Draft:Dickie Davies Eyes

"Dickie Davies Eyes"
Single by Half Man Half Biscuit
Released1986
Recorded1986
StudioThe Cottage, Macclesfield
GenrePost-punk
Length4:26
LabelProbe Plus PP21
Producer(s)The Bald Brothers
Half Man Half Biscuit singles chronology
"Trumpton Riots EP (TRUMP1)"
(1986)
"Dickie Davies Eyes"
(1986)
"Trumpton Riots (TRUMX1)"
(1986)

"Dickie Davies Eyes" is a 1986 7" 45rpm vinyl single by the English indie band, Half Man Half Biscuit. The song title parodies the song title of the single Betty Davis Eyes and refers to Dickie Davies, a UK television presenter, notable for presenting World of Sport from the late 1960s until 1985.

The single was produced by The Bald Brothers (Geof Davies and Sam Davis), and engineered by Roger Boden.

The B-side was I Left My Heart In Papworth General [1] for the 7" single, and additionally featured The Bastard Son of Dean Friedman for the 12" EP[2]. The song was later included on the album Back Again in the DHSS.

It was subsequently re-released on the compact disc ACD in 1989.

The song reached number 86 in the standard UK Charts in October 1986[3], and reached number 1 in the UK indie chart[4] . Sometime following the death of Dickie Davies in 2023[5], it subsequently entered the Official Charts at number 32 for 1 week in August 2023 [6].


Cultural references

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The song lyrics[7] make many references to UK popular culture from the 1970s and 1980s, and earlier, in particular British sporting references, or fantasy literature, including,

The song continues the theme of including references to football or various sports commentators by the band, as in for instance "The Len Ganley Stance" from their album Back in the DHSS and the songs "1966 and all that" and "All I Want for Christmas Is a Dukla Prague Away Kit" from the The Trumpton Riots EP,

References

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  1. ^ "Half Man Half Biscuit – Dickie Davies Eyes" at Discogs
  2. ^ "Half Man Half Biscuit – Dickie Davies Eyes EP" at Discogs
  3. ^ "UK Singles Charts: 1986 (including chart panel sales)". UKMIX Forums. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  4. ^ "UK Indie Singles Charts: 1986". UKMIX Forums. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  5. ^ "Dickie Davies, host of ITV's World of Sport for nearly two decades, dies". BBC News. 19 February 2023. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  6. ^ "The Official Charts". Official Charts. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
  7. ^ "Dickie Davies Eyes". Half Man Half Biscuit Lyrics Project. Retrieved 18 October 2024.
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References

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