"What's Happened to Blue Eyes" is a country music

Country music

Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...

 song recorded by American country artist, Jessi Colter

Jessi Colter

Jessi Colter is an American country music artist who is best known for her collaboration with her husband, country singer and songwriter Waylon Jennings and for her 1975 country-pop crossover hit "I'm Not Lisa"....

. The song was released as her second single under Capitol Records

Capitol Records

Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...

 August 4, 1975, peaking as a Top 10 hit on the Billboard Country Chart and a minor hit on the Pop chart.

Content

"What's Happened to Blue Eyes" was written entirely by Jessi Colter. The narrator discusses how she is looking for her male lover who goes by the name "blue eyes." She is curious to wondering if anyone else has seen him, while also hoping he has not decided to end their relationship. The song's chorus further explains the song's initial meaning:

What's happened to blue eyes?

Has anyone seen him?

Don't anyone tell me that he gave up on me

I'm looking for blue eyes

Does anybody know him?

Can anyone tell me if he's still looking for me?

The song was produced by Ken Mansfield

Ken Mansfield

Ken Mansfield is a Grammy Award-winning record producer, former U.S. Manager of Apple Records, a high-ranking executive for several record labels, songwriter and the author of three books....

 and Waylon Jennings, both of whom produced Colter's previous single, "I'm Not Lisa" and her 1975 Capitol album. Since its release, the song has been covered by Colter's husband, Waylon Jennings

Waylon Jennings

Waylon Arnold Jennings was an American country music singer, songwriter, and musician. Jennings began playing at eight. He began performing at twelve, on KVOW radio. Jennings formed a band The Texas Longhorns. Jennings worked as a D.J on KVOW, KDAV and KLLL...

 as duet with Colter for their 1981 collaboration, Leather and Lace

Leather and Lace

Leather and Lace is a duet album by Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter, released on RCA Victor in 1981. It was the famous couple's first album together, though they had sung individual duets together prior to the release of Leather and Lace. "You Never Can Tell " is a well-known Chuck Berry song...

.

A later version, recorded the following year for the album Wanted! The Outlaws

Wanted! The Outlaws

Wanted! The Outlaws is an album by Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, and Tompall Glaser, released in RCA Victor in 1976, and consisting of previously released material. Released to capitalize on the new outlaw country movement, Wanted! The Outlaws earned its place in music history by...

, had the first line of the chorus changed from "What's happened to blue eyes?" to "I'm looking for blue eyes", and it appeared on the track listing by the alternative name "I'm Looking For Blue Eyes".

Chart performance

"What's Happened to Blue Eyes" was released as Colter's second single on Capitol Records and was issued August 4, 1975. The song made its chart debut on the country list shortly afterwards on August 23. The song became Colter's second major hit as a solo recording artist, reaching a peak of #5 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs

Hot Country Songs

Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...

 chart, as well as becoming a minor hit on the Pop chart

Billboard Hot 100

The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...

, peaking at #57 around the same time. It would be released on her debut Capitol album, I'm Jessi Colter

I'm Jessi Colter

I'm Jessi Colter is a studio album by American country music artist, Jessi Colter. The album was released on Capitol Records in January 1975 and was produced by Ken Mansfield...

. The song was the follow-up single to Colter's major country pop

Country pop

Country pop, with roots in both the countrypolitan sound and in soft rock, is a subgenre of country music that first emerged in the 1970s. Although the term first referred to country music songs and artists that crossed over to Top 40 radio, country pop acts are now more likely to cross over to...

 crossover hit, "I'm Not Lisa

I'm Not Lisa

"I'm Not Lisa" is a country music song written and recorded by American country artist Jessi Colter. It was released as a single on January 16, 1975 by Capitol Records. "I'm Not Lisa" would become Colter's first major hit as a solo artist.-Content:...

", which was released earlier in the year.

Critical reception

Billboard

Billboard (magazine)

Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...

magazine reviewed the song favorably, saying that "when she writes, she turns out masterpieces, and then when she does the interpretation herself, it is superb. This is a case in point."

Charts

Chart (1975)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...	5
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...	57
Canadian RPM Country Singles	11