Voyeur
Studio album by
Kim Carnes
ReleasedSeptember 8, 1982 (1982-09-08)
RecordedMarch 9 – July 13, 1982[1]
Studio
Genre
Length37:53
LabelEMI America
ProducerVal Garay
Kim Carnes chronology
Mistaken Identity
(1981) 		Voyeur
(1982) 		Café Racers
(1983)
Singles from Voyeur
  1. "Voyeur"
    Released: August 1982
  2. "Does It Make You Remember"
    Released: November 1982
  3. "Breakin' Away from Sanity"
    Released: 1982
  4. "Undertow"
    Released: 1982
  5. "Take It on the Chin"
    Released: 1982

Voyeur is the seventh studio album by American singer-songwriter Kim Carnes, released on September 8, 1982, by EMI America Records. Carnes began writing material for Voyeur while touring her previous album Mistaken Identity (1981).

Voyeur is a synth-pop album that Carnes described as "more consistent" than its predecessor. It received mixed reviews, with some critics in favor of the album, while others remarked that it failed to live up to the standard of Mistaken Identity, selling less than 300,000 US copies.

Writing and recording

Carnes performed "Say You Don't Know Me" and "Thrill of the Grill" for the first time at The Savoy nightclub in New York on August 25, 1981. She recorded "Say You Don't Know Me" and filmed its accompanying music video in December 1981, a few days before she appeared on the Rod Stewart TV special Tonight He's Yours at The Forum in Inglewood, California.[2]

Rehearsals for the rest of the album began on March 1, 1982, shortly after the 24th Annual Grammy Awards where Kim Carnes had picked up Record of the Year and Song of the Year for "Bette Davis Eyes". The wins gave Carnes and her band a confidence and drive as they continued recording. Carnes described how they wanted to "continue combining the guitar with the synthesizer [and] blending synth with rock 'n roll", taking influence from The Alan Parsons Project, A Flock of Seagulls, Ultravox and Spandau Ballet.[3]

The next track Carnes recorded was "Looker", originally performed by Sue Saad and the Next as the theme for the 1981 Michael Crichton movie of the same name. Carnes played the synth on "Take It on the Chin", a song that she wrote by herself, as she felt there is a "certain feel that can be lost when someone else plays it."[3]

"Breaking Away from Sanity" was originally recorded with synthesizers and drums, but Carnes found it difficult to add her vocal to that mix. She continued: "Finally, after sitting down at the piano one morning, it dawned on me that the whole problem was that it wasn't being played the way it was intended: sitting at the piano with a real stark vocal." A choir of children's voices were added later.[3]

When writing "Voyeur" and "Thrill of the Grill", Carnes carefully considered how these songs would translate into music videos.[3]

Tina Turner recorded a demo of "Undertow" in the mid-1980s.[4]

Art direction

The cover artwork of Voyeur shows Carnes standing at the bottom of a flight of stairs, with light emanating from a doorway behind her. The background shows industrial pipes pumping out smoke as Carnes looks into the distance. The image was taken by Aaron Rapoport on February 13, 1982.[5]

Release and promotion

Voyeur was released on September 8, 1982, through EMI America. The label released a "talking press kit" to college radio and rural newspapers. It consisted of a 16-minute interview between Carnes and artist development director Clay Baxter, and featured an assortment of photographs.[6] EMI planned a feature-length video of the entire album, directed by Russel Mulcahy, and filmed in London, but the project was ultimately cancelled.[7]

"Voyeur" was released as the lead single in August 1982. It spent a total of twelve weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at no. 29 for four weeks.[8] Russel Mulcahy directed the song's accompanying music video. MTV would not broadcast it during daytime due to the video's depiction of domestic violence.[4] "Voyeur" charted in several European countries, peaking highest in Norway at no. 5.[9] "Does It Make You Remember" was released as the album's second single in October 1982, with an accompanying video directed by Simon Milne.[10] It reached no. 36 on the Billboard Hot 100.[8] "Breakin' Away from Sanity", "Undertow" and "Take It on the Chin" were released as singles in select territories but none charted. Mulcahy directed another video for "Say You Don't Know Me", but the song was not released as a single.[10]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[11]

Billboard noted that Voyeur takes upon "even more of a rock edge" than Mistaken Identity and serves as a "worthy follow-up" to Carnes' previous album.[12] The Windsor Star echoed similar sentiments, describing Voyeur as "a more cohesive statement" that "refines the silky electronic sound" of Mistaken Identity.[13] In the New York Daily News, Hugh Wyatt wrote that Voyeur represents "a departure from [Carnes'] previous middle-of-the-road pop works".[14] Jack Lloyd of The Philadelphia Inquirer described the album as "probably a better, more well-rounded album than Mistaken Identity" featuring "plenty of solid tunes [with a] hard-rock edge".[15] People described Voyeur as an album of "energetic pop rock tunes" with Carnes' "often magnetizing" vocals and "clever" lyrics.[16]

In the Ottawa Citizen, Bill Provick described Voyeur as "tougher, more hard edged and less mainstream" than All Four One by the Motels, another album produced by Val Garay earlier in the year. Provick concluded that Carnes' album is "a strong and satisfying outing by a talented singer".[17] Cash Box noted that the title track blends "a throbbing synth-pop rhythm" with a "mysteriously sensual narrative" similar to that of "Bette Davis Eyes".[18] The Age's Paul Speelman noted the album's use of "staccato lyrics, clever synthesizers [and] steamy conventional instrumentals", highlighting "Breakin' Away from Sanity" as a "stunningly stark presentation".[19] Wayne Robins of Newsday complimented Garay's "crisp" production and the "appealing raspiness" of Carnes' voice.[20] In the Calgary Herald, Roman Cooney described Garay's production as "cooly [sic] effective techno-pop" and the "perfect foil to Carnes' sexy rough-hewn voice".[21]

In a mixed review for The Morning Call, Jane Seigendall described Voyeur as a "rough ride" with "interesting twists, turns and textures". She opined that the album features excessive use of synthesizers and Carnes' "talk-singing" style.[22] The Daily Sentinel opined that "Voyeur" is an "ineffective clone" of "Bette Davis Eyes", though complimented Val Garay's ability to "make the songs shimmer" with his production.[23] In the Winnipeg Sun, Jim Millican wrote that while Voyeur features a number of "energy charged rockers", the album "doesn't capture the imagination quite the same way [as "Bette Davis Eyes"]".[24]

Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic stated that "the problem with success is following it." He suggested that it would have been difficult to match the success of Carnes' previous album Mistaken Identity, describing the situation as "a shocking performance for an artist that seemed poised for superstar status" after the album underperformed on the charts. He opined that the album followed the same formula as Mistaken Identity, stating that it is hard to determine why Voyeur did not achieve more than it did.[1]

Impact

Voyeur was nominated for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance at the 25th Annual Grammy Awards.[25] French Canadian rapper, Koriass, sampled "Breakin' Away from Sanity" on "J-3000", the opening track from his album La nuit des longs couteaux (2018).[26]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Voyeur"
4:01
2."Looker"
  • Barry DeVorzon
  • Michael Towers
5:35
3."Say You Don't Know Me"Carnes4:12
4."Does It Make You Remember"
  • Carnes
  • Ellingson
5:10
5."Breakin' Away from Sanity"
2:57
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
6."Undertow"
  • Carnes
  • Hitchings
4:08
7."Merc Man"
  • Carnes
  • Ellingson
  • Hitchings
  • Krampf
3:32
8."The Arrangement"Dennis Polen3:48
9."Thrill of the Grill"Carnes3:23
10."Take It on the Chin"Carnes4:30
Total length:37:53
2001 remastered reissue bonus tracks[27]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
11."Voyeur" (12" version)
  • Carnes
  • Ellingson
  • Hitchings
5:47
12."Dead in My Tracks"Carnes4:24
13."Still Hold On" (live 8/24/81)
  • Carnes
  • Ellingson
  • Eric Kar
  • Wendy Waldman
5:32
Total length:53:36

Personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Voyeur.[28]

Musicians

Technical

Artwork

Charts

Chart performance for Voyeur
Chart (1982) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[29] 21
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[30] 26
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[31] 37
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[32] 26
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[33] 12
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[34] 18
US Billboard 200[35] 49

Certifications

Certifications for Voyeur
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[36] Gold 50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

  1. ^ All tracks except "Undertow"
  2. ^ "Undertow"

References

  1. ^ a b c Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Voyeur – Kim Carnes". AllMusic. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  2. ^ Baxter, Clay (1982). Kim Carnes Talking Press Kit (cassette). EMI America.
  3. ^ a b c d Greenleaf, Vicki; Hyman, Stan (December 1982). "Recording with Kim Carnes" (PDF). Modern Recording & Music. Vol. 8, no. 3. pp. 34–42. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  4. ^ a b Wikane, Christian John (April 23, 2017). "Where the Heart Is An Interview With Multi-Grammy Winner Kim Carnes, Part One". PopMatters. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  5. ^ "Kim Carnes Album Cover Portrait Session 1982". Getty Images. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  6. ^ "'Taking Kit' for Kim Carnes" (PDF). Billboard. October 16, 1982. p. 85. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  7. ^ Fell, Ron (July 26, 1985). "Kim Carnes – Barking at Airplay". Gavin Report. p. 15. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Kim Carnes Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  9. ^ "Kim Carnes – Voyeur". VG Lista. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Kim Carnes on IMVDb". IMVDb. Retrieved January 20, 2022.
  11. ^ Larkin, Colin (2007). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0195313734.
  12. ^ "Billboard's Top Album Picks Survey for Week Ending 9/11/82" (PDF). Billboard. September 11, 1982. p. 52. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  13. ^ Shaw, Ted (October 2, 1982). "Kim Carnes: Voyeur". Windsor Star. Windsor, Ontario: Postmedia Network. p. 32. Retrieved January 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  14. ^ Wyatt, Hugh (September 24, 1982). "The people that are selling". New York Daily News. New York City, New York: Tribune Publishing. p. 135. Retrieved January 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  15. ^ Lloyd, Jack (September 17, 1982). "Pop/Rock – Albums". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Lenfest Institute. p. 108. Retrieved January 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  16. ^ "Picks and Pans Review: Voyeur". People. October 25, 1982. Retrieved May 30, 2020.
  17. ^ Provick, Bill (October 8, 1982). "Kim Carnes – Voyeur". Ottawa Citizen. Ottawa, Canada: Postmedia Network. p. 58. Retrieved January 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  18. ^ "Reviews – Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. August 21, 1982. p. 8. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  19. ^ Speelman, Paul (November 18, 1982). "Disc 'n That". The Age. Melbourne, Australia: Nine Entertainment. p. 54. Retrieved January 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  20. ^ Robins, Wayne (December 23, 1982). "Record Capsules". Newsday. New York City, New York: Newsday Media. p. 91. Retrieved January 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  21. ^ Cooney, Roman (August 28, 1982). "Kim Carnes goes beyond seductive". Calgary Herald. Calgary, Canada: Postmedia Network. p. 14. Retrieved January 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  22. ^ Seigendall, Jane (December 4, 1982). "Kim Carnes: Voyeur". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania: Tribune Publishing. p. 94. Retrieved January 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  23. ^ "Kim Carnes: "Voyeur"". Grand Junction Daily Sentinel. Grand Junction, Colorado: Seaton Publishing. November 5, 1982. p. 46. Retrieved January 18, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  24. ^ Millican, Jim (October 24, 1982). "Short Cuts". Winnipeg Sun. Winnipeg, Canada: Postmedia Network. p. 58. Retrieved January 19, 2022 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  25. ^ "Toto, McCartney Top 25th Grammy Awards Nominees" (PDF). Cash Box. January 22, 1983. p. 9. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  26. ^ Saintus-Hyppolite, Rachel (September 17, 2018). "La nuit des longs couteaux". lecanalauditif.ca. Archived from the original on March 20, 2023. Retrieved November 16, 2023.
  27. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Voyeur [Bonus Tracks] – Kim Carnes". AllMusic. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  28. ^ Voyeur (liner notes). Kim Carnes. EMI America Records. 1982. SO-17078.((cite AV media notes)): CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  29. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 256. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  30. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 6924a". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  31. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Kim Carnes – Voyeur" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  32. ^ "Charts.nz – Kim Carnes – Voyeur". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  33. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Kim Carnes – Voyeur". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  34. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Kim Carnes – Voyeur". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 26, 2014.
  35. ^ "Kim Carnes Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved August 16, 2019.
  36. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Kim Carnes – Voyeur". Music Canada. November 1, 1982.
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