In addition to her many album releases, Vikki Carr has played concerts for fans around the world, as well as appeared on stage, and television. She has starred in productions of South Pacific, The Unsinkable Molly Brown, and I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road. In 2002 she starred in the Reprise production of Steven Sondheim's beloved musical Follies in Los Angeles, garnering glowing reviews from the LA Times, Hollywood Reporter, and Variety. Two years later, Los Angeles PBS affiliate, KCET, filmed a special Vikki Carr: Memories, Memorias: a salute to the English-language hits of the 1940s and 1950s originally composed by Latinos, and featuring guest appearances by Jack Jones, Pepe Aguilar and Arturo Sandoval. PBS again tapped Vikki to host and star in a production celebrating the music of Mexico, Fiesta Mexicana, which was featured on all PBS stations for their June 2008 pledge drive.
Born in El Paso, Texas, and raised in the San Gabriel Valley of California, Vikki Carr, the eldest of seven children, began performing at the tender age of four singing "Adeste Fidelis" in Latin at a Christmas program. She was signed to a contract with Liberty Records in 1961. She recorded "He's a Rebel", which first became a hit in Australia. That title was soon followed by the unforgettable release, It Must Be Him, which charged up the charts in England. A year later, the single was released in the United States and earned Carr three Grammy Award nominations. The international hit emerged again when she and the song were featured in the storyline of the Academy Award winning movie Moonstruck. After "It Must Be Him" came a string of hits, including With Pen in Hand, for which she received her fourth Grammy Award nomination, The Lesson, Can't Take My Eyes Off You, and For Once in My Life.
Her international appeal was so great that she was invited to perform at a Royal Command Performance for Queen Elizabeth II, followed by sold-out shows throughout Europe. In the States, Carr became a darling of the White House, performing regularly at State Dinners and at President Richard Nixon's 1973 Inaugural celebration. President Gerald Ford called her his "favorite Mexican dish". She also performed for Presidents Ronald Reagan, George Bush, and at the 1992 Presidential Summit hosted by President Bill Clinton.
A frequent musical guest on major network variety shows of celebrities like Dean Martin, Ed Sullivan, Perry Como, and Carol Burnett, Carr also taped six specials for London Weekend TV. As an actor, she appeared on the Bing Crosby Show, Mod Squad, Fantasy Island, and co-hosted the Mrs. America and Mrs. World of the World pageants. She was the first woman to regularly guest host for Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show. She was also a visitor and guest host on Michael Jackson's ABC radio show.
The diversity of her rich voice is impressive. She can belt out the blues or touch the heart with a soft romantic ballad. Frank Sinatra once said, "She possesses my kind of voice", Dean Martin called her "the best girl singer in the business", and Bing Crosby and Ella Fitzgerald named her among their three favorite female singers of all time. Elvis Presley was also very fond of her and even remarked on stage in Las Vegas many times that Vikki Carr was one of his favorite singers and that he liked her because "she sang from the gut" and introduced her at many of his personal appearances in which she attended.
Vikki Carr has received numerous prestigious awards, including:
- Latin Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2008)
- National Hispanic Media Coalition Impact Lifetime Achievement Award (2005)
- Latino Spirit Award (2003)
- Tito Guizar Award (2003)
- Trefoil Award (2002)
- Inductee of the Latino Legends Hall of Fame (2000)
- Imagen Foundation "Humanitarian Award (1998)
- Hispanic Heritage Award (1996)
- Nosotros Golden Eagle Award (1988)
- Hispanic Woman of the Year (1984)
- Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (1981)
- Doctorate in Law from San Diego University (1974)
- Doctorate in Fine Arts from St. Edwards University (1974)
- American Guild of Variety Artists' "Entertainer of the Year" (1972), and
- The Los Angeles Times' highly respected "Woman of the Year" (1970)
She has also earned the career achievement award of the Association of Hispanic Critics, Chicago's Ovation Award, the YWCA Silver Achievement Award, and was honored in 1990 by the City of Hope with the Founder of Hope Award. In 1991, she was presented the Girl Scouts of America Award.
Respected both as an artist and a humanitarian, Carr devotes time to many charities including The United Way, The American Lung Association, Cancer Therapy and Research Center, The Muscular Dystrophy Association, and St Jude's Hospital. For 22 years she held benefit concerts to support Holy Cross High School in San Antonio. In 1971 she established the Vikki Carr Scholarship Foundation, dedicated to offering college scholarships to Latino students in California and Texas. To date, the Foundation has awarded more than 280 scholarships totaling over a quarter of a million dollars.
"My voice is a gift and a gift is nothing unless you can share it. The Foundation is one of the ways that I am able to share my gift", said Carr. "The Foundation seeks to help young Mexican-American students achieve their goals through a college education, something I myself was never able to do."
Official website: http://www.vikkicarr.com/
I Only Have Eyes For You
Vikki Carr 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
In Vikki Carr's song, "I Only Have Eyes for You," the singer describes her love as a "kind of blind love" because she is so focused on her lover that everything else fades away. The repetition of "Sha bop sha bop" adds to the dreamlike quality of the song, as if the singer is lost in a romantic reverie. The imagery of the stars and moon further emphasizes this dreamlike state, as she is unable to see them because her lover is all that matters to her.
The second stanza continues this theme, as the singer declares that she "only has eyes" for her lover. She doesn't know if they are in a garden or on a crowded street, because her focus is entirely on him. This creates a sense of intimacy and closeness between the singer and her lover. The final line, "they all disappear from view," highlights how deeply she is infatuated with her lover - nothing else matters when he is around.
Overall, "I Only Have Eyes for You" is a romantic ballad that celebrates the all-consuming nature of love. The singer's focus is entirely on her lover, and even the stars in the sky fade away when he is present. The dreamlike quality of the song adds to its romanticism, creating a sense of intimacy between the two lovers.
Line by Line Meaning
My love must be a kind of blind love
My love for you is so intense that I am blind to everything else around me.
I can't see anyone but you
My eyes are only focused on you, and no one else can capture my attention.
Sha bop sha bop
These nonsensical syllables indicate my complete infatuation with you.
Are the stars out tonight
I am oblivious to the natural world and its wonders because my mind is solely focused on you.
I don't know if it's cloudy or bright
The state of the weather is irrelevant to me because my love for you shines brighter than any sun or moon.
I only have eyes for you dear
You are the only person I see, and my love for you encompasses all of my senses and emotions.
The moon may be high
While the moon may be visible in the sky, your presence makes it pale in comparison to your radiance.
But I can't see a thing in the sky
None of the natural beauty of the world is visible to me when I am in your presence because my unwavering love for you supersedes everything else.
I don't know if we're in a garden
I am so focused on being with you that I have lost all orientation toward where we are or what we're doing.
Or on a crowded avenue
My love for you is so strong that even a crowded street will not distract me from being with you.
You are here and so am I
The only thing that matters is that we are together, and our shared love is enough to sustain us both.
Maybe millions of people go by
Even if we are surrounded by countless other individuals, I am oblivious to their existence because my love for you is all-consuming.
But they all disappear from view
When we are together, no one else matters, and my every thought and feeling is focused entirely on you.
And I only have eyes for you
You are the center of my universe, and everything in my life revolves around you and our shared love.
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, 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