Eyes of a Woman is the second English-language solo studio album by Swedish singer and former ABBA member Agnetha Fältskog, and her eighth studio album overall. It was released in March 1985.
| Eyes of a Woman | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | March 1985 | |||
| Recorded | October–November 1984 | |||
| Studio | Polar, Stockholm, Sweden | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length | 44:15 | |||
| Label | Polar Music | |||
| Producer | Eric Stewart | |||
| Agnetha Fältskog chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Eyes Of A Woman | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [1] |
| Hitkrant |    [2] |
The album sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide as of August 1985, about half that amount in Scandinavia.[3]
Background
editThe album was recorded in the Polar Music Studios in Stockholm. Sessions began in early October 1984 and lasted until the end of November. The album was produced by Eric Stewart of 10cc and features former 10cc members Rick Fenn and Vic Emerson as session musicians, as well as Stewart's longtime friend Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues.
Notable songwriters who contributed to the album included Jeff Lynne, John Wetton and Geoff Downes as well as Justin Hayward and Eric Stewart himself. Long time ABBA fan Elvis Costello submitted a track "Shatterproof" for inclusion on the album, however Fältskog decided against recording it.[4] Two of the songs recorded, "Turn the World Around" and "You're There", were not included on the initial album, but were released as B-sides. "You're There" and "I Won't Let You Go" were composed by Fältskog herself with lyrics by Eric Stewart.
During the photo sessions for the sleeve of the album, Agnetha posed at the terrace of Drottningholm Palace, the official residence of the Swedish royal family, in Stockholm.
Release
editThe tracks "One Way Love" and "I Won't Let You Go" were released as singles throughout Europe. Agnetha also performed "One Way Love" at the Montreux Music Festival in 1985. Eyes of a Woman became Fältskog's second album to reach the UK Top 40, reaching No. 38. In Sweden, the album peaked at No. 2. It also reached the Top 20 in Norway, the Netherlands and Belgium, and the Top 30 in West Germany.
The album was reissued in 2005 with the singles' B-sides and the non-album single "The Way You Are" (along with its B-side) as bonus tracks.
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "One Way Love" | Jeff Lynne | 3:36 |
| 2. | "Eyes of a Woman" |
| 3:56 |
| 3. | "Just One Heart" |
| 3:43 |
| 4. | "I Won't Let You Go" | 3:39 | |
| 5. | "The Angels Cry" | Justin Hayward | 4:22 |
| 6. | "Click Track" |
| 2:52 |
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "We Should Be Together" | 3:57 | |
| 2. | "I Won't Be Leaving You" | Stewart | 5:32 |
| 3. | "Save Me (Why Don't Ya)" | Stewart | 4:37 |
| 4. | "I Keep Turning Off Lights" | China Burton | 3:37 |
| 5. | "We Move As One" | 4:04 | |
| Total length: | 44:15 | ||
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "You're There" (B-side of "I Won't Let You Go") |
| 3:29 |
| 2. | "Turn the World Around" (B-side of "One Way Love") | Randy Edelman | 4:15 |
| 3. | "I Won't Let You Go" (Extended Version) |
| 6:02 |
| 4. | "The Way You Are" (duet with Ola Håkansson) | 3:45 | |
| 5. | "Fly Like the Eagle" (duet with Ola Håkansson) |
| 3:05 |
Personnel
edit- Agnetha Fältskog – lead vocals, backing vocals
- Eric Stewart – Fender Rhodes, percussion, backing vocals
- Vic Emerson – keyboards, synthesizers
- Rick Fenn – guitars
- Justin Hayward – guitars (5)
- Rutger Gunnarsson – bass
- Jamie Lane – drums (1, 3-11)
- Per Allsing – drums (2)
- Mel Collins – sax solos (1, 7)
- Marianne Flynner – backing vocals
- Anders Glenmark – backing vocals
- Karin Glenmark – backing vocals
- John Wetton – backing vocals (11)
Production
- Eric Stewart – producer, cover concept
- Paris Edvinson – engineer, mixing (1, 2, 3, 6-11)
- Michael B. Tretow – mixing (4, 5)
- Gundars Rullis – tape operator
- Göran Stelin – mastering
- Stig Anderson – album coordinator
- Thomas Johansson – album coordinator
- David Edwards – studio coordinator
- Richard Evans – design
- Icon – design
- Tony McGee – photography
- Christoffer Edgwick – photography assistant
- Tusse Nilsson – photography assistant
- Lolo Murray – stylist
Charts
edit| Chart (1985) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[5] | 19 |
| European Albums (Music & Media)[6] | 22 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[7] | 30 |
| Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[8] | 14 |
| Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[9] | 2 |
| UK Albums (OCC)[10] | 38 |
References
edit- ^ AllMusic review - Agnetha Fältskog's Eyes of a Woman AllMusic.com. Retrieved 21 May 2017.
- ^ Wouter (1985). Agnetha Fältskog/‘Eyes Of A Woman’/Polydor. Hitkrant.
- ^ Antall, Lasse (August 12, 1985). "Agnetha och Frida lägger av". Aftonbladet. p. 34.
- ^ Oldham, A, Calder, T & Irvin, C: "ABBA: The Name of the Game", page 209. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1995
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Agnetha Fältskog – Eyes of a Woman" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 18. 6 May 1985. p. 12. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Agnetha Fältskog – Eyes of a Woman" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Agnetha Fältskog – Eyes of a Woman". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Agnetha Fältskog – Eyes of a Woman". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
- ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 December 2021.