live for her at a tribute held just before her death.

Carnes continued to record and released several albums into the 1990s. These releases failed to reach the level of success of "Bette Davis Eyes", but by this time she was a highly respected songwriter, and collaborated with such artists as Barbra Streisand. Carnes has written three number one country songs: “The Heart Won’t Lie”, a hit duet for Reba McEntire and Vince Gill, “Don’t Fall In Love With A Dreamer”, a huge hit duet she performed with Kenny Rogers, and “Make No Mistake She’s Mine”, a duet performed by Kenny Rogers and Ronnie Milsap. The latter song was originally "Make No Mistake, He's Mine," a No. 51 Pop hit in 1984 for Carnes and Streisand featured on Streisand's album Emotion. Also in 1984, Carnes sang on the No. 1 Adult Contemporary hit "What About Me?" with Rogers and James Ingram.

Co-writing with others, Carnes has had songs covered by such country stars as Deana Carter, Kevin Sharp, Sawyer Brown, Suzy Bogguss, Pam Tillis and Tanya Tucker. She wrote "You Don't Love Me Anymore," a hit song on Tim McGraw's album A Place In The Sun.

In 2004, she re-appeared with a self-released album Chasin' Wild Trains.

In August 2005, her 1981 single “Draw Of The Cards” hit #1 on the internet radio request site FreezeFrameRadio.com.

She currently resides in Nashville, Tennessee.

Discography

* Rest on Me (1972)
* Kim Carnes (1975)
* Sailin' (1976)
* St Vincent's Court (1979)
* Romance Dance (1980) US #57
* Mistaken Identity (1981) US #1
* Voyeur (1982) US #49
* Cafe Racers (1983) US #97
* Barking at Airplanes (1985) US #48
* Light House (1986) US #116
* View from the House (1988)
* Checking Out The Ghosts (1991)
* Gypsy Honeymoon: Best of Kim Carnes (1993)
* Chasin' Wild Trains' (2004)

To Love Somebody
Kim Carnes Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There's a light
A certain kind of light
That never shone on me
I want my life to be lived with you

Lived with you
There's a way everybody say
To do each and every little thing

But what does it bring

If I ain't got you, ain't got ?
You don't know what it's like, baby
You don't know what it's like

To love somebody
To love somebody
To love somebody

The way I love you
In my brain
I see your face again
I know my frame of mind

You ain't got to be so blind
And I'm blind, so very blind
Don´t you know I'm a woman
Can't you see

What I am
I live and breathe for you

But what good does it do
If I ain't got you, ain't got

Overall Meaning

Kim Carnes's song "To Love Somebody" is a stirring ode to love and devotion. The song begins by describing a "certain kind of light" that has never shone on the singer, the light of true love. She yearns for her life to be lived with her beloved, to be intertwined with theirs in every way possible. The singer ponders the various ways that people have suggested to achieve happiness and fulfillment, but she realizes that these suggestions are futile without the presence of her loved one. She emphasizes that her beloved doesn't know what it's like to love someone the way she does and this love is a profound experience that cannot be fully understood by anyone else. The chorus echoes with the powerful repetition of "To love somebody," emphasizing the importance of this feeling in the singer's life.

The second verse continues with the imagery of the singer seeing her beloved's face in her mind's eye, and emphasizing her own blindness. She explains that she is a woman who lives and breathes for her loved one, but this devotion cannot fully manifest without them by her side. The final line of the song, "If I ain't got you, ain't got?", echoes the sentiment of the opening line, emphasizing that without the presence of her loved one, her life is incomplete.

Line by Line Meaning

There's a light
There's a feeling, a type of happiness that I've never experienced before

A certain kind of light
A type of happiness that is unique and special

That never shone on me
I've never felt this type of happiness before

I want my life to be lived with you
I want to share my life with you, to always be with you

Lived with you
To experience life with you by my side

There's a way everybody say
There's a common belief that everyone shares

To do each and every little thing
To perform every task perfectly and flawlessly

But what does it bring
But what is the point or benefit of this belief?

If I ain't got you, ain't got ?
Without you by my side, I have nothing

You don't know what it's like, baby
You don't understand the depth of my love for you

You don't know what it's like
You can't comprehend the emotions and feelings I have for you

To love somebody
To have strong, deep feelings for someone else

To love somebody
To experience the powerful emotions that come with loving someone

To love somebody
To have a true connection with someone else

The way I love you
The depth of my love and connection to you

In my brain
In my thoughts and imagination

I see your face again
I can picture your face, and it brings me joy

I know my frame of mind
I am aware of my thoughts and emotions

You ain't got to be so blind
You don't have to be oblivious to my feelings

And I'm blind, so very blind
But I am also struggling to express my emotions properly

Don´t you know I'm a woman
Don't forget that I am a woman, with feelings and desires

Can't you see
Can't you understand or empathize with my emotions?

What I am
Who I truly am - a woman with love and feelings

I live and breathe for you
You are the center of my world, and I would do anything for you

But what good does it do
But what is the point of my love if it isn't reciprocated?

If I ain't got you, ain't got
Without you, I truly have nothing

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: BARRY GIBB, ROBIN HUGH GIBB, MAURICR GIBB

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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