"Angeleyes" is a song written and recorded in 1979 by Swedish pop group ABBA. The lyrics and music were composed by Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus, with the lyrics sung by both Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad, typical of most ABBA compositions. The working title for the song was "Katakusom".
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History[edit][]
In the United Kingdom, "Angeleyes" was released as a double A-side with "Voulez-Vous". Epic, ABBA's British record label, believed that with its classic ABBA arrangement, "Angeleyes" would be more popular with the record buying public.
"Angeleyes" was included in the official ABBA compilations More ABBA Gold: More ABBA Hits (1993) and The Definitive Collection (2001), as well as the 1994 four-CD boxed set Thank You for the Music. It also appeared on the group's 1979 'Greatest Hits Volume 2' album.
A planned version of "Angeleyes" in Spanish remains unrecorded.[citation needed]
No promotional video for the track was made. As ABBA had filmed one for "Voulez-Vous", it was this that was used to promote the AA side single.
The "Angeleyes"/"Voulez-Vous" single was the first ABBA single in the UK to feature a picture sleeve,[citation needed] although ABBA had previously issued picture sleeves in other countries. All of Epic's previous ABBA UK single releases were issued in plain company sleeves, which were yellow until 1976 when they changed to orange during a revision of Epic's label design. The single was also issued in several different colours of vinyl, and marked a change in Epic's presentation of their then most profitable act.
Reception[edit][]
The double A-side peaked at number three on the UK charts. By coincidence, at the same time the group Roxy Music released an unrelated song named "Angel Eyes".
When the track was featured on the BBC's popular TV series Juke Box Jury, the panel (which featured Alan Freeman, Johnny Rotten, Joan Collins and Elaine Paige) unanimously voted the song a "miss", predicting that it would not be a hit for the group. Only "Angeleyes" was mentioned on the show, with no reference to "Voulez-Vous".
Cover versions, appearances in other media, etc.[edit][]
- German eurodance group E-Rotic covered the song for their 1997 ABBA tribute album Thank You for the Music. It was featured on Dancemania's 1998 compilation Dancemania 8.
- American alternative rock band The Czars covered the song on their 2006 album Sorry I Made You Cry.
- Various eurodance cover remixes by Abbacadabra were released by Almighty Records during the late 1990s. A version was included on the 2008 compilation We Love ABBA: The Mamma Mia Dance Compilation. Audio samples can be heard on the official Almighty Records website.[1]