“Angeleyes” by ABBA

Succinctly put, the lyrics of ABBA’s “Angeleyes” is about a very good looking man who is very seductive. From the lyrics, this man’s main alluring quality is “his angel eyes”, which he uses to seduce women.  Furthermore, he is portrayed as a player. 

In virtue of this, the female singers of ABBA (Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad) use this song for two primary purposes. One is to recount how they themselves fell for the man and “all the good times” they had while in a relationship with him. The other is to warn other women not to get captivated by his handsomeness. 

Indeed the song begins with them witnessing ol’ angeleyes moving with “a young girl” who they are convinced will suffer the same fate they have at his hands. The ABBA girls describe him as someone who basically uses women and then dumps them. 

So despite his undeniable attractiveness, any woman who falls in love with him will ultimately “pay the price”. Agnetha and Anni-Frid are therefore warning to every woman listening to be mindful of falling in love with this man.

Facts about “Angeleyes”

• ABBA’s Anderson and Ulvaeus collaborated together in composing and producing this music.
• “Angeleyes” was released on 2nd July 1979 from ABBA’s 6th studio album. The record in question is titled Voulez-Vous. The song is the 4th track on this album.
• Despite being written as “Angeleyes”, the title of this song can also be written as “Angel Eyes”.
• This song has appeared on several of the group’s compilation albums, some of which include: Greatest Hits Vol. 2. (in 1979), More ABBA Gold: More ABBA Hits (in 1993), Thank You for the Music (in 1994), The Definitive Collection (in 2001), and The Album (in 2008).
• “Angeleyes” is one of the most popular tracks of ABBA. Based on this, it has been covered by numerous musicians, including The Czars in 2006.

How “Angeleyes” performed on the charts

In 1979, it peaked at number 3 on the UK Singles Chart and number 64 on the Billboard Hot 100.