Dark Eyes is the stand-out 10th and final track from Dylan’s much maligned 1985 Empire Burlesque record. The simple acoustic style and arrangement of this timeless classic isn’t replicated again until Dylan went all acoustic guitar on the 1992 record Good As I Been To You. Dark Eyes is devoid of the “80s style” aesthetic for which the rest of the album is known. Empire Burlesque is an overly produced 80’s churn-out session. It’s a real shame since most of these songs work really well live – especially this Emotionally Yours version with Tom Petty at Farm Aid 1986 NY.
Dark Eyes is one of my favourite Dylan tracks from the 1980’s. I think he is unfairly criticised for his output in this decade. He made some obscenely good records and a plethora of classics, many unreleased until the bootleg series came out. Dark Eyes is indeed the high-point of Empire and arguably of the 80’s decade as well. But the unreleased gems Blind Willie McTell, Caribbean Wind and Series of Dreams give it very stiff opposition as well as many other commercial releases.
According to Wikipedia: According to his memoir, Chronicles: Volume One, Dylan wrote the song specifically to close the album at the suggestion of engineer Arthur Baker. Dylan claims that inspiration for the song came from seeing a prostitute in a hallway at the Plaza Hotel on 59th Street in New York City: “As I stepped out of the elevator, a call girl was coming toward me in the hallway—pale yellow hair wearing a fox coat—high heeled shoes that could pierce your heart. She had blue circles around her eyes, black eyeliner, dark eyes. She looked like she’d been beaten up and was afraid that she’d get beat up again. In her hand, crimson purple wine in a glass. ‘I’m just dying for a drink’, she said as she passed me in the hall. She had a beautifulness, but not for this kind of world. Poor wretch, doomed to walk this hallway for a thousand years“
Oh, the gentlemen are talking and the midnight moon is on the riverside,
They’re drinking up and walking and it is time for me to slide.
I live in another world where life and death are memorized,
Where the earth is strung with lovers’ pearls and all I see are dark eyes.
A cock is crowing far away and another soldier’s deep in prayer,
Verse 1, 2 Dark Eyes
Some mother’s child has gone astray, she can’t find him anywhere.
But I can hear another drum beating for the dead that rise,
Whom nature’s beast fears as they come and all I see are dark eyes.
Dylan only played Dark Eyes 8 times in concert. All of the 1995 outings were performed as duets with Patti Smith who was Dylan’s opening act for that leg of the Never Ending Tour. According to Smith, Dylan invited her to choose a song that they could perform together and “Dark Eyes” was her choice. I saw Patti open for Dylan in Sydney 1998. She was tremendous and narrated of lot of her own Poetry as well as singing some of her big hits. I hadn’t heard of her before that night, but she left one heck of an impression on me.
The irredeemable original studio track isn’t available for copyright reasons on You Tube. (Edited – The original has been made available. See it at the bottom of this page) Their are some OK recordings of Dylan and Patti live, but I’ve decided to relay a fan tribute recording of Dark Eyes by Virginia in celebration of Bob’s birthday (May 24, 1941) this year:
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
I forgot about that song. I listened to it on youtube… I had that album and Infidels… I thought those two were his best of the 80s….thats just me though.
They were good. Can you imagine if Blind Willie McTell was released on Infidels and Series of Dreams on Oh Mercy? I remember reading how Daniel Lanois was remonstrating with Bob about leaving Series of Dreams out lol Or Caribbean Wind on Shot of Love. They are different ball games with those gems on there. I like all his albums from the 80s even Down in the Groove. That has some great tracks on it.
I do like Blind Willie McTell a lot…. Oh I finally found someone who liked Down in the Groove! I believe you and I are the only two people who like that album. I love the cover he did on that one “Lets Stick Together”….and I also liked Silvio and Ugliest Girl in the World.
Haha. it’s funny what you like as opposed to me. I love ‘Shenandoah’, ‘When Did You Leave Heaven’ and ‘Ninety Miles an Hour’.
Hey at least we like the album! Our band played Lets Stick Together….Bob’s version. You know another cover by Bob that I really like? Not on this album but I love the live version…Buddy Holly’s Not Fade Away
I’m listening to it now. I didn’t know it was Buddy’s song. I love Dylan’s rendition of Holly’s ‘Heartbeat’. Can you imagine Holly if his talent was fully realised? wow
Oh Holly was something else. Dylan saw Buddy on that last tour…without Buddy Holly there would be no Beatles and many other bands…at least not the same.
Of all the 50s artists…I think Buddy would have charter better than his 50s peers in the 60s…he would have fit right in.
I think it’s probably the biggest travesty in 60’s music that Holly couldn’t go on. I know Dylan spoke about seeing him and being enamoured. I agree about that conversion into the 60’s. His music was unrealised but you can just about imagine how great it would have been. Or maybe not haha
His music fit in so well…much better than Chuck, Elvis, or Jerry Lee, in the 60s…because he inspired those bands so much from The Beatles to the Rolling Stones.
I couldn’t agree more. His influence was beyond measure.