Angeleyes

This article is about the ABBA song. For other uses, see Angel Eyes (disambiguation).

"Angeleyes"
UK picture sleeve cover
Single by ABBA
from the album Voulez-Vous
A-side"Voulez-Vous"
Released6 July 1979[1]
Recorded26 October 1978
StudioPolar (Stockholm, Sweden)
GenrePop
Length4:20
Label
Songwriters
Producers
  • Benny Andersson
  • Björn Ulvaeus
ABBA singles chronology
"Voulez-Vous"
(1979) 		"Angeleyes"
(1979) 		"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)"
(1979)
Audio video
"Angeleyes" on YouTube

"Angeleyes" (also known as "Angel Eyes")[2] is a song by the Swedish group ABBA. The lyrics and music were composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, while Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad share lead vocals. It was recorded for their sixth studio album Voulez-Vous (1979), and was released on 6 July 1979, as a double a-side single with "Voulez-Vous" in the United Kingdom. In North America, it was released as an individual single by Atlantic Records.

The track was a success for the group, peaking at number three on the UK Singles Chart.[3] It is featured on the compilation More ABBA Gold: More ABBA Hits (1993).

Background

"Angeleyes" (which had the working title "Katakusom")[4] is a song in which the protagonist beseeches women to avoid the deceptively innocent looking gaze of a handsome yet deceitful man, warning them to beware of the "game he likes to play."[5] The vocals came from Ulvaeus, Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.

Release and reception

Release

In the United Kingdom, "Angeleyes" was released as a double A-side with "Voulez-Vous" on 6 July 1979, the only time the group did this.[3] Andersson and Ulvaeus were adamant on "Voulez-Vous" as the single, while the group's British record label, Epic Records, preferred "Angeleyes". A compromise was made, where the two tracks would serve as a double a-side single.

Reception

Critical

Tony Jasper of British music magazine Music Week reviewed both sides and responded to "Angeleyes" with a mixed reception, describing the vocals as "slightly shrill", and the production as "less [imaginative]".[6] Likewise, the popular TV series Juke Box Jury, which featured panelists Alan Freeman, Johnny Rotten, Joan Collins, and Elaine Paige, voted the song a "miss", and incorrectly predicted that it would not be a hit for the group.[7] However, American trade magazine Cash Box wrote favorably of "Angeleyes", saying the song has "bubbly female harmonies and a layered, string-driven melody showing an inviting pop-classical influence."[8] Billboard highlighted the track's "lifting melody" and "fulsome harmonies".[9] Correspondingly, Bruce Eder of AllMusic retrospectively cited the song as a standout on the album.[10]

Commercial

In the United Kingdom, "Angeleyes" / "Voulez-Vous" debuted at number 48 on the UK Singles Chart the week of 14 July 1979, and rose up to the number three position on the chart the week of 11 August 1979, becoming ABBA's 12th consecutive top ten hit in the region. It spent eleven weeks in total on the chart. As of September 2021, the double a-side single is ABBA's 13th most popular song in the UK, including both pure sales and digital streams.[11] Coincidentally, ABBA's "Angeleyes" was in the UK top-twenty at the same time as another unrelated song called "Angel Eyes" by the British rock group Roxy Music.[12] The latter track was composed by musicians Bryan Ferry and Andy Mackay, and although the two songs possess some lyrical similarities, Ferry and Mackay's song is more reminiscent of contemporary pop rock.

The track was less of a success in North America. In the United States, the song was originally only a b-side to "Voulez-Vous", but Atlantic Records, ABBA's American record label, flipped the sides after the latter song received negative reception from radio programmers and did not perform well.[13] "Angeleyes" debuted at number 85 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of 22 September 1979, and only peaked at number 64 on 13 October 1979, spending five weeks in total. However, it did fare better than "Voulez-Vous", which had only charted at number 80. "Angeleyes", however, charted better in Canada, peaking at number 42 on the RPM Top Singles.

Impact

In 2022, "Angeleyes" became a popular song on the TikTok social media platform. Mashable noted: "TikTokkers have been using the sound, a sped-up version of 'Angeleyes' by ABBA, to reminisce about the things they used to love, from television shows to discontinued candies."[14] ABBA's own TikTok account participated in the trend, posting a video of Björn Ulvaeus and his platform boots set to the song.[15]

Charts

Weekly/bi-weekly chart performance for "Angeleyes"
Chart (1979–80) Peak
position
Canada (CRIA)[16] 39
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[17] 42
UK Singles (OCC)[18] 3
US Billboard Hot 100[19] 64
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[20] 37
US Cash Box Top 100[21] 76
US Pop/Adult Airplay (Radio & Records)[22] 28
US Record World Singles[23] 77
Chart (2018) Peak
position
Scotland Singles (OCC)[24] 91

Certifications

Certifications and sales for "Angeleyes"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[25] Gold 15,000‡
United Kingdom (BPI)[26] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again version

"Angel Eyes" was released on 13 July 2018, alongside the soundtrack of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, by Capitol and Polydor Records. The song is performed by Julie Walters (Rosie), Christine Baranski (Tanya) and Amanda Seyfried (Sophie) and it was produced by Benny Andersson.

Charts

Chart (2018) Peak
position
Scotland Singles (OCC)[27] 61

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[28] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 34.
  2. ^ Examples include the books The Best of ABBA (Songbook) and The Sound of the Crowd: A Discography of the '80s among others.
  3. ^ a b Davis, Sharon (2012). 80s Chart-Toppers: Every Chart-Topper Tells a Story. Random House. ISBN 9781780574110.
  4. ^ ABBA - The complete recording sessions, Carl Magnus Palm, 1994, p. 82
  5. ^ The Best of ABBA (Songbook). Hal Leonard Corporation. 2009. ISBN 9781458447661.
  6. ^ Jasper, Tony (7 July 1979). "Music Week Fact Sheets". Music Week. London, United Kingdom. p. 34. ISSN 0265-1548.
  7. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Elaine Paige: Jukebox Jury Episode (1979)". YouTube.
  8. ^ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 15 September 1979. p. 18. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  9. '^ "Billboards Top Single Picks – Pop". Billboard. Vol. 91, no. 37. New York, NY. 15 September 1979. p. 75. ISSN 0006-2510.
  10. ^ Eder, Bruce. Review of Voulez-Vous at AllMusic. Retrieved 2 February 2016.
  11. ^ "ABBA's Official Top 20 biggest songs". Official Charts Company. 7 November 2021. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  12. ^ http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/19790812/7501/ UK Official Singles Chart Top 75; August 1979. Retrieved 2018-01-12.
  13. ^ "'Angel Eyes' Is New A-Side Of ABBA 45". Cash Box. Vol. XLI, no. 18. New York, NY. 15 September 1979. p. 19. ISSN 0008-7289.
  14. ^ Zafer, Rizwana (15 June 2022). "ABBA is making TikTok feel nostalgic (again)". Mashable. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  15. ^ Stone, Megan (13 June 2022). "ABBA jumps in on the TikTok "Angeleyes" fun". ABC Audio. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  16. ^ Lwin, Nanda (1999). "ABBA". Top 40 Hits: The Essential Chart Guide. Music Data Research. p. 17. ISBN 1896594131.
  17. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Image 5862". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  18. ^ "Official Singles Chart on 5/8/1979 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  19. ^ "ABBA Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  20. ^ "ABBA Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 26 January 2026.
  21. ^ Downey, Pat; Albert, George; Hoffmann, Frank W (1994). Cash Box pop singles charts, 1950–1993. Libraries Unlimited. p. 1. ISBN 978-1-56308-316-7.
  22. ^ "Pop/Adult Airplay/40". Radio & Records. No. 305. Los Angeles, CA. 26 October 1979. p. 68. ISSN 0277-4860.
  23. ^ "Record World Singles". Record World. Vol. 36, no. 1682. New York, NY. 13 October 1979. p. 25. ISSN 0034-1622.
  24. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 27/7/2018 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
  25. ^ "New Zealand single certifications – ABBA – Angel Eyes". Radioscope. Retrieved 30 September 2025. Type Angel Eyes in the "Search:" field and press Enter.
  26. ^ "British single certifications – ABBA – Angel Eyes". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Angel Eyes ABBA in the "Search:" field.
  27. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart on 10/8/2018 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 11 August 2018.
  28. ^ "British single certifications – Baranski/Walters/Seyfried – Angel Eyes". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 March 2021. Select singles in the Formats field. Type Angel Eyes Baranski/Walters/Seyfried in the "Search:" field.
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