"Undercover Angel" is a song by singer-songwriter Alan O'Day. Released as a single in 1977, it was certified gold, having reached #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100.[2] and Cashbox Magazine's Top 100 Singles Chart.[3] It ranked #9 on the Billboard Magazine year-end chart for 1977.[4] On the international front, the song reached #1 on Canada's RPM chart[5] and #9 on the Australian Singles Chart. On the Record World top Singles Chart "Undercover Angel" performed much more strongly than on Billboard's Hot 100, logging four non-consecutive weeks at #1,[6] and spending a total of 10 weeks in the top five (June 18, 1977-August 20, 1977).[7]
In 1977, Warner Bros. Music decided to form a special label, Pacific Records, for their composers who also performed. O'Day was the first artist signed, and his first release was "Undercover Angel". The original vinyl pressing was released with the B-side "Just You".
The song, which O'Day described as a "nocturnal novelette", was released without fanfare in February 1977. Within a few months, "Undercover Angel" had reached #1 in the United States, initially without an album to support it (thought ultimately it appeared on O'Day's 1977 album Appetizers).[8] O'Day said of 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."[9] O'Day had also composed "Angie Baby", a No. 1 hit for Helen Reddy. The success of these two songs means O'Day is among the few singer-songwriters who wrote a chart-topper for themselves and one for another artist.
Storyline
The song begins with a man describing 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".
It then becomes apparent that he has been telling this story to a woman he is trying to seduce; he tells her that "underneath the covers, the answer lies, I'm looking for my angel in your sweet loving eyes." (which is the context of the song’s title).
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