"The Night Has a Thousand Eyes" is a song written by Benjamin Weisman, Dorothy Wayne, and Marilyn Garrett. It became a popular hit in 1962 for Bobby Vee and has had several cover versions over the years.
Bobby Vee version The song was first recorded in October 1962 by American pop music singer Bobby Vee, at United Recorders, Hollywood, California. The recording was arranged by Ernie Freeman and produced by Snuff Garrett.Bobby Vee – The Night Has A Thousand Eyes
Released as a single in late 1962, it spent 14 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching number 3,Bobby Vee - Chart History - The Hot 100, Billboard.com. Retrieved November 2, 2016. while ranking number 2 on Billboards Middle-Road Singles chart,Bobby Vee - Chart History - Adult Contemporary, Billboard.com. Retrieved November 2, 2016."Middle-Road Singles", Billboard, January 12, 1963. p. 35. Retrieved November 2, 2016. and number 8 on Billboards Hot R&B Singles chart.Bobby Vee - Chart History - Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Billboard.com. Retrieved July 7, 2017."Hot R&B Singles", Billboard, January 19, 1963. p. 16. Retrieved July 7, 2017. It also spent 12 weeks on the UK's Record Retailer chart, achieving number 3 on March 6, 1963.Bobby Vee - Full Official Chart History, The Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 6, 2016. The song was included on Vee's 1963 Liberty Records album, The Night Has a Thousand Eyes. Vee also recorded a Scopitone promotional video for the song.Scopitones by artist: V to Z. "Bobby Vee "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes" (S-1021)"; U.S. Scopitones: Guys and Gals, 'S-1021 Bobby Vee "The Night Has A Thousand Eyes"'
Chart performance
Weekly charts Chart (1962–1963)PeakpositionAustralia - Music Maker"Billboard Hits of the World", Billboard, February 23, 1963. p. 22. Retrieved November 22, 2016.5Canada (CHUM Hit Parade)CHUM Hit Parade, January 07, 19632New Zealand - Lever Hit Parade"Lever Hit Parade" 07-Mar-1963, Flavour of New Zealand. Retrieved November 22, 2016.5US Billboard Hot 1003US Billboard Middle-Road Singles2US Hot R&B Singles8US Cashbox Top 1004UK Record Retailer3
Year-end charts Chart (1963) RankUS Billboard Hot 10078US Cash Box31
Other versions The Angels recorded a cover version for their 1963 album My Boyfriend's Back. In 1965, Gary Lewis & the Playboys included a version of the song on their first album This Diamond Ring; it can also be heard on their album Complete Hits. The Carpenters featured the song on their 1973 album Now & Then. Canadian pop singer-songwriter Dan Bryk's cover version appeared on the 1997 compilation Super Secret Songs: A Benefit For Kitchener’s Korova Cafe and as a Japanese bonus track on his Lovers Leap album in 2000. Alex Proyas' 1998 science fiction film Dark City features a scene with Jennifer Connelly as a nightclub singer, performing a jazzy, sultry minor key version of the song. The "thousand eyes" motif also relates to the theme of surveillance that permeates the film. For the theatrical release, Anita Kelsey's voice was dubbed for Connelly's; while the actor's own voice is heard in Proyas' Director's Cut. The 2019 web series The Inside Man, which is about stopping security issues in workplaces, has an episode where a character sneaks around the office at night while another character sings their version of this song in a karaoke bar.
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