"Ragin' Eyes was written by Lowe during the early 1980s, a period that he described as "when [he] was starting to lose my way a bit, for various reasons.

It couldn't make up its mind whether it needed to be played on a washboard or with a massive, like, '80s drum sound, so it wound up not being as effective as it would be if I recorded it now.

As described by The New Yorker, the video concludes with "Lowe, seated at a bar, [wearing] owlish spectacles, which are shattered by the glare of a sultry gal.

Lowe attributed this lack of commercial success to his stylistic struggles, stating, "I think it could've been more popular at the time if I'd been able to grasp what I had there, but it's a great little tune.

[3] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine, in an otherwise critical review of The Abominable Showman, stated, "[A] song as sharp as 'Raging Eyes,' with its wryly observed lyrics and infectious melody, makes it clear what the rest of the album is lacking.