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1916 song, covered by Emil Ford in 1959 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" is a song written by Joseph McCarthy, Howard Johnson and James V. Monaco in 1916 for the Broadway production Follow Me, in which it was performed by Henry Lewis.[1][2]
| "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" | |
|---|---|
Sheet music cover, 1916 | |
| Song | |
| Written | 1916 |
| Composer(s) | James V. Monaco |
| Lyricist(s) | |
Lewis' version was released as a single on Emerson Records in early 1917.[3][4][5] Around the same time, a version by Sam Ash was released in February on Columbia Records, having been recorded on 11 December 1916.[6][7] It was first a hit when released in March that year by Ada Jones and Billy Murray on Victor Records, peaking at number 3 on the US Billboard chart.[8][9]
| "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For?" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Emile Ford and the Checkmates | ||||
| A-side | "Don't Tell Me Your Troubles" | |||
| Released | October 1959 | |||
| Recorded | October 1959[10] | |||
| Studio | Lansdowne Studios, London[10] | |||
| Genre | Doo-wop | |||
| Length | 2:01 | |||
| Label | Pye | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Emile Ford and the Checkmates singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The song became a UK hit in 1959 when a doo-wop version was recorded by Emile Ford and the Checkmates as the B-side of their single "Don't Tell Me Your Trouble". This B-side became more popular and it topped the charts for six weeks over the Christmas and New Year of 1959/60. It retained the number one position for the first three weeks of 1960.[11] This earned Ford his first gold disc for sales of over a million, which was "an incredible feat for an unknown singer with his debut recording".[12] The song was co-produced by Ford and Joe Meek.[10]
| Chart (1959–1960) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report)[13] | 1 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[14] | 3 |
| Norway (VG-lista)[15] | 1 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[16] | 1 |
| "What Do You Want to Make Those Eyes at Me For" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Shakin' Stevens | ||||
| from the album Let's Boogie | ||||
| B-side | "(Yeah) You're Evil" | |||
| Released | 16 November 1987 | |||
| Recorded | 1987 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 2:49 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Shakin' Stevens singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 1987, Welsh singer Shakin' Stevens covered the song for his album Let's Boogie. It became his first UK Top 10 hit in two years, peaking at number 5 on the Singles Chart and became his last until the re-entry of "Merry Christmas Everyone" in 2018.[17]
7": Epic / SHAKY 5 (UK)
7": Epic / 651255 7 (Australia)
EP: Epic / SHAKY G5 (UK, Limited Edition)
| Chart (1987–1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[18] | 25 |
| Ireland (IRMA)[19] | 8 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[17] | 5 |
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