☝️ Key Points
- The protagonist of the song is in a bar and makes others pay for their drinks to distract himself from the absence of his beloved, whom he calls 'Angel Eyes'.
- 'Angel Eyes' is described as a devilish presence that shines unbearably bright, indicating the painful and destructive nature of his love for her.
- He admits that his love is misplaced ('Need I say that my love's mispent / Mispent with angel eyes tonight').
- In the last verse, he hints that his beloved may have left him for someone else and that he has to find out who is now her number one.
- The song ends with the protagonist apologizing as he 'disappears', suggesting that he will have to cope with his pain and confusion in solitude.
Interpretation
The song 'Angel Eyes' by
Frank Sinatra is a melancholic ballad about unrequited love and loss. The protagonist of the song is in a bar and offers to pay for the drinks of 'all the happy people' there ('Hey drink up all you people / Order anything you see / And have fun you happy people / The laugh and the drinks on me'). He tries to distract himself from the fact that his beloved, whom he calls 'Angel Eyes', is not with him ('Try to think that love's not around / Still it's uncomfortably near / My poor old heart ain't gaining any ground / Because my angel eyes ain't here').
The 'Angel Eyes' are described as something devilish that glow unbearably bright ('Angel eyes, that old Devil sent / They glow unbearably bright'). This could suggest that the love for this woman is painful and destructive for him. He feels that his love is misinvested ('Need I say that my love's mispent / Mispent with angel eyes tonight').
In the last verse, the singer explains that he has to leave to find out who is now the number one in her life and why his 'Angel Eyes' are not with him ('Pardon me but I got to run / The fact's uncommonly clear / I got to find who's now the number one / And why my angel eyes ain't here'). This implies that his beloved may have left him for someone else.
The song ends with the words 'Excuse me while I disappear', suggesting that the protagonist withdraws to cope with his pain and confusion in solitude.