Undercover Angel (song)
Encyclopedia
"Undercover Angel" was a hit single for singer/songwriter Alan O'Day
. Certified gold, it reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
(with #4 for the year of 1977
) and #9 on the Australian Singles Chart
.
. He composed scores
for some B movie
s in the 1960s. In 1971 he became a songwriter for Warner Brothers Music. He wrote hit songs for other artists such as Helen Reddy
, Bobby Sherman
, Cher
, and the Righteous Brothers. In 1977, Warner Brothers Music decided to form a special label for their composers who also performed. O'Day was the first artist signed, and his first release was "Undercover Angel."
The song, which O'Day described as a "nocturnal novelette," was released without fanfare in February 1977. Within a few months, it had become #1 in the US, even without an album to support it. O'Day said about the experience, "It's wonderful when you find out what feels right, and then it also feels right to other people. That's a songwriter's dream." The original vinyl pressing was released with the A-side "Undercover Angel" and B-side "Just You".
Backup vocals are sung by Carol Parks.
He then explains that was his story, as apparently he has been singing this song to a woman whom he is trying to seduce, and how he wants to look in her eyes to see if she is the reincarnation of the angel he found.
Alan O'Day
Alan O'Day is an American singer-songwriter, best known for writing and singing "Undercover Angel," a song which was number 1 in 1977. He also wrote songs for several other notable performers, such as 1974's Helen Reddy number 1 hit "Angie Baby" and the Righteous Brothers' number 3 hit "Rock And...
. Certified gold, it reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
(with #4 for the year of 1977
1977 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1977.-January–February:*January 1 – The Clash headline the gala opening of the London music club, The Roxy....
) and #9 on the Australian Singles Chart
Kent Music Report
The Kent Music Report was a weekly record chart of Australian music singles and albums which was compiled by music enthusiast David Kent from May 1974 through to 1998...
.
Background
Alan O'Day (born 1940) is a native of Hollywood, CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He composed scores
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
for some B movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
s in the 1960s. In 1971 he became a songwriter for Warner Brothers Music. He wrote hit songs for other artists such as Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy
Helen Reddy , often referred to as "The Queen of 70s Pop", is an Australian-American singer and actress. In the 1970s, she enjoyed international success, especially in the United States, where she placed fifteen singles in the Top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100. Six of those 15 songs made the Top 10...
, Bobby Sherman
Bobby Sherman
Robert Cabot "Bobby" Sherman, Jr. , is an American singer, actor and occasional songwriter, who became a popular teen idol in the late 1960s and early 1970s.He graduated in 1961 from Birmingham High School in Van Nuys, California...
, Cher
Cher
Cher is an American recording artist, television personality, actress, director, record producer and philanthropist. Referred to as the Goddess of Pop, she has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, three Golden Globes and a Cannes Film Festival Award among others for her work in...
, and the Righteous Brothers. In 1977, Warner Brothers Music decided to form a special label for their composers who also performed. O'Day was the first artist signed, and his first release was "Undercover Angel."
The song, which O'Day described as a "nocturnal novelette," was released without fanfare in February 1977. Within a few months, it had become #1 in the US, even without an album to support it. O'Day said about the experience, "It's wonderful when you find out what feels right, and then it also feels right to other people. That's a songwriter's dream." The original vinyl pressing was released with the A-side "Undercover Angel" and B-side "Just You".
Backup vocals are sung by Carol Parks.
Storyline
The song begins with a man commiserating his loneliness, when a woman suddenly appears in his bed, and encourages him to make love to her. The rest of the song describes his feelings about her, then he discovers she must leave him, and he is saddened. She tells him to "go find the right one, love her and then, when you look into her eyes you'll see me again."He then explains that was his story, as apparently he has been singing this song to a woman whom he is trying to seduce, and how he wants to look in her eyes to see if she is the reincarnation of the angel he found.