The Movie Scene That Changed Your Perception Of “These Eyes”
After Matt Cord played “These Eyes” on 102.9 MGK, he mentioned the unforgettable scene in Superbad when Michael Cera sings the Guess Who classic.
When a great song is used in a movie scene, it becomes difficult to associate it with anything else. Hearing “Tiny Dancer” makes some listeners think of the tour bus ride from Almost Famous. “Stuck in the Middle with You” similarly reminds people of the famous scene in Reservoir Dogs.
The scene in Superbad isn’t exactly the same type of classic cinema, but it’s a much funnier way to use a classic rock song.
“These Eyes” in Superbad
Michael Cera plays Evan, a hilariously awkward teenage boy just a few weeks ahead of his his high school graduation. He lands in the wrong place at the wrong time during an outrageous sequence of events in the movie.
After he wanders off at a house party and accidentally stumbles into a back room, some guys taking the party a little too far confuse him for someone else.
He’s Jimmy’s brother, the guy, the singer! He’s the guy with the beautiful voice I was telling you about!
My brother came all the way from Scottsdale, Arizona to be here tonight, and you’re not going to sing for him?…You sing, and you sing good!
Poor Evan doesn’t want to accuse them of being “ill-informed,” so he turns the clock back to 1969 for a hit by the Guess Who from Wheatfield Soul.
Michael Cera isn’t bad at certain points in “These Eyes,” and the reaction in the room is priceless at one point in the song.
You gave a promise to me, yea, and you broke it
You broke it
However, he doesn’t quite match up with the excellent vocals of Burton Cummings during the chorus of the Rock & Roll classic.
These eyes are cryin’
These eyes have seen a lot of loves
But they’re never gonna see another one like I had with you
Cera told Vanity Fair that he originally hoped the directors would use ‘The Thong Song” for the scene instead.
I recall that we did several different versions [of the song he sings during the party sequence]. One where I’m just dancing, one where I’m singing “The Thong Song,” and then this version with “These Eyes.” I was personally very hopeful “The Thong Song” would make it into the movie, but now it feels undeniably right that it should be “These Eyes.”
It was a good call to stick with the Guess Who.
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