“I Only Have Eyes for You“—some pedant will doubtless note that it should be “I Have Eyes For Only You”—is one of the great doo-wop songs of the 1950s, though it was actually written in 1934. The Flamingos‘ version below was recorded in 1959, and I well remember when it came out.
There have been a gazillion covers of this song, including a notable version by Art Garfunkel, and even one by Frank Sinatra, but this one is, to my mind, still the best.
….some pedant will doubtless note that it should be “I Have Eyes For Only You”….
Well not now he/she won’t 😀
I would have said “I Have Eyes Only For You”. Unless of course the intention is “I Can’t Give You Anything But Eyes”, in which case the Flamingos have it right.
And since I brought it up, here’s Django.
Whoa, you just helped me come up with a good joke to use during Bladerunner. Now I need to trick people into watching it with me so I can make it. 😀
Nicely done.
+1
Nice way to end the evening. Thanks Jerry.
Thank you, Jerry! I’m an unregenerate doo-wopper at heart, and this is one of the all-time greats. And, yes, I’m old enough to remember when this song was released (same age as you, in fact), and how the Flamingos’ vocal stylings blew me away. They still do.
Jerry,
Could you give us your thoughts on GMO and GE crops and fish? Is this stuff harmful to the environment? Bad for our health? Mann ist wass er issts! (I hope I am quoting the German correctly!) Man is what he eats!
What are your thoughts on GMO and GE foodstuff.
I try to support organic agriculture.
Regards,
John
Must…fix….German: Man ist was er ißt.
Your litany is what I call the GMO Gallop (riffed from Gish Gallop). It is impossible to discern what you are really asking.
However, the simple, straightforward answer is that with our present scientific understanding, transgenic crops are no more dangerous than–and some say even less dangerous because usually only one gene is involved in transgenic crops versus many genes being involved in Mendelian-type breeding–than regular crops. And transgenic crops actually are better for the environment as less pesticides (particularly dangerous to agricultural workers) are used.
Golden rice (Vitamin A rice) will in a couple of years pass regulation hurdles in the Philippines, much to the angst of mostly fat, wealthy westerners who feel transgenic crops are icky, and who have the great fortune of not going blind from diets low in Vitamin A. The next hurdle will be when African kids can have access to vitamin A sweet potatoes so they can also keep their sight.
There will be of course significant ethical considerations though regarding biotechnology and its distribution.
Organic agriculture is one of my pet peeves. We have known since the Rome meeting on sustainable future that it has ~ 50 % the yield of “top of breed” agriculture. I.e. it is not sustainable, not “ecological” (wasting land best left for nature), and so on.
This was tested by a metaanalysis early last year, which observed that it was now 70 – 80 % yield IIRC, and so still harmful. (It is googeable.) Among other finds is that it uses up more fossil fuel.
GMO is among best of breed agriculture.
And a gene is but edible DNA. (O.o) Whether the mod is selection by crossing et cetera (which is brutal macroscale gene sweep) or lateral gene transfer by intention (clinical surgery microscale gene swap).
Save nature, use GMO et cetera preferentially.
A long time ago, Edwin Newman hosted a show about the English language, and one of the examples he used was changing the position of the word “only.” So let’s try it here.
Only I Have Eyes For You
I Only Have Eyes For You
I Have Only Eyes For You
I Have Eyes Only For You
I Have Eyes For Only You
I Have Eyes For You Only
The example that Newman used was different, and somehow the meaning changed much more with the sentence he used as an example (I thought):
Only I punched Walter Cronkite in the nose.
I only punched Walter Cronkite in the nose.
I punched only Walter Cronkite in the nose.
I punched Walter Cronkite only in the nose.
I punched Walter Cronkite in only the nose.
I punched Walter Cronkite in the nose only.
Exactly. GPWM.
The implied meaning could be changed in spoken examples case by emphasis, intonation and timing, but as far as the most obvious sense of the text goes, I read no’s 2, 4, 5 and 6 as synonymous in each sequence.
(omit ‘case’, it’s an intron)
I forgot to mention that I love that song!
The Rock Hall of Fame in Cleveland has outfits from some of these groups. I get goosepimply looking at all the sequins and everything done so perfectly and perfectly alike (well, I sew so consider the source)…
Ils n’écrire plus les chançons comme ça.
Dem skriver inte såna låtar längre.
They don’t write songs like that anymore.
Gorgeous song!
I only have ears for the pre-soul Dick Powell version from Dames. True romance.
The Flamingos make me believe that heaven exists–right here on earth! Beautiful, beautiful music–thanks for posting!
I love this version of the song! My private belief is that the doo-wap background, repeated throughout, is an invitation to love-making: ‘Do what you want.’