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Eyes of a Woman

Eyes of a Woman
Studio album by
Agnetha Fältskog
Released25 March 1985
RecordedOctober–November 1984
StudioPolar Music Studios, Stockholm
GenrePop rock
Length43:45
LabelPolar Music
ProducerEric Stewart
Agnetha Fältskog chronology
Wrap Your Arms Around Me
(1983) 		Eyes of a Woman
(1985) 		Agnetha Collection
(1986)
Singles from Eyes Of A Woman
  1. "I Won't Let You Go"
    Released: 29 March 1985[1]
  2. "One Way Love"
    Released: 14 June 1985[2]
  3. "Just One Heart"
    Released: September 1985 (Netherlands)
  4. "The Angels Cry"
    Released: 1985 (Netherlands)
  5. "Click Track"
    Released: 1985 (South Africa)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Hitkrant[4]

Eyes of a Woman is the eight studio album, and second English-language solo studio album by Swedish singer and former ABBA member Agnetha Fältskog, released on 25 March 1985 and 19 April in the UK.[5]

The album sold more than 300,000 copies worldwide as of August 1985, about half that amount in Scandinavia.[6]

Background

The 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.

Thomas Johansson, founder of the music agency EMA Telstar had brought forward Eric Stewart, who Fältskog had met during her time in ABBA, She liked the choice of producer and stated that Stewart was a very calm, pleasant partner to work with.[7] In Summer 1984, composers and publishers sent Fältskog and Stewart approximately 400 songs.[7]

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.[8] Fältskog and Stewart worked closely with engineer Paris Edvinson who contributed to a lot of ideas and Rutger Gunnarsson who also wrote some arrangements.[7]

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. Stewart’s ballad "I Won't Be Leaving You" was one of Fältskog’s favourite songs from the album.[7]

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

Initially, "One Way Love" was suggested to be the lead single, but "I Won't Let You Go" received the majority of votes.[7] Agnetha had agreed with this decision.[7] The tracks "One Way Love" and "I Won't Let You Go" were released as singles throughout Europe. Agnetha promoted the album and singles in Sweden, Norway (and the USA via cable network), Germany and at the Montreux Jazz Festival in May 1985 where Fältskog performed "One Way Love".[7]

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. On 28 July 2017, Eyes of a Woman was re-released on 180-gram black and red vinyl as part of the reissue of several solo albums by members of ABBA[9][10]

Track listing

Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."One Way Love"Jeff Lynne3:36
2."Eyes of a Woman"
3:54
3."Just One Heart"
  • Paul Muggleton
  • Robert Noble
3:42
4."I Won't Let You Go"
3:39
5."The Angels Cry"Justin Hayward4:22
6."Click Track"
2:51
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."We Should Be Together"
3:59
2."I Won't Be Leaving You"Stewart5:34
3."Save Me (Why Don't Ya)"Stewart4:37
4."I Keep Turning Off Lights"China Burton3:37
5."We Move As One"
4:04
Total length:43:45
2005 CD reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."You're There" (B-side of "I Won't Let You Go")
  • Fältskog
  • Stewart
3:29
2."Turn the World Around" (B-side of "One Way Love")Randy Edelman4:15
3."I Won't Let You Go" (extended version)
  • Fältskog
  • Stewart
6:02
4."The Way You Are" (duet with Ola Håkansson)
3:45
5."Fly Like the Eagle" (duet with Ola Håkansson)
  • Norell
  • Håkansson
  • Bard
3:05

Personnel

Adapted from the album's liner notes.[11]

Musicians

Production

  • Eric Stewart – producer, cover concept
  • Paris Edvinson – engineer, mixing
  • Michael B. Tretow – mixing (4, 5)
  • Gundars Rullis – tape operator
  • Göran Stelin – mastering (at Polar Music Studios, Stockholm)
  • Stig Anderson; Thomas Johansson – album coordinators
  • David Edwards – studio coordinator
  • Richard Evans (Icon) – design
  • Tony McGee – photography
  • Christoffer Edwick; Tusse Nilsson – photography assistants
  • Lolo Murray – stylist

Charts

Chart performance for Eyes of a Woman
Chart (1985) Peak
position
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[12] 19
European Albums (Music & Media)[13] 22
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[14] 30
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista)[15] 14
Swedish Albums (Sverigetopplistan)[16] 2
UK Albums (OCC)[17] 38

References

  1. ^ "Music Week Magazine 1985-03-23" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Music Week. 23 March 1985. p. 26. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  2. ^ "Music Week Magazine 1985-06-08" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Music Week. 8 June 1985. p. 14. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  3. ^ Thompson, Dave. "Eyes of a Woman". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  4. ^ Wouter (1985). Agnetha Fältskog/‘Eyes Of A Woman’/Polydor. Hitkrant.
  5. ^ "Music Week Magazine 1985-04-13" (PDF). worldradiohistory.com. Music Week. 13 April 1985. p. 25. Retrieved 12 February 2025.
  6. ^ Antall, Lasse (August 12, 1985). "Agnetha och Frida lägger av". Aftonbladet. p. 34.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g "BnL Viewer". viewer.eluxemburgensia.lu. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  8. ^ Oldham, A, Calder, T & Irvin, C: "ABBA: The Name of the Game", page 209. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1995
  9. ^ "Solo Albums Reissue!". ABBA. 7 June 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  10. ^ Sexton, Paul (7 June 2017). "Six Albums From ABBA Solo Repertoire For Vinyl Reissue". uDiscover Music. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
  11. ^ Fältskog, Agnetha (1985). Eyes of a Woman (liner notes). Polar Music. POLS 385.
  12. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Agnetha Fältskog – Eyes of a Woman" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  13. ^ "European Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 18. 6 May 1985. p. 12. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  14. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Agnetha Fältskog – Eyes of a Woman" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  15. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Agnetha Fältskog – Eyes of a Woman". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  16. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Agnetha Fältskog – Eyes of a Woman". Hung Medien. Retrieved 27 September 2016.
  17. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
Quelle: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eyes_of_a_Woman