Robert John’s “Sad Eyes” is today’s classic song of the day. Released in April of 1979, this soft rock track went all the way to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 later that year.
“Sad Eyes” was written by Robert John and produced by George Tobin and Mike Piccirillo. Musicians on the track included Bill Neale on guitar, Stewart Levine and Mike Thompson on keyboards, Dennis Belford on bass, and Ed Greene on drums. Background vocals were provided by the legendary Darlene Love and her sister, Edna Wright, who was previously the lead singer of the group Honey Cone.
Songs like “Sad Eyes” served as kind of a welcome respite from the disco-laden music on the radio in the late ’70s. Punk and New Wave were also a reaction to the disco plague, but soft rock tunes like “Sad Eyes” were more pleasing to a larger audience.
Robert John started singing professionally at the young age of 12 and, as lead singer of doo-wop group Bobby & the Consoles, had a minor hit in 1963 with “My Jelly Bean.” He signed with MGM Records in 1965, moved to Columbia Records in 1967, then to A&M Records in 1970 and Atlantic Records in 1971. He had his first hit with Atlantic the following year, with a cover of the Tokens’ “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” “Sad Eyes” was his second and last big hit, after switching labels again to record with EMI America.
Mr. John recorded and performed less and less over the years, although he did bring in some royalties by writing “I Can’t Move No Mountains” for Blood, Sweat and Tears, featured on their New Blood album. He passed away on February 24, 2025, at the age of 79.
And here’s today’s daily bonus video of the day, Robert John lip synching “Sad Eyes” on some television program back in 1979. Very doo-wopish.
