"Bright Eyes" | ||||
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Single by Art Garfunkel | ||||
from the album Fate for Breakfast and Watership Down | ||||
B-side | "When Someone Doesn't Want You" | |||
Released | 1979 | |||
Format | Gramophone record | |||
Genre | Soft rock | |||
Label | Columbia | |||
Writer(s) | Mike Batt | |||
Art Garfunkel chronology | ||||
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"Bright Eyes" is a song written by Mike Batt and performed by Art Garfunkel. It was used in the soundtrack of the 1978 British animated adventure drama film Watership Down and the later television series of the same name. The track appears on British and European versions of Garfunkel's 1979 Fate for Breakfast and on the US versions of his 1981 album Scissors Cut. It was the biggest selling single of 1979 in the UK.
Written by Mike Batt for Watership Down at the request of director Martin Rosen, the song relates to the transition from life to death. This is highlighted by Hazel, a rabbit character in the film, initially when wounded by a farmer's gun. Finally, at the end of the short animal life-span, Hazel (then Hazel-rah) departs his body and enters a spirit world.
The song was very successful in the United Kingdom, staying at number one in the UK Singles Chart for six weeks in 1979, selling over one million copies, becoming the biggest selling single of that year in the UK. It has sold 1.2 million copies. In the United States, it failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100. It reached #27 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
The Shadows recorded an instrumental version in 1979 on the album String of Hits.
In 1979, Swedish singer Siv-Inger recorded the song with lyrics in Swedish by Margot Borgström, as Varför (Why), on the album Liv och kärlek (Life and Love). and charted at Svensktoppen with the song for 10 weeks between 30 March-1 June 1980, peaking at fourth position.
Welsh band Manic Street Preachers released a live version as a b-side on the cassette version of their A Design for Life single in 1996.