Wet Wet Wet – “Angel Eyes”: Blue-Eyed Soul with a Bruised Smile
Released on 23 November 1987, “Angel Eyes (Home and Away)” was the third single from Wet Wet Wet’s debut album Popped In Souled Out. It was a slow, soulful confession that climbed steadily to No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart by January 1988. It also reached No. 9 in Ireland, No. 2 in the Netherlands, and cracked the Top 5 in Belgium and New Zealand. The song’s gradual rise mirrored its emotional tone: patient, reflective, and quietly powerful.
The track was co-written by all four band members—Marti Pellow, Graeme Clark, Neil Mitchell, and Tommy Cunningham—with additional lyrical credit to Chris Difford of Squeeze, thanks to a quoted verse from “Heartbreaking World”. The chorus also nods to Bacharach and David’s “Walk On By” and “The Look of Love,” weaving in subtle references that deepen its nostalgic pull.
Soulful, Sad, and Still Composed
“Angel Eyes” leans into blue-eyed soul with a soft pop finish. Dense keyboards, restrained brass, and a rhythm section that never rushes give the song its late-night glow. There’s a smoky elegance to it—like something playing in the corner of a quiet bar, long after the crowd has thinned.
Marti Pellow’s vocal is the anchor. He doesn’t push or plead. Instead, he delivers lines like: “Angel eyes / Am I deceived or did you sigh?” with a kind of fragile certainty—like he’s trying to read a moment that’s already passed.
The lyrics walk a fine line between romantic longing and emotional control. There’s no dramatic high spot, no lyrical twist. Just a slow unraveling of doubt and desire.
Legacy
“Angel Eyes” holds up because it’s genuine. It doesn’t pretend to have answers. That quiet confusion when you’re not sure what someone meant, or if they meant anything at all. It’s a song that doesn’t demand answers. It just asks the question—and lets it hang.
Wet Wet Wet may be best remembered internationally for their mega-hit Love Is All Around, but Angel Eyes is where they really showed their soul.