The Flamingo's Surviving Member on Creating OLDIES Hit I Only Have Eyes For You | Professor of Rock
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- Опубліковано 15 лип 2021
- A surviving member of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame group the Flamingos tells the magical story of creating I Only Have Eyes for You from 1959. Terry “Buzzy” Johnson arranged, sang and played guitar on this wondrous oldies hit of all time. He tells the rare and authentic story next.
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#50s #Rock #Story
Hey music junkies and vinyl junkies Professor of Rock always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest 50s vinyl songs of all time for the music community and vinyl community.
If you’ve ever owned records, cassettes and CD’s at different times in you life or still do this is your place Subscribe below right now to be a part of our daily celebration of the rock era with exclusive stories from straight from the artists and click on our patreon link in the description to see our brand new show there.
I’m excited to bring you another episode from our series Revelations- where featured artists go deep on their greatest songs and albums. In 1959 a doo wop group called the Flamingos re recorded a song that had been a true standard, a choice cut from the great American songbook called I Only Have Eyes For You. Originally composed by Harry Warren with lyrics by Al Dublin in 1934. It was originally written for a musical called Dames. It has been recorded numerous times before the Flamingos remade it. Frank Sinatra had a version in the forties. There’s no question that the Flamingos have the definitive version as told in the flamingos interview.
It’s truly one of the dreamiest, most wondrous songs of the rock era. When I found out I’d have the opportunity to do a zoom session with one of the surviving member of the Flamingos, Mr. TERRY BUZZ JOHNSON WHO arranged the song, played guitar and sang on it, I jumped out of my skin. The classic music of the 50s, the pioneers of rock and roll have a special place in my heart and you are going flip over this interview coming up, with one of the architects of rock and roll.
as we go into this interview I want to thank our sponsor Zenni eyewear. Since Zenni has been our sponsor i’ve received so many comments from our viewers who have loved their glasses. They are a game changer for sure, I’ve been wearing them exclusively for almost a year and they’re I’ll never wear another brand. Isn’t that appropriate the story of I Only Have Eyes for You, sponsored by zenni eyewear ha. Here’s the story: - Розваги
What are some of the greatest songs of the 1950s?
Mate i love your channel and if you could interview other doo wop musicians like gene chandler or maurice williams
Devoted To You, by Everly Brothers. Jailhouse Rock, Earth Angel, The End Of The World, Smoke Gets In Your Eyes, It's My Party, I'm Walkin'-Fats Domino. So many...I spun a lot of my mom's old 45's as a little kid.
Little Darlin the diamonds
Little star the elegants
Come and go with me Del Vikings
Sh boom the chords
Shimmy shimmy co co bop little Anthony
Since I don't have you the skyliners
As a bird lover I’ve always liked the 1958 “Rockin Robin” by Bobby Day and later covered by MJ in ‘72,
With both versions reaching #2 pop on the Billboard chart.
Instead of a rocking guy named Robin,
the lyrics outright describe an actual bird who “rocks in the tree tops all a day long ,
Hoppin and a boppin and a singin his song “.
It goes on to name drop other species he “outfought “ for
a “pretty little Raven(‘s attention)” including buzzards and Orioles ,
As well as swallows, chickadees, owls and crows that are all digging his tunes on “Jay Bird Street”.
The usual “doo wopping” of the time is done in bird chirps and tweets .
Although I didn’t think of it the other day For the songs with whistling list,
Some of it could be said to be whistling.
It definitely harkens back to a time when rock n roll was above all else “fun”.
Extra trivia: Although Day didn’t write “Robin” he did write its B-Side, “Over and Over”.
That was later covered by the British Invasion band the Dave Clark Five ,
going To #1 in 1965.
When I Fall in Love and a few other Nat King Cole songs were great. 'Only You' is one I was just reminded of from this video. I love that song. Songs from the 50s had to stand on their own. Great, great songwriting.
One of the greatest love songs of our time. There’s a haunting quality to it. The music echoes the feeling of the vocals.
The song; I Only Have Eyes for You; --Isn't bound by time. It will be a hit forever.
Love this song. It’s from a Broadway musical “Roberta.”
So right
Otherworldly and spooky. Sounds like nothing else. Plus, the recording is so clear and high in fidelity, especially for the 1950s.
Behind My Girl it's my favorite disc.This song is just so haunting.Its so beautiful and to think that hitting those high notes in background is Johnny Carter. The alto tenor in the Dells. My mother sung this song to me as 7 or 8 year old forever implanting this beautiful song in my mind. All these many years. Thanks Dear for leaving me with such a fond memory of you and this song.
That constant single note on the piano, the harmony singing, "she-bub she-bub", the sweetness of the singing -- all of it sends gorgeous shivers down the spine, and a little tear in the eye. Sentimental nonsense. Terrific!
Their actual vocal performance adds to the quality even during that time.
Multi-tracking came at the expense of audio fidelity. That's why recordings from the 50s sound better than recordings from the '60s.
"Are the stars out tonight..." one of the greatest lines.
In 1959, when I was 12 years old, my sister would always play "I Only Have Eyes for You" when she was getting ready for a date. I came to love that song and it inspired me to form a group of my own. I am now 75 and it's still my favorite song (along with "Mia Amore"). Thanks for a truly great song, and all the memories.
we've all heard hundreds of renditions of this song, but no one has ever touched that voice! and that vocal harmony and the steps are just gorgeous. idk how else to describe it but to describe it as a song made of diamonds.
What a great story. I truly believe that the Good Lord gave that arrangement to Terry. They almost sound like angles singing.
Their version is simply the best. It just doesn't age. Thank You God, and thank you Flamingoes for recording it❣️
I agree with Terry , this had to have come from God . It has an unearthly beauty to it . Also his mind is so sharp .
Amen!🎯
Evidence? No? Didn't think so...
This is precious to see an interview with an original band member. And the one responsible for this iconic hit, no less. Terry's arraignment was just monster!! Pure gold.
"Buzzy" made his 'connection' with God and was richly rewarded! What a classy fellow!!!
Heck, I always thought this song was the EMBODIMENT of 50s music, defining the genre for generations to follow.
That reminds me of a story I read about once. Keith Richards used to have a tape recorder next to his bed, along with a guitar, and he was ready if he thought of something special in his sleep. He could turn on the tape recorder and play it and then go back to sleep. One morning he woke up and there was a recording on the tape player and he played it back and it was the opening guitar riff from “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”. Here’s the funny part. He doesn’t remember ever recording that..
I remember reading that. Thanks for the reminder!
True. Keith Richards originally envisioned the riff as being for horns. The fuzz guitar was supposed to fill-in, or imitate it. Andrew Loog Oldham wanted to release it as a single. Keith Richards was adamant against it. He didn't like how it sounded. The band took a vote. Keith voted no. Mick Jagger voted no, probably because of loyalty to Keith. Charlie Watts, Bill Wyman, and Brian Jones voted yes -- release it. So Keith was outvoted, and one of the Stones' top singles of all time was released. I read this all somewhere, can't recall where.
Jay Trace . Not odd....he has years...even Decades.....that he cannot remember!
An eternal classic. When I think of the '50's, this is the first song that comes to mind. Such a haunting song. Love it.
How appropriate that the Flamingos version came to Terry in a dream. "Eyes" is one of the dreamiest songs ever. It has an otherworldly sound. And George Lucas reintroduced it to millions of new fans in "American Graffiti". One of the great make-out scenes of all time.
Great interview, Prof!
The song itself goes back to the 30s - from the musical “Roberta.”
Lp76
I didn't know it had been recorded so many times even before the flamingos did it. Their version is so beautiful I can't imagine it being done any other way. Great interview.
Originally from the musical “Dames.”
The Platters & Flamingos can't go wrong favorite "In the still if the night" and sleep walk.
Those songs weren’t
By flamingos or platters
This song - yes - one of the "dreamiest songs" ever written. CLASSIC - because it so captures that feeling of deep, true love.
I LOVE how you don't interrupt the people you interview! Thank you for a great interview. And thank you, Buzzy, for sharing all your talent over the years!
Such an arrangement ..so striking ..so unforgettable. Great interview..
Thank you for watching!
So awesome to hear Professor reaching all the way back to the 50s !
Actual talent, I love the 50's and 60's.
Same here. There's an innocence that can't be explained.
'I Only Have Eyes for You" & 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes' are my two favorite, timeless Doo Wop songs from the 50's.
Professor, you do interviews right. Ask the question and get out of the way. Too many interviewers keep interrupting. You allow them to tell their stories. Thank you for that.
As a huge music 🎶fan I never understood how music is created. I always felt it was magiçal but Terry's explanation of God makes perfect sense.
There are songs you have a hard time envisioning that a group of people went into a studio, set up and did multiple takes until they finally got it right. They sound like they just came from somewhere “out there” and have always been.
This one may be the top of the heap. It sounds like an old dream more than a song.
And it’s from such a romantic and somehow both particular AND timeless place in a faraway past, it would have not occurred to me a Flamingo was even still with us. Bless this man and his long life.
Better interview more of these pioneers before they're gone.
Definitely the best version of that song!! Takes you to a place where dreams are made!! ❤️
Great comment.
I can't think of a better song. It's really a miraculous piece of music!!! It sounds like it's coming from the galaxy's!!!
I had the vocals and the instrumental separated and it blew my mind even more! This song isn’t just a classic it’s timeless it’s a one of one
Everything came together with this song; the vocals, the instrumental chords, the lyrics, it's all there...and then some. There is no greater love song ever recorded...a once in a lifetime sound.
I remember listening to 50’s music with my aunt in her car anytime we went anywhere with her when I was a kid in the 70s. That music was so catchy and innocent. It really was the first music that got me really interested in what has been a life long obsession. Thanks for jump starting those memories. I’m going to call her today. Both my parents have passed, but she’s still around. I’m going to tell her how she influenced my love of music simply by sharing hers.
Well said, had some of the same experiences
Awesome! Thank you so much for sharing. There is a true innocence about the 50s no question.
I saw them in person in 50s. You lose
You summed it up perfectly when you said it places you back in time, just the first few notes and you're there, lost on a magical journey through a time long ago. Many thanks!
Ethereal, heavenly, magical, dreamy, transcendent, etc. People got it right when they describe it. Perhaps the most eerily beautiful song ever, as only the Flamingos could do it.
The Flamingos' version of this song is the only one that matters-so ethereal, it still gives me chills when I hear it. This is probably my favorite week of your video output, and that's saying something given your entire oeuvre to date!
Wow! Thank you. I love the 50s so much.
Definitely the best show
@@ProfessorofRock what was the song you mentioned to the follow up to I Only Have Eyes For You???
Mio Amore
You're right - this song is truly timeless and that harmony is unbelievable! I remember The Fugees sampling it on their breakout album "The Score" as well. And Terry Johnson looks great for his age.
At 74 I have a theory - Baby Boomers HAD to take music classes in school - band, orchestra, jazz or choir. That exposure produced musicians who knew music and how to break which rules for their own sounds. Now, NO music classes in schools. That's why the music has CHANGED. These "kids today" have the same talent but were never given the music tools - so they made their own tools and their own sounds. That's my theory. Thank you for the history !
this is a stunning song...the flamingos version harkens back to a time when America was in a golden era...world War 2 was over as was Korea, and Vietnam hadn't really escalated yet....it was an amazing time in our history and you can hear it ooze out of this gem from the opening notes
My first exposure to this song (and many 1950s songs in general) was the soundtrack to American Graffiti. I absolutely love that soundtrack and play it often. Few compilation albums capture music at a certain point in history like that one did.
My favorite song since I was 7 yrs old. Memories of a Summer night
In Chicago as a kid lying in the grass by the Buckingham Fountain while the Flamingos
Were playing in the background
Happiest memories
A beautiful song sung by the flamingos with such feeling,absolutely off the scale superb,WOW WOW WOW,could listen to it forever,
One of my all time favorite songs. It never fails to make me stop in my tracks and take over my mood , no matter what I happened to be doing at the time.
Glad you are hitting the 50's also. I was born in '69 but thanks to my parents and family I grew up with not only the modern music of the era growing up, i was introduced to music going back to '40-'60's.
IIRC Smoke gets in your eyes went #1 with 3 different artist in the same year it was first recorded, allways appreciated by people but the Platters sent it into the pantheon of the gods.
Growing up in the 80s, I dreamed of being a singer. I wasn't allowed to buy records so I relied on my parents' collection for inspiration, and this was one of my go-to practice songs. I remember playing this record in the basement of our home and singing along.
i appreciate the research and work you put into each of these. the best is when you surprise them with details they either forgot or didn't know. shows your love for the music and their work. man, this speaks to my heart. keep up the great job.
I appreciate that!
@@ProfessorofRock My favorite parts of these interviews is when you get deep into the meaning of their lyrics or you can identify with what they were going through when they were written, and the artists recognize and appreciate it. Fantastic job and insight on everything that goes into this channel.
@@ProfessorofRock You did a wonderful job! Born in 53. Seems like I've known this song All my life...um...I guess I have! 😘
Like many here, I remember hearing this oldies track when but a kid. It always had this haunting, ethereal feel to it. The piano... the doo-bop vocal lines, the reverb, the hint of guitar... I wouldn't want to insult the creator of this masterpiece, but it was almost pre-psychedelia. And a beautiful rendition.
A few weeks back, I was going to suggest you do a compilation project: "Hits the Record Execs Didn't Want". Probably good for hundreds of episodes! 😉
Wow!!! I would love to watch every episode on this topic! Great suggestion!
I can think of three off the top of my head 😂
This song is timeless and one of the greatest love songs of all time. Incredible vocals and harmony.
🕊🌿Heavens most Beautiful Love Song🌿🕊 The Flamingos I only have eyes for you.
"The Great Pretender" , "Mack The Knife" and Jailhouse Rock are three of my favorite songs of the fifties.
Also “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.”
😮 Dislike Jailhous Rock. Elvis did far nicersongs : A fool SUCH AS I, Don't B Cruel😊
Heard the song in its entirety for the first time recently and it brought me to tears. Thank you for gifting the world with not only your voice but this song.
In listening to the lyrics I like how the man in the song is stating to the woman that she has got all of his attention and he sees nothing else but her. A song of true devotion!
Great interview. Great song. All I can say is that a lot of babies must have been made during this song..😂😂😅.
Son: "Mom, why is my middle name Flamingo?"
Mom: Awkward silence....
Dad- "' 'Cause she only had eyes for me".
I love i!.
😄😄😄
My mom used to call it the refrigerator song (I only have Ice for You).
Try this trick with any song: change eyes to thighs, and lips to hips! It becomes a completely different song - LOL!
@@RenePeraza How sick!
My parents got married in June 59, mere weeks after this record came out. Dad did a little doowop singing himself around Long Island. Imagine how this record must have affected them. He's told me on many occasions how this was THE record for slow dancing and 'watching the submarine races' as Murray the K would later put it. I just sent him the link to this video. This is absolute GOLD, & very lucky to still have this gentleman around to tell the story. An absolutely unique record, none like it before or since. As a musician myself, the false cadence at the end, where your ear wants the chord to resolve on the word "you' but DOESN'T and goes back to the "doobopshubop"s? Still blows me away. Genius arrangement. Thanks so much for this, major respect to Mr Johnson, wonderful job all around.
I had no idea there were other versions. They still can’t touch this. ❤️
I'm a few years late to the episode. But no other version hits me in the feels like The Flamingos one. I wasn't much into 50s music as a teen in the 60s, but in 1972 I saw American Grafitti and when this song came on, I was just stunned. That song got me into the 50s music. Great interview.
Wow, what a great interview!!!!
The Flamingos version of this song is possibly one of the most underrated greats of the 1900's. I've always loved this, and now I've learned so much more about the song, and their version, and later versions, with this interview.
Thanks a tthousand times!
This is one of my all-time favorite songs EVER. Top 5 easily. The melody is hauntingly clever, modulates in ways you don't expect. It's dreamy, melodic; it transports you to a completely different dimension of the same world. It's the perfect love song without saying "i love you" at all. Thank you for featuring this, Prof!
THE most beautiful ballet of the 1950's. Soooooooo many babies were conceived in the back seat of cars listening to that classic
Oh my gosh, this has been a favorite song of mine for years! The washes of harmony, the bell-like vocals and the shoo-wop shoo-wop all combine to intoxicate your senses. Doo woo and early 'rock' music deserves many episodes of The Professor of Rock.
I have loved this song by the Flamingo’s since I first heard it and that was forty seven years ago. ❤❤❤❤
Awesome interview Professor! The Flamingos version of this song has always been the greatest! Thanks for interviewing and sharing these legends with us!
I had been under the impression this was an original Flamingo creation. Learn something new everyday.
One of the few times a cover surpassed the original version. It is so achingly gorgeous, along with Mio Amore. It's one of my all-time top favorite songs EVER.
I truly believe that this song was heavenly inspired. I was a little kid when The Flamingos rendition came out. I used to lie in bed at night and listen to the radio and when they played I Only Have Eyes it sounded like the music of angels. So haunting and beautiful....like a dream. I still have that feeling when i play it today....and I play it a lot.
Love to see you put the focus on Marty Robbins, "El Paso."
Nice! I listened to Marty Robbins as a child. Still love to hear his songs. And Charlie Pride as well.
Anything with Marty Robbins would be worth watching .. What a legend !
@@warrenny Yep .. Charlie Pride was fantastic .. A black country and western singer was such a rarity, so he was kind of a pioneer .. Wonderful voice and so many great songs.
Damn! Thanks Professor of Rock!!! This has always been a favorite song of mine. The Flamingos’ cover of course is the most iconic and magical. Dreamlike indeed. I grew up hearing once in a blue moon, Garfunkel’s cover and loving that one too. I realized I just love this song. In my adult life I discovered Old Time Radio shows and so came across Dick Powell’s original cover as well! To hear it’s original sound (yes! It had a corny sound to it!!! But signature sound of everything from the 30’s) and realize how much the Flamingos revamped it to become so iconic and other worldly…absolutely awesome.
Every time I hear this song it takes me back to Chula Vista California in the late 50's and I am transported back in time when things were simple and fun. Even the tastes and smells of that era are vivid, so wonderful and your first love so pure and good.
Man, I just love your interviews. How do you have all of this knowledge? It is spooky.
Wow! Thank you. I'm just a passionate music lover like you!
Simply wonderful and sublime,the way a good song should be.
Thank you for this great with Terry Johnson of The great Flamingos I still play all of their great Doowoop Songs on my internet radio show the Doowoop Hour me The Masterblaster.
The Flamingos version of this song is one of my top songs of all time. I've heard around 75 different versions and there may be some good ones out there. But not like the Flamingos. They will always be the best.
Thankyou so much Professor. This song is iconic. Keep bringing us oldies
Back in the 50s when I was a teenager we use to ride around in a car & listen to this kind music for hours Love it all I’m 84 & you don’t hear music as good as this any more Thanks alot
Visited San Francisco from Scotland a few years ago and this song was playing on an oldies channel in the car as we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. Forever memories.
It truly is special...im only 47 and from mother playing it i grew up.listening to it and i still listen to it
A fantastic interview. This has to be one of the greatest music channels on YT. Great music and excellence in musicianship defies genre. The Prof encompasses great music and musicians from across the spectrum and the decades. These interviews are priceless important records capture for history.
I'm always searching for that heavenly song that pulls me up and I can float in listening to, this song did that for me, and it's so hard to find a song that will keep doing this again and again without wearing off, a true heavenly song keeps going in your heart, yet in this life there are short lasting few until the next life.
Man, this is so cool. Y'know, music can be made for the money and music can made from the soul. I can't say what made this song, but i can say it speaks to the soul, makes life and love a wonderfully beautiful thing. Because it is one of those rarities that can do this - for anybody - People will be listening to "I Only Have Eyes For You" onto the future. Thank you for bring this to life Buzzy and the Flamingo's.
What a great story! This song is unique and timeless. The only thing I was saddened about was that we didn’t touch on that unique reverb that was used in this song and Lovers Never Say Goodbye. There has to be a story behind that choice of reverb that is every bit as important as the song itself. It’s what makes it so beautiful and ethereal. Who decided to drench the song with it?
Yes! I wondered about that also. 🎶
i love this version. the music was simple but the vocals were awesome . backup vocals were perfect.
My father may he RIP introduced me as a young boy to this style of music. He had soooo many "oldies" albums and re recorded them to better sounding cassette tapes in the 80's. We (mom and me) always used to tell him he could start his own radio station. I love this music and older folks always joked with me about how I knew every oldies song on the radio, I can attribute that to my dad. He was born in 1944 in Brooklytn NY and had his own Doo Wop group, he passed in 1996 and left me a legacy of his love and his love of this generation of music. From The Ink Spots, The Cadilacs, Danny and The Juniors, The Flamingo's, Dion and the Belmont's straight into the 70's. It may be hard to believe but my favorite genre of music is Heavy Metal (Iron Maiden etc..), yet the oldies always takes me back to a place where I can almost certainly tell you where I was or what I was doing when I first heard it, thanks to my dad....Excellent interview Professor of Rock!
One of the greatest records of all time. It's my favorite ballad to listen to. This is the best song to slow dance to. The arrangement is awesome and the vocals are heavenly. I mean...it doesn't get better than this.
😍Terry and The FLAMIGOS!!!
This awesome bro I’m a 20 year old in this messed up generation called gen z yet I’m such an old soul. Gosh I love this music
A gem of an interview, one for the music history books. Everyone in their separate studios back in the Zoom/Covid era was having a great time. "Only Have Eyes" was a "dreamy", inspired cover that could only have come "from God," as Terry mentions over and over. Thanks for this rock archive-worthy background show, Professor!
This song...this version of this song, specifically, is, probably, the single most romantic "dance with your partner by candlelight" song ever recorded.
I have a thirteen year-old daughter that's the result of dancing with her mom to this song, so there's, literally, living proof to it.
I would have to agree. Thanks for watching!
"I Only Have Eyes" almost sound *psychedelic* in that it fixates you, mentally, on that moment you love someone, they're the world to you, and all time disappears. It captures that fleeting moment so well.
A VERY PRECIOUS LOVE,1958. ACADEMY AWARD---SING THIS TO YOUR SWEETHEART--WOW!
I love the fact that a Flamingo is wearing a pink shirt. He is still very much the personification of his group. Symbolism at its finest.
The 1930s through the 1980s is the best 50-year set of bookends in music.
Thank you for featuring Terry Johnson! I only Have Eyes, is also my favorite ballad, of all time. “Sacred Magic”, YES😂! As for Terry Johnson, I’m addicted to his voice and hope to hear him live. The production number for Dames was spectacular, maybe the most impressive for a movie musical. I learned just now, Harry Warren was the composer, I thought it was Cole Porter, but Terry does him exquisitely as well. Thank you for the music and the Flamingos, Terry Johnson.
Pure Genius!
Knee-buckling classic, indeed! Great description - even better interview. I remember buying a 1950s CD box set about 20 years ago just so I could get my hands on this wonderful song... thus discovering even more great music! It will surely be played long after we've all passed on.
The most Beautiful song ever written sounds angelic
That's a beautiful song, always listen to it. It's very hard to replicate the sound of that song, omg.
Til The End Of Time- Talk about underrated. This one is so hypnotizing as well.
This song has always been one of my all time favorites! It's a top 5 romance/love song of all time! Think about this. When this song was released, Alaska and Hawaii became US states.