Songs with Earlier Histories Than the Hit Version

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Tagged: Kim Carnes

You’re a Part of Me

Written and first released by Kim Carnes (MOR #35 1975).
Other hit version by Gene Cotton & Kim Carnes (US #36/MOR #6/C&W #78 1978).

From the wiki: “‘You’re a Part of Me’ was written by singer-songwriter Kim Carnes, and was first recorded by her, and produced by Mentor Williams, in 1975 for her second album, Kim Carnes, (an album which also held one of the four arrangements by different artists of ‘Somewhere in the Night‘ that appeared almost simultaneously in 1975). Released as a promotional single, it peaked at #35 of the Adult Contemporary singles chart but did not appear on Billboard‘s Hot 100.

“Three years later, in 1978,’You’re a Part of Me’ received wider popularity – this time as a duet performance between Carnes and another singer-songwriter, Gene Cotton (‘Let Your Love Flow‘). This arrangement did chart on the Hot 100, peaking at #36, scoring Top-10 success on the Adult Contemporary chart, and crossing-over to the Hot Country singles chart. This duet arrangement would be released on Cotton’s 1978 album, Save the Dancer.”

Gene Cotton & Kim Carnes, “You’re a Part of Me” (1978):

More Love

First recorded by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles (US #23/R&B #13 1967).
Other hit version by Kim Carnes (US #10/MOR #6 1980).

From Songfacts.com: “In the book Where Did Our Love Go?: The Rise and Fall of the Motown Sound, Smokey Robinson explained that he wrote ‘More Love’ for his wife Claudette, and it’s one of his most personal songs. Claudette had a series of miscarriages and gave birth to twins who were stillborn. She felt like she was letting Smokey down, and he wrote this song to let her know how he felt. ‘I wanted to reassure her that I was cool no matter what happened, because I still had her,’ Robinson explained. Claudette had left The Miracles a few years earlier, but she returned to sing backup on this track.

Bette Davis Eyes

Co-written and first recorded Jackie DeShannon (1974).
Hit version by Kim Carnes (US #1/MOR #15/UK #10 1981).

From the wiki: “‘Bette Davis Eyes’ is a classic hit song written by Donna Weiss and Jackie DeShannon, and made popular by American singer-songwriter Kim Carnes. It spent nine weeks at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was Billboard’s biggest hit of the entire year for 1981. The recording won the 1982 Grammy Awards for both Record of the Year and Song of the Year.