Them There Eyes is a 1930 jazz standard written by Maceo Pinkard, Doris Tauber, and William Tracey. It tells a playful story of falling in love at first sight with “them there eyes” and then warning that those eyes can be dangerous. The song was first recorded by Hal Kemp and His Orchestra in November 1930, with Louis Armstrong also recording an early influential version in 1931. Billie Holiday’s 1939 recording for Vocalion Records helped make the tune famous. Over the decades it has been covered by many artists—from Bing Crosby with the Rhythm Boys in 1930-31 to Emile Ford & the Checkmates in 1960—and it has appeared on numerous albums and compilations, remaining a widely performed jazz standard.
