My Top 1000 Songs #887: Starry Eyes

[I've been writing up my Top 1000 songs on a daily basis--you can see them all in descending order by hitting the All My Favorite Songs tag.]

Not to be confused with The Records' timeless power pop track of the same name--previously seen here at #115 on our list--this "Starry Eyes" is a modest, retro-styled pop number from the unlikely pen of troubled acid casualty Roky Erickson. After several late 60s garage band psych records with the Thirteenth Floor Elevators, Erickson pursued a haphazard solo career that ranged from traditional rock & roll to sci-fi-themed acid rock. This little gem, originally appearing as a 1975 b-side credited to Roky Ericson [sic] & Bleib Alien, is a tender, Buddy Holly-styled would-be pop standard, endearingly earnest and sweet. A decade later, he re-recorded the song with a bit more rockabilly jangle, issuing it as a 1984 solo b-side and including it on 1986's Don't Slander Me LP.

Personally, I got turned onto the song when 80s jangle pop band The Reivers, based in Roky's sometime-home of Austin, TX, covered it--I heard it on some live bootlegs back in my tape-trading days, one of which included an uncredited studio version (which may be a solo track from Reivers singer Kim Longacre, I'm not entirely sure)--either way, the Reivers and/or Longacre versions are gorgeous, bringing out the beauty of Erickson's tune. A few more recent indie acts, including Veronica Falls and Cigarettes After Sex, have also given the song its due.

Original 1975 version:

1984 remake:

The Reivers (or maybe Kim Longacre):

Veronica Falls version:

Cigarettes After Sex:

And if you think you're ready for it... 1984 version from Jad Fair: