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Angel (Sarah McLachlan song)

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"Angel"
Song

"Angel" is a song by Sarah McLachlan that originally appeared on her 1997 album Surfacing. As McLachlan explained on VH1 Storytellers, the song is about the Smashing Pumpkins touring keyboard player Jonathan Melvoin, who overdosed on heroin and died in 1996. McLachlan explained that there's nothing constant when you are on the road; everything becomes the same.

Background

"Angel" was one of the first songs written for Surfacing. McLachlan said that writing it was easy, "a real joyous occasion."[1] It was inspired by articles that she read in Rolling Stone about musicians turning to heroin to cope with the pressures of the music industry and subsequently overdosing.[1][2] She said that she identified with the feelings that might lead someone to use heroin: "I've been in that place where you're so fucked up and you're so lost that you don't know who you are anymore, and you're miserable—and here's this escape route. I've never done heroin, but I've done plenty of other things to escape."[1] She said that the song is about "trying not to take responsibility for other people's shit and trying to love yourself at the same time."[2]

Release

Released as a single in 1997, "Angel" peaked at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 on February 23, 1999 (after reaching the Top 40 on December 15, 1998), #1 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, and at #36 on the UK Singles Chart. The song has had enduring popularity; it is often used to highlight emotional scenes on television shows and has been featured in a number of soundtracks (including the film City of Angels and TV's Alias, Cold Case, Dawson's Creek, Early Edition, Felicity, General Hospital, and The Pretender) and as a song of comfort and healing following the April 1999 Columbine High School massacre and the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center terrorist attacks. On July 2, 2005, McLachlan performed this song at Live 8 in Philadelphia with Josh Groban. She also performed the song on "Concert for Linda," dedicating it to the memory of Linda McCartney, and appeared in an April 2007 televised appeal for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in which the song was used (the ASPCA continues to use the song in a 2007-2009 commercial featuring McLachlan).

Musician Darryl McDaniels, otherwise known as D.M.C. of the famous hip-hop band Run-D.M.C., has said the song saved his life.[3]

The song has a sparse arrangement — mostly McLachlan at the piano, with subtle upright bass played by Jim Creeggan of Barenaked Ladies.

A remix of the track by Dusted appears on McLachlan's 2001 album Remixed.

A live version with Emmylou Harris appears on a Lilith Fair compilation, McLachlan's own iTunes Originals collection, and her Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff Volume 2 compilation.

In March 2008 the song peaked at No9 for two weeks in the Norway Singles Chart.

On Sunday, November 23, 2008 Sarah McLachlan performed Angel at the American Music Awards with artist Pink.

The song made its début on the New Zealand Singles Chart on the 6 July 2009 at number 36. The appearance in the charts was attributed to the 2009 New Zealand Stars In Their Eyes grand final the week before, where Mandy Pickering of Christchurch won the final performing the song.

This song is also often played during a contestant becoming eliminated on Indonesia Mencari Bakat (Indonesian's version of America's Got Talent on TransTV).

Charts

End of year chart (1999) Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[4] 4

Cover versions

  • Prince covered "Angel" during the European "20Ten" Tour in July 2010, and during the Welcome 2 America Tour Jan 2011
  • "Angel" was covered by European singer Lara Fabian on her 2009 album Every Woman In Me, and performed on her tour and tv show.
  • Pianist/New Age artist George Winston recorded an instrumental cover of "Angel" for his 1999 album Plains.
  • "Angel" was covered by Canadian musician Allison Crowe on her 2003 album Tidings, and performed on the television special which accompanied it.
  • Irish boy band Westlife included a rendition of the song on their album World of Our Own in 2001.
  • American Idol performer Kelly Clarkson covered this song as an early demo.
  • Mexican singer Yuridia covered the song for her 2006 second album, Habla El Corazón, in a Spanish version entitled "Estar Junto A Tí," in memory of her late brother.
  • John Barrowman covered the song on his 2008 album Music, Music, Music.
  • Singer Beyoncé Knowles covers the song in a medley with her own "Ave Maria" on her current I Am... Tour.
  • Japanese singer Aoi Teshima covered the song on her second cover album, La vie en rose: I Love Cinemas, released in 2009.
  • Welsh classical singer Katherine Jenkins covered the song on her latest album Believe
  • Singapore Idol finalist, Sylvia Ratonel covered the song in the last Spectacular Rounds.
  • Angelis covered this song in 2006 on their album Angelis
  • David Phelps, an American gospel singer, covered the song in his 2008 album The Voice.
  • In 2004, Australian Idol contestant Hayley Jensen performed this song on the first week of the semi-finals of the second season and was voted through to the Final 12 the following night. Jensen eventually recorded a cover for that season's Finalist Cast Album.
  • In 2006, Angel was performed on the fourth season of Canadian Idol on the first week of the semi-finals by eventual winner Eva Avila. Avila recorded a cover of the song for that season's Top 10 Cast Album.
  • The song was performed by Katherine Jenkins at the opening ceremony of the 38th Ryder Cup in Wales, on the 30th of September 2010, in front of an estimated TV audience of over 600 million. She also performed the song as a part of a tribute to Sports Personalities who had passed away in 2010 at The 2010 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Ceremony on the 19th of December 2010, at The LG Arena in Birmingham.
  • The song was covered for an unreleased acoustic solo album by the late singer "Midnight" of prog-metal band, Crimson Glory.

References

  1. ^ a b c Reighley, Kurt B. (August 1997), "Sarah McLachlan In The Garden", CMJ New Music Monthly, College Media Inc., pp. 21–25, retrieved May 12, 2010
  2. ^ a b McDonnell, Evelyn (September 1997), "Lilith Fair", Spin, Spin Media LLC, p. 64, retrieved May 12, 2010
  3. ^ "DMC: Saved By An Angel - How Sarah McLachlan thwarted the legendary MC's suicidal tendencies". IGN.com. 2006-02-24.
  4. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1999". Retrieved 2010-08-28.
Preceded by Billboard Adult Contemporary number-one single
March 6 - May 22, 1999 		Succeeded by
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