Angels (song)

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"Angels"
Single by Robbie Williams
from the album Life Thru a Lens
Released	December 1, 1997
Format	CD Single
Genre	Pop
Length	4:24
Label	Chrysalis Records
Producer(s)	Guy Chambers & Steve Power
Chart positions
#4 (UK) #4 (Switzerland) #7 (France, Latvia) #9 (Germany) #12 (Austria) #13 (Sweden) #40 (Australia) #41 (USA)
Robbie Williams singles chronology
"South of the Border" (1997)	"Angels" (1997)	"Let Me Entertain You" (1998)

"Angels" is a song by written by Ray Heffernan, Guy Chambers and Robbie Williams, originally performed by Williams, and covered by Jessica Simpson and later by Mexican singer Yuridia. The original recording by Williams proved to be the greatest commercial success.

In October 2006 the RTE documentary This Note's For You, presented by Tom Dunne, revealed that the song was originally co-written by Williams and Irish singer Ray Heffernan. After the song was polished by Guy Chambers, Heffernan was offered and accepted £7,500 for his rights. It is estimated that the song has since earned more than £7 million.

Contents 1 Robbie Williams 1.1 Track listing 1.2 Links of interest 2 Jessica Simpson 3 Yuridia 4 Beverley Knight 5 External links

[edit] Robbie Williams

"Angels" was the fourth single from Robbie Williams' debut album, Life Thru a Lens. It has been credited with saving the singer's solo career, and is used to conclude all of his concerts.

At the 2005 Brit Awards, "Angels" was voted by the British public the best song in the past twenty-five years of British music, though it had only reached number four on the singles chart. In a survey by UK digital TV station Music Choice, it even came in at number one as the song people would most like played at their funeral.

It was released in 1999 in the U.S., after his debut of "Millennium." The U.S. released video has Williams atop a roof, watching the city below.

[edit] Track listing

North American promotional CD

1. "Angels"

Australian promotional CD

1. "Angels"
2. "Angels (US Dance Mix)"

Commercial single

1. "Angels"
2. "Angels (US Dance Mix)"
3. "Fly"
4. "Angels (Enhanced Video)"

[edit] Links of interest

• BBC Radio 2: Sold On Song on Angels
• BBC news article on the funeral choice of music

[edit] Jessica Simpson

"Angels"
Single by Jessica Simpson
from the album In This Skin
Released	2004
Format	CD Single Digital Single Airplay
Genre	Pop
Length	04:05
Label	Columbia Records
Producer(s)	billymann
Chart positions
#106 (US)
Jessica Simpson singles chronology
"Take My Breath Away" (2004)	"Angels" (2004)	"Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow" (2004)

"Angels" is the fourth and final single from pop music singer Jessica Simpson, released from the album In This Skin in 2004. It was produced by billymann.

The video for "Angels" is relatively low key. It starts with Simpson looking nervous on an empty stage rehearsing for a performance. She can be seen in intercut scenes staring into space, as if she has lost her self-confidence and ability to perform. As the song progresses, however, white roses can be seen scattered around her as a sign of hope, and soon Simpson begins to regain her confidence. The song then shifts into its instrumental bridge to correlate with the emotions of the characters, as Simpson proceeds to climb to the top of the building for her final performance. There she is greeted by a youth orchestra, and finishes the song.

Simpson's version of "Angels" performed relatively poorly as the track failed to break into the Billboard Hot 100 (it did, however, reach number six on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles) However, the song did become a moderate success on the Top 40 Mainstream and Hot Digital Tracks. The song's downloads were not allowed to help it.

Chart (2004)	Position
U.S. Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles	6
U.S. Billboard Hot Digital Tracks	32
U.S. Top 40 Tracks	37
U.S. Top 40 Mainstream	23
Australian ARIA Singles Chart	27
Mexican Top 100	10

[edit] Yuridia

"Ángel"
Single by Yuridia
from the album La Voz de un Ángel
Released	2005
Format	Airplay
Genre	Pop
Length	04:17
Label	Sony BMG Music Entertainment
Chart positions
#1 (MEX) #34 (US)
Yuridia singles chronology
	"Ángel" (2004)	"La Maldita Primavera" (2006)

In 2005, Yuridia, former contestant of the popular Mexican show La Academia, released "Ángel", Spanish version of the song, as her debut single. Which she had interpreted during her stay in the reality show, and which the producers thought was her best song. In her native Mexico, as well as in other parts of Latin America, "Ángel", became an instant hit. "Ángel" and Yuridia's CD La Voz de un Ángel ("The Voice of an Angel"), reached number one in Mexico after just a couple of weeks. The song was also very successful in Central America, as it reached the top 10 in El Salvador and Guatemala and became a top 20 hit in Costa Rica and Honduras. In the U.S., the song was also very successful, considering that the channel Yuridia is promoted by is small and overshadowed by Univision and Telemundo. "Ángel" went on to reach 32 in the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart and La Voz de un Angel managed to climb into the top 20 on the Billboard Hot Latin Albums chart, peaking at 16.

Chart 2005	Position
Mexico Top 100	1
Mexico Digital Single Sales	1
U.S. Billboard Hot Latin Songs	32
Latin America Top 40	9
Latin America Top Latin Tracks	10
World Spanish Top 40	10

[edit] Beverley Knight

In March 2006, British soul singer Beverley Knight recorded a live gospel version of "Angels". The track, performed live on BBC Radio 2 with musician Guy Chambers, was included on her Voice - The Best Of Beverley Knight album. The inclusion came after Knight performed the song at the Live 8 concerts in July 2005.

[edit] External links

• Video of Angels, performed by Robbie Williams
• Music Video of Angels, performed by Jessica Simpson