Chords + Lyrics | Angel Eyes
A-section
| Cm D7 Db7 | Cm Ab7 |
Try to think that love’s not around,
| Cm Am7b5 | Dm7b5 G7b9 |
but it’s uncomfortably near.
| Cm D7 Db7 | Cm A7alt |
My old heart ain’t gaining no ground,
| Ab7 G7b9 | Cm Dm7b5 G7 |
because my angel eyes ain’t here.
Angel eyes, that old devil sent,
they glow unbearably bright.
Need I say that my love’s misspent,
misspent with angel eyes tonight
B-section
| Bbm7 Eb7 | Abmaj7 F7 |
So drink up all you people,
| Bbm7 Eb7 | Abmaj7 |
order anything you see.
| Am7 D7 | Gmaj7 |
Have fun, you happy people,
| C#m7 F#7 | Dm7 G7 |
the drinks and the laughs are on me.
A-section
Pardon me, but I got to run,
the fact’s uncommonly clear.
Got to find who’s now number one,
and why my angel eyes ain’t here.
B-section
So drink up all you people,
order anything you see.
Have fun, you happy people,
the drinks and the laughs, on me.
A-section
Pardon me, but I got to run,
the fact’s uncommonly clear.
Got to find who’s now number one,
and why my angel eyes ain’t here.
Excuse me while I disappear.
Angel Eyes Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find a backing track to use when learning Angel Eyes. Instead of stem separation to extract the guitar, I made this using the iReal Pro app since this is what most people will reference, rather than any of the famous recordings.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
There are two sections, and ratehr tahn calling them verse and chorus, or possible verse and bridge, we use the language of A nad B sectiuons.
Here’s the A-section:
| Cm D7 Db7 | Cm Ab7 |
| Cm Am7b5 | Dm7b5 G7b9 |
| Cm D7 Db7 | Cm A7alt |
| Ab7 G7b9 | Cm Dm7b5 G7 |
This is in the key of Cm, packed with lots of jazzy tricks. If this is new to you, start with a simpler minor blues like Ain’t No Sunshine or The Thrill Is Gone.
The idea here is to “get back to Cm“. So if Cm is chord VI, that makes D7 a bVIIx, the Db7 a tritone substitution from G7. The Ab7 is a IV, just like in the previously mentioned The Thrill is Gone, also compare it to I Shot The Sheriff where it’s got a different extension but the place is the same.
On the next line, we find an Am7b5, which indicates that Cm is instead II, making Abm7b5 chord VII. This is what we call a modal interchange.
The Dm7b5 – G7b9 is a a so-called “minor II – V“. I prefer to call it a VII – IIIx, but maybe that’s just me!
To me, Angel Eyes is best studied through playing the melody, so I made some TAB for you, find it further down this guitar lesson and keep an eye on the intervals in relation to all these chords we discuss here.
B-Section
The beautiful B-Section, which to me sound sliek a bridge starts on chord II in the key of Ab. We start with a II – V – I, then an VIx, pulling back to chord II.
The second half of the section start the same concept but now in the key of G (II – V – I). We finish on two II -V’s in B and C. When the verse return in Cm, we get a very sad feeling as we expected C major:
| Bbm7 Eb7 | Abmaj7 F7 |
| Bbm7 Eb7 | Abmaj7 |
| Am7 D7 | Gmaj7 |
| C#m7 F#7 | Dm7 G7 |
When you can play the TAB (melody) and strum the chords, put it all together using my backing track. Here’s a chord chart:
Angel Eyes Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
I’ve taken this chord chart from iReal Pro and only made a few small modifications.
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Angel Eyes chord chart PDF.
Hhere’s a link to the ireal Pro file: Angel Eyes iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Angel Eyes | TAB
Most of the time, I focus on comping as that’s what matters for the professional guitarsit. In the case of Angel Eyes, I felt this was a great platform to explore soloing and the best place to start with soloing, is to play the vocal melody.
Here’s the vocal melody for the A-scetion.
You must here focus on the intervals in relation to the chords, as well as overall blanket scales.
- Bar 1 + 2. Here we play a C minor blues scale. The final note is teh m3rd of Cm, and the 5th of the Ab.
- Bar 3 + 4. This is a Cm9 arpeggio with a chromatic b9. As the chord is Dm7b5, that final note is an 11/sus4.
Can you see what is going on in the second half of this A-section?
Here’s the B-section:
We start by hitting the 9th of Bbm7, this is the root of the previous key, it’s the chord beneath it that creates the colour – Genius!
To resolve we play the 5th of the Abmaj7.
On the second line, we move down a tone and repeat teh same concept. The final two bars hit the 11/sus4 of C#m7, and the root of F#. The final note is the sus4/11 of Dm7 and root of G.
Using the backing tracks, play these melodies with as much expression as possible by adding slides, hammer-on’s vibrato and manipulating the rhythm.
When it feels easy, move it to a different area of the neck. When that’s easy, chaneg the key!
To get it right, you must think of Angel Eye’s melody as intervals in relation to the chord progression.
Here’s an acoustic arrangement in the key of Am, I recorded this back in 2007 when Spytunes was first launched. I changed from 4/4 to 12/8 and then played it so slowly I wrote it it 3/4!
Angel Eyes | Acoustic Guitar Arrangement
Intro
| 3/4 Am | Am/G | Am/F# | Am/F |
| Am | Am | Am | Am |
Verse 1
| Am | Am/G | Am/F# | Am/F | Am/E | Am/E | Am/Eb | Am/Eb |
Try to think that love’s not around,
| Am | Am/G | Am/F# | Am/F# | Bm7 | Bm7 | E7 | E7 |
but it’s uncomfortably near.
| Am | Am/G | Am/F# | Am/F | Am/E | Am/E | Am/Eb | Am/Eb |
My old heart ain’t gaining no ground,
| Dm | C | B7 | E | Am | Am | Am | Am |
because my angel eyes ain’t here.
Verse 2
Angel eyes, that old devil sent,
they glow unbearably bright.
Need I say that my love’s misspent,
misspent with angel eyes tonight
Bridge 1
| Gm | Gm | C7b9 | C7b9 | Fmaj7 | Fmaj7 | F#dim7 | F#dim7 |
So drink up all you people,
| Gm | Gm | C7b9 | C7b9 | Fmaj7 | Fmaj7 | Fmaj7 | Fmaj7 |
order anything you see.
| F#m | F#m | B7b9 | B7b9 | E6 | E6 | E6 | E6 |
Have fun, you happy people,
| Ebsus4 | Ebsus4 | Ebsus4 | Ebsus4 | Bm7 | Bm7 | Bb7 | Bb7 |
the drinks and the laughs are on me.
Verse 3
Pardon me, but I got to run,
the fact’s uncommonly clear.
Got to find who’s now number one,
and why my angel eyes ain’t here.
Bridge 2
So drink up all you people,
order anything you see.
Have fun, you happy people,
the drinks and the laughs, on me.
Verse 4
Pardon me, but I got to run,
the fact’s uncommonly clear.
Got to find who’s now number one,
and why my angel eyes ain’t here.
| Dm7 | C | B7 | E7 | E7 | E7 |
Excuse me while I disappear.
End
| Am | Am | Am | Am | Am | Ammaj7 |
Angel Eyes Chords | Key of Am
In my one acoustic guitar arrangement, the verse chords of Angel Eyes feature a chromatic descending bass line, creating a deeply emotional and melancholic atmosphere. This progression moves as follows:
Am – Am/G – Am/F# – Am/F – Am/E – Am/Eb.
This descending pattern evokes a sense of sorrow, subtly varied by what initially seems like a II – V progression but is a VII – IIIx movement:
| Am (VI) | Am/G | Am/F# | Am/F# |
| Bm7 (VII) | Bm7 | E7 (IIIx) | E7 |
For a detailed breakdown, chekc the TAB furtehr down which is written in 3/4! What I did was turn this from 4/4 into 12/8. As this was so slow, it was easier to think in 3/4.
After repeating the Am chords, the song transitions to another descending movement starting on chord II:
| Dm (II) | C (I) | B7 (VIIx) | E (IIIx) | Am (VI) |
This continuation of descending movements maintains the song’s emotional depth. However, when the bridge introduces a II – V – I progression in the new key of F, we finally experience a powerful harmonic release:
| Gm (II) | Gm | C7b9 (V) | C7b9 |
| Fmaj7 (I) | Fmaj7 | F#dim7 (#Idim7) | F#dim7 |
These shifts from sombre chromatic descents to the uplifting II – V – I progression provide a rich dynamic contrast that makes Angel Eyes a compelling piece to play and hear.
Modulating to E and Exploring Dynamic Chord Variations
After repeating the previous movement, the key shifts to E, introducing a II – V – I progression:
| F#m (II) B7b9 (V) | E6 (I) |
The final two bars modulate back to Am with an Ebsus4 (creating lots of tension!), followed by Bm7 and a tritone substitution in Bb7:
| Ebsus4 | Bm7 Bb7 |
While the song mainly stays in the key of Am, it’s tempting to stick with open-position chords, as shown early in the video. This approach allows the bass line to really shine. However, playing in the open position for the entire song may feel monotonous if you’re aiming for a jazzier interpretation.
For added variation, I play the verse a second time around fret five, using an Am chord in an Em shape, while still applying the bass line. This technique creates a contrasting dynamic, making the return to the open-position Am sound even bigger.
Switching between different positions of the same chord progression is an effective way to introduce natural dynamics into any song.
On the topic of chord progressions, compare the descending bass line of chord VI in Angel Eyes to the #9 spot on my list of top 10 chord progressions (VI – V – IV – IIIx).
Once you’ve played along with me, checked out teh iReal Book version in Cm, and perhaps explored a few artists linked further down this page, what version will you end up creating?
Here’s a chord chart of my version.
Angel Eyes Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Angel Eyes chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Angel Eyes iReal Pro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
Angel Eyes | TAB (Acoustic)
Here’s TAB for everything you saw me play in the video:
A Jazz standard
Originally composed by Matt Dennis and Earl Brent for the 1953 motion picture Jennifer, Angel Eyes has since become a beloved jazz standard, recorded by an impressive array of artists over the decades.
Here’s a (partial) list of iconic singers and instrumentalists who’ve put their unique spin on this timeless tune:
- Chet Baker
- Sherley Bassey
- Kenny Burrell
- Ray Charles
- Nat King Cole
- Ella Fitzgerald
- Roberta Flack
- Barry Manilow
- Willie Nelson
- Oscar Peterson
- Frank Sinatra
- Kandace Springs featuring Norah Jones
- Bruce Springsteen
- Sting
- Nancy Wilson
This collective interpretation across genres and generations has solidified Angel Eyes as a true jazz standard.
Angel Eyes Chords: Continue Learning
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