Collaborations | Deerin + Hodgens

This collaboration, produced for the Inter-Creative Collaborations Project, comes from the diverse talents of musician, Chris Deerin (Journalist and singer with Fat Cops) and songwriter Robert Hodgens (Bobby Bluebell). The song which Chris chose is I Only Have Eyes For You.

We hope you enjoy this meeting of creative minds and support the Tiny Changes charity fundraiser detailed at the bottom of the article

I Only Have Eyes For You
– Lead Vocals: Chris Deerin. Music and backing vocals: Robert Hodgens.
Film: Robert Hodgens

Some thoughts on the song from Chris Deerin:

“Are the stars out tonight?
I don’t know if it’s cloudy or bright.
I only have eyes for you, dear.”

“There’s a muscular innocence to I Only Have Eyes for You that instantly locates it in time and place. The song was composed by Harry Warren and Al Dubin for the 1934 film Dames, in which it was sung by Dick Powell to Ruby Keeler (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhVeQV5HBbc). It nestles perfectly in that era of Cole Porter and Irving Berlin – brisk and jaunty, charming and romantic, it twinkles and sashays. The bold and un-ironic use of the word “dear”, the daring changes from major to minor and back – this song is doing its own thing and has no time for your post-modern snark and cynicism.

The two best-known versions came later, of course. In 1959 it was a hit for The Flamingos (YouTube), who slowed it down and introduced those glorious sha-bop-sha-bops. Then in 1975 Art Garfunkel took it all the way to number one (YouTube) with a gossamer touch and that soaring, looping voice.

Through every iteration, every tweak and innovation, the song retains its original power and mood. It was and remains the ultimate Prom Night tune, a young couple slow-dancing in that first, all-consuming flush of love, convinced it will last forever. We know heartbreak lies ahead, but let’s give them the moment… “I don’t know if we’re in a garden, or on a crowded avenue.” It was you once, and it was me too…”

Robert Hodgens on his approach to the song choice:

I filmed the video on the road to Edinburgh on a vintage JVC Mini DV camera. It was filmed in negative and treated it in Premier Pro. The hand-held quality, the feeling of isolation and random surveillance seemed to me to fit the ethereal feel of the track. On a motorway, millions of people do go by…

The recording of the track was deliberately drumless. I spent a lot of time working on the reverbs. Chris has a choirboy innocence to his voice which really draws out the melancholy which immediately drew me to the song.

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Also on Inter-Creative Collaborations:

Collaborations | Hodgens + McPhee

Collaborations | Port Sulphur + Ross Sinclair

Collaborations | Carla J Easton + Kris Boyle

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FUNDRAISING FOR TINY CHANGES

As all the creatives involved have given of their time and incredible talent freely, we decided it would be appropriate to release the songs (for FREE download) on our Bandcamp page but ask anyone who downloads the tracks to please consider a donation to the Tiny Changes charity which was set up by the family of Scott Hutchison who was a founding member of Frightened Rabbit. Scott took his own life after years of battling with mental health issues. The family felt compelled to set up Tiny Changes as a mechanism to support projects which positively impact on young people’s mental health.

Here is the link to Tiny Changes’ page…

TINY CHANGES Website

Here is the link to Into Creative’s Just Giving page which is raising funds for the charity…

JUST GIVING – TINY CHANGES

Please also visit the Bandcamp page where you will find the FREE download links to the songs…

INTER-CREATIVE COLLABORATIONS BANDCAMP