Blue Eyes Blue

Last updated

"Blue Eyes Blue"
Blue Eyes Blue Cover.jpg
Single by Eric Clapton
from the album Clapton Chronicles: The Best of Eric Clapton
ReleasedJuly 20, 1999 (1999-07-20)
Genre Acoustic · pop · pop rock
Length4:43
Label Reprise
Songwriter(s) Diane Warren
Producer(s) Rob Cavallo
Eric Clapton singles chronology
"Pilgrim"
(1998)
"Blue Eyes Blue"
(1999)
"(I) Get Lost"
(1999)
Music video
"Blue Eyes Blue" on YouTube

"Blue Eyes Blue" is a pop song written by American songwriter Diane Warren. The tune was written for the 1999 soundtrack of Runaway Bride . [1] The British rock musician Eric Clapton recorded the song for the soundtrack and released his performance of the song as a single on July 20, 1999, for Reprise Records.

Contents

Background

The pop track was written by Diane Warren, especially for the 1999 romantic comedy film Runaway Bride, starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. [2] The song was published under Realsongs, a division of American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers organization. [3] Clapton recorded the song in Los Angeles, at Ocean Way/Record One Studios in the summer of 1999. The track was recorded at Los Angeles facility's Studio B, featuring an 80-input Solid State Logic SL 9000J console. When it came time for Clapton to record on the Diane Warren song, Allen Sides, owner of Ocean Way Studios worked on the release as the leading recording engineer. [4] The recording was produced by Rob Cavallo. [5] Greg Curtis and Blumpy were in charge of the recording's music programming and Chris Lord-Alge mixed "Blue Eyes Blue". The recording featured Eric Clapton singing and playing the guitar, Greg Curtis on keyboards and background vocals, Tim Pierce and Darryl Crooks on rhythm guitar, Nathan East as the bassist, Steve Ferrone on drums, Jamie Muhoberac on keyboards, Luis Conte and Mike Fasano on the percussion instrument. Orchestral composer David Campbell arranged the strings for the release. [3] The song was released on July 27, 1999, as part of the Runaway Bride soundtrack on compact disc and music cassette, seven days after the single had been released. [6] On October 12, 1999, the song appeared on the compilation album Clapton Chronicles: The Best of Eric Clapton . [7] On September 11, 2001, "Blue Eyes Blue" was released as part of the double album Unplugged/Clapton Chronicles: The Best of Eric Clapton. [8] On November 25, 2002, the pop title was released on the compilation album Songs of Love, by various artists. [9]

Composition

Billboard magazine's Paul Verna thinks, the track belongs to the genre of pop music. [10] Clapton himself called his take on the song "girls-like" and "soft". [11]

Music video

To help promote both the single and soundtrack's sales figures, Clapton filmed a music video to accompany the single release. [12] In the beginning, the music video shows Clapton, who dressed in a men's wedding outfit, sitting in front of a white church with a Martin Triple-O acoustic guitar, followed by a scene from the movie, in which Julia Roberts is riding a horse. Afterwards, Clapton is shown singing and playing the song inside the church, while several snippets of the horse-scene re-appear. Several scenes from the movie appear with Clapton being shown in between the movie sequences. Two minutes and twenty seconds into the music video, Clapton is shown, not wearing his entire suit anymore, playing and singing the song outside the church in a garden, where the wedding ceremony of Runaway Bride was held. Afterward, the video shows Clapton playing his solo on the acoustic guitar. The video ends with Clapton sitting in front of the white church, as he did in the beginning of the shoot. [13] The music video was produced by Luke Scott and directed by Richard Goldstein for Warner Music Entertainment, which released the video in high-definition picture on both the VHS and DVD of Clapton Chronicles: The Best of Eric Clapton. [14] The music video "Blue Eyes Blue" reached number nineteen on VH1's most-played music video chart in the United States. [15]

Track listing

CD Maxi single [16]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Blue Eyes Blue" (Album Version)Diane WarrenRob Cavallo4:43
2."Circus" (Album Version, from Pilgrim )Eric ClaptonEric Clapton · Simon Climie 4:10
3."Wonderful Tonight" (Live, from 24 Nights )Eric Clapton Russ Titelman 5:25
4."Blue Eyes Blue" (Edit)Diane WarrenRob Cavallo4:19
Total length:18:37

Reception

Billboard magazine's music critic Catherine Applefeld Olson calles the release a hot adult contemporary song. Another critic for the magazine, Paul Verna, reviews: "Clapton turns in a silky performance – reminiscent of his Babyface collaboration 'Change the World' of the Diane Warren tune". [10] AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine thinks, "Blue Eyes Blue" makes the soundtrack to the film Runaway Bride a "crowd-pleaser" and "actually stronger than the average soundtrack of its ilk". [17] The single debuted at number twenty-five on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, [18] where it stayed a total of twenty-six weeks on chart, [19] even gaining an Airpower recognition while charting in the second week, [20] eventually peaking at number four on the Billboard chart. [19] The single did not reach the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, but peaked at number 112 on the magazine's Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart, [21] selling a total of 100,837 copies while on the chart. [22] "Blue Eyes Blue" also reached number twenty-nine on Billboard magazine's Adult Top 40 chart, where the release stayed for seven weeks. [23] In Canada, the single reached number thirty on RPM magazine's Top Singles sales chart, [24] selling 1,064 copies in its first week on chart. [22] In addition, the pop single peaked at number two on the magazine's Adult Contemporary track chart, [25] and reached position forty-seven on the chart's 1999 year-end compilation. [26] In Europe, the single was a medium successful release, reaching only number 94 on the British singles chart, [27] where the release stayed one week in the charts, selling just 9,322 copies. [22] In Germany, the release peaked at number 84 on the Media Control singles chart and stayed a total of five weeks on the nation's singles chart. [28] In Portugal, the release reached the Top 10, peaking at number six on its second charting week and was certified with a Gold disc by the Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa, commemorating the sale of more than 20,000 copies in the country. In total, the single stayed thirteen weeks on the Portuguese Top 40 singles chart. [29] In Finland, the single spent a total of four weeks on the country's singles chart and peaked at number five on its second week on chart. [30] In Spain, "Blue Eyes Blue" reached its highest European position on the singles chart, peaking at number three in August 1999. It was also presented a Platinum certification by the Productores de Música de España for outstanding singles sales of more than 50,000 copies. [31] In Japan, the single peaked at number ten on Oricon's Top Maxi Singles sales chart and reached number five on the Japanese Hot 100 singles chart. [32] "Blue Eyes Blue" also topped the nation's international singles chart for one week and placed itself on number forty-five on the chart's 1999 year-end compilation. [33] In Japan, the single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of Japan for sales exceeding 50,000 copies. [32] In total, the single "Blue Eyes Blue" sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide. [22]

Charts

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
Japan (RIAJ) [32] Gold 
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [31] Platinum50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

RegionYearFormatsLabelRef.
Australia1999CD singleReprise
(Warner)
[35]
Canada [24]
Finland [30]
Germany [28]
Japan [36]
Malaysia [37]
Portugal [29]
Spain [31]
United Kingdom [38]
United States [39]

Cover versions

In the same year as Clapton's version, Dutch artist René Froger released his version on his 1999 album I Don't Break Easy.

Related Research Articles

<i>Pilgrim</i> (Eric Clapton album) 1998 studio album by Eric Clapton

Pilgrim is the thirteenth solo studio album by the British rock musician Eric Clapton, released on 10 March 1998 for Reprise Records. The album features all-new studio-recorded material, the first to do so since Clapton's 1989 hit album Journeyman and was nominated for several music awards. Although most of the critics responded negatively to the 1998 studio effort, it was one of Clapton's most commercially successful albums, reaching the Top 10 in twenty-two countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Layla</span> Song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon

"Layla" is a song written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, originally recorded with their band Derek and the Dominos, as the thirteenth track from their only studio album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (1970). Its contrasting movements were composed separately by Clapton and Gordon. The piano part has also been controversially credited to Rita Coolidge, Gordon's girlfriend at the time.

<i>Unplugged</i> (Eric Clapton album) 1992 live album by Eric Clapton

Unplugged is a 1992 live album by Eric Clapton, recorded at Bray Studios, England in front of an audience for the MTV Unplugged television series. It includes a version of the successful 1992 single "Tears in Heaven" and an acoustic version of "Layla". The album itself won three Grammy awards at the 35th Annual Grammy Awards in 1993 and became the bestselling live album of all time, and Clapton's bestselling album, selling 26 million copies worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Clapton singles discography</span>

The singles discography of Eric Clapton consists of 24 early career singles that Clapton recorded with various groups and singers including The Yardbirds, John Mayall & the Blues Breakers, Cream, John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band as well as Derek and the Dominos. As a solo performer, Clapton released 91 singles and various promotional formats from 1970 to date. His most commercially successful singles are "Lay Down Sally", "Wonderful Tonight", "Change the World", "Tears in Heaven" and Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff", released in 1974, charting substantially better than Marley's own earlier release had, becoming a Billboard Hot 100 number-one hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1979 (song)</span> 1996 single by The Smashing Pumpkins

"1979" is a song by American alternative rock band the Smashing Pumpkins. It was released in 1996 as the second single from their third studio album, Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. "1979" was written by frontman Billy Corgan, and features loops and samples uncharacteristic of previous Smashing Pumpkins songs. The song gives something of a foreshadow of the synth-pop sound the band would embrace more openly on Adore and its tracks "Ava Adore" and "Perfect". The song was written as a nostalgic coming-of-age story by Corgan. In the year 1979, Corgan was twelve, and this is what he considered his transition into adolescence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tears in Heaven</span> 1992 single by Eric Clapton

"Tears in Heaven" is a song by English guitarist, singer, and songwriter Eric Clapton and Will Jennings, written about the death of Clapton's four-year-old son, Conor. It appeared on the 1991 Rush film soundtrack. In January 1992, Clapton performed the song in front of an audience at Bray Studios, Berkshire, England for MTV Unplugged, with the recording appearing on his Unplugged album.

<i>Clapton Chronicles: The Best of Eric Clapton</i> 1999 greatest hits album by Eric Clapton

Clapton Chronicles: The Best of Eric Clapton is a compilation album by English guitarist Eric Clapton featuring his hits from the 1980s and 1990s. The album was released on 12 October 1999 by the Duck / Reprise Records label. Two new songs are included on the disc, "Blue Eyes Blue" which was previously released as a single and "(I) Get Lost" which Clapton wrote for the soundtrack to the film The Story of Us.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">In the Closet</span> 1992 single by Michael Jackson

"In the Closet" is a song by American singer-songwriter Michael Jackson, released on April 9, 1992, as the third single from his eighth album, Dangerous (1991). The song originally was intended as a duet between Jackson and Madonna, and features female vocals by "Mystery Girl", which was later revealed to be Princess Stéphanie of Monaco. Written and produced by Jackson and Teddy Riley, it became the album's third consecutive top ten pop single, reaching number six on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also became its second number one R&B single. In Europe, the song peaked at number eight on the UK Singles Chart, while reaching number one in Greece and number two in both Italy and Spain. In 2006, the song re-entered the UK chart, peaking at number 20. Its accompanying music video was directed by Herb Ritts and features supermodel Naomi Campbell.

"Love Can Build a Bridge" is a song written by Naomi Judd, Paul Overstreet, and John Barlow Jarvis, and recorded by American country music duo the Judds. It was released in 1990 as the second single and title track from their album of the same name. It was a top-five country hit in mid-1991. The song has inspired several cover versions, including one by Cher, Chrissie Hynde, Neneh Cherry, and Eric Clapton that topped the UK Singles Chart in 1995.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Change the World</span> 1996 song by Wynonna Judd

"Change the World" is a song written by Tommy Sims, Gordon Kennedy, and Wayne Kirkpatrick and recorded by country music artist Wynonna Judd. A cover version was recorded by English singer Eric Clapton for the soundtrack of the 1996 film Phenomenon. Clapton's version was produced by R&B record producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">My Father's Eyes (song)</span> 1998 single by Eric Clapton

"My Father's Eyes" is a song written and performed by British musician Eric Clapton and produced by Clapton and Simon Climie. It was released as a single in 1998 and was featured on Clapton's thirteenth solo studio album, Pilgrim (1998). The song reached the top 40 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart, peaking at number 16, which remains his last top-40 hit in said country as of 2023. It also spent five weeks at number two on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary chart. It became a top-five hit in Canada, where it peaked at number two, and reached the top 20 in Austria, Iceland, and Norway. In 1999, it won a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It's Probably Me</span> 1992 single by Sting and Eric Clapton

"It's Probably Me" is a song originally released in 1992 as a collaboration by Sting featuring Eric Clapton, Michael Kamen, and David Sanborn. Released from the soundtrack to the action comedy film Lethal Weapon 3 in June 1992, the song reached number 20 on the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart and number 12 on Canada's RPM 100 Hit Tracks chart. It was more successful in Europe, peaking at number one in Italy, number four in France, and number six in the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lay Down Sally</span> 1977 single by Eric Clapton

"Lay Down Sally" is a song performed by Eric Clapton, and written by Clapton, Marcy Levy, and George Terry. It appeared on his November 1977 album Slowhand, and reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bad Love (Eric Clapton song)</span> 1990 single by Eric Clapton

"Bad Love" is a song recorded by English singer and guitarist Eric Clapton, who co-wrote it with Foreigner's lead guitarist Mick Jones. The track was released in the UK in January 1990 as the first single from Clapton's 1989 studio album Journeyman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Can't Stand It (Eric Clapton song)</span> 1981 single by Eric Clapton

"I Can't Stand It" was the first single from Eric Clapton's 1981 album Another Ticket. On the record label for the vinyl 45, its credited as Eric Clapton and His Band. It was also used for interludes on Bill O'Reilly's radio show, The Radio Factor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forever Man</span>

"Forever Man" is a song from Eric Clapton's 1985 album Behind the Sun, released as the first single of the album. It reached number one on the Billboard Top Rock Tracks chart, becoming his second single to do so. In total, the single release sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It's in the Way That You Use It</span> 1987 single by Eric Clapton

"It's in the Way That You Use It" is a song which was written by the English rock musician Eric Clapton in collaboration with The Band's guitarist and composer Robbie Robertson. The song was recorded and performed by Eric Clapton, who released the track under licence of Warner Bros. Records as the second of four singles from his 1986 studio album August in March 1987. The song, which is used as the theme tune to the Martin Scorsese film The Color of Money, was produced by Eric Clapton himself with the help of Tom Dowd, who acted as the assistant producer. The release sold more than 500,000 copies worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Clapton videography</span>

The videography of Eric Clapton consists of 22 video albums and concert films as well as 17 music videos. His commercially most successful video releases are the DVDs of his Crossroads Guitar Festival series. His 2007 release sold over two million DVD and Blu-rays to date, making it one of the best-selling music video DVDs ever to be released. The 2004 Crossroads Guitar Festival DVD was certified 10-times Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. Clapton's video releases are popular all over the world, especially in North and South Armerica, Europe and Oceania. Clapton's small number of music videos are similarly successful. Every music video Clapton has released, has been shown more than 30 weeks in succession on MTV, VH1, MuchMusic, MTV2 and Fuse TV – rarely has any other artist been broadcast that often on a music TV channel throughout their whole career.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(I) Get Lost</span> 1999 single by Eric Clapton

"(I) Get Lost" is a pop song written and recorded by the British rock musician Eric Clapton. The title was released as both a single on 23 November 1999 for Reprise Records and is featured as part of the compilation album Clapton Chronicles: The Best of Eric Clapton, which was released on 12 October 1999. It was written for the movie The Story of Us.

<i>Homeboy – Original Score Performed by Eric Clapton</i> 1988 soundtrack album by Eric Clapton

Homeboy – Original Score Performed by Eric Clapton is a soundtrack album recorded by the British Rock musician Eric Clapton and features a total of eighteen songs which were mostly composed by Clapton especially for the 1988 American sports drama Homeboy starring Mickey Rourke, Christopher Walken and Debra Feuer. The album was produced and supervised by Fraser Kennedy.

References

  1. "Blue Eyes Blue – Kindle edition by Diane Warren, Eric Clapton. Arts & Photography Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com". Amazon.com. Amazon.com, Inc. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  2. "Diane Warren's Top 10 hits – ABC News". ABC News . ABC News Internet Ventures. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Eric Clapton (October 12, 1999). Clapton Chronicles: The Best of Eric Clapton (Compact Disc Liner Notes). United States: Reprise Records. 9362-47564-2. Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  4. Daley, Dan (July 24, 1999). "Pro Audio – Studio Monitor". Billboard Magazine. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 111 (30): 50. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  5. "finnishcharts.com – Eric Clapton – Blue Eyes Blue". Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Steffen Hung – Hung Medien. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  6. "Eric Clapton Film And Television Soundtrack Discography > Runaway Bride". Where's Eric! The Eric Clapton Fan Club Magazine. Whereseric.com. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  7. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Clapton Chronicles: The Best of Eric Clapton – Eric Clapton | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  8. Bush, John. "Unplugged/Clapton Chronicles: The Best of Eric Clapton – Eric Clapton | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  9. "Songs of Love – Various Artists | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  10. 1 2 Verna, Paul; Applefeld Olson, Catherine (July 31, 1999). "Reviews & Previews – Pop Albums / Soundtracks and Film Scores News". Billboard Magazine. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 111 (31): 18, 20. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  11. "Eric Clapton – Japan Tour Interview 1999". YouTube. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  12. "Film and Television Soundtracks by Eric Clapton". Where's Eric! The Eric Clapton Fan Club Magazine. Whereseric.com. Archived from the original on November 20, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  13. "Eric Clapton Blue Eyes Blue Official Video From Runaway Bride". YouTube. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  14. "Eric Clapton – Clapton Chronicles – The Best Of Eric Clapton (DVD) at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  15. "Billboard Video Monitor". Billboard Magazine. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 111 (43): 94. October 23, 1999. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  16. "Eric Clapton – Blue Eyes Blue – austriancharts.at" (in German). Steffen Hung – Hung Medien. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  17. Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Runaway Bride – Original Soundtrack | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  18. "Adult Contemporary". Billboard Magazine. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 111 (34): 75. August 21, 1999. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  19. 1 2 3 "Eric Clapton Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  20. "Adult Contemporary". Billboard Magazine. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 111 (35): 92. August 28, 1999. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  21. 1 2 "Eric Clapton – Chart history". Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles for Eric Clapton. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  22. 1 2 3 4 "The Music of Eric Clapton". Astrid Keil. Directupload. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  23. 1 2 "Eric Clapton Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  24. 1 2 3 "RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks". RPM Magazine. Vol. 70, no. 4. Library and Archives Canada. November 15, 1999. Archived from the original on May 30, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  25. 1 2 "RPM Top Singles". RPM Magazine. Vol. 69, no. 25. Library and Archives Canada. October 11, 1999. Archived from the original on May 30, 2015. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  26. 1 2 "RPM Top Adult Contemporary Year-End Tracks". RPM Magazine. Library and Archives Canada. 70 (8). December 13, 1999. Archived from the original on October 25, 2017. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  27. 1 2 "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  28. 1 2 3 "Eric Clapton – Blue Eyes Blue" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved May 21, 2019.
  29. 1 2 3 RFM / AFP Top Portuguese Singles > December 5, 1999 > "Blue Eyes Blue" (in Portuguese). Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. 2013. Chart history: 14–6–7–9–10–11–16–13–16–19–21–34–39. Certification history: Gold, 1999.
  30. 1 2 3 "Eric Clapton: Blue Eyes Blue" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  31. 1 2 3 4 Llewellyn, Howell (August 14, 1999). "Northern Spain Boosts Sales". Billboard Magazine. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 111 (33): 11, 107. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  32. 1 2 3 4 Tatsaku, Ren (2011). The Oricon Sales Report (in Japanese). Tokyo: Oricon Style – Recording Industry Association of Japan.
  33. 1 2 3 Hawtin, Steve. "Song Artist – Eric Clapton". Tsort Music. Search for "Blue Eyes Blue". Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  34. McClure, Steve (December 4, 1999). "Warner Japan Sees Success with Clapton, Mr. Big Albums". Billboard Magazine. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 111 (49): 109, 114. ISSN   0006-2510 . Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  35. "Eric Clapton Blue Eyes Blue Australian CD single (CD5 / 5") (144432)". Eil.com. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  36. "Eric Clapton Blue Eyes Blue Japanese CD single (CD5 / 5") (141626)". Eil.com. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  37. "Eric Clapton Blue Eyes Blue Malaysia Promo CD single (CD5 / 5") (164336)". Eil.com. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  38. "Eric Clapton Blue Eyes Blue UK CD single (CD5 / 5") (146165)". Eil.com. Retrieved November 11, 2015.
  39. "Eric Clapton Blue Eyes Blue US CD single (CD5 / 5") (145115)". Eil.com. Retrieved November 11, 2015.