"Angel" is a song by British singer and songwriter

Kirsty MacColl Kirsty Anna MacColl (10 October 1959 – 18 December 2000) was a British singer and songwriter, daughter of folk singer Ewan MacColl. She recorded several pop hits in the 1980s and 1990s, including "There's a Guy Works Down the Chip Shop Swears He ...

, released in 1993 as the lead single from her fourth studio album ''

Titanic Days ''Titanic Days'' is the fourth studio album by Kirsty MacColl, released in 1993. Containing eleven tracks, ''Titanic Days'' was sometimes hard to get in years after its release, but it was remastered and re-released in 2005 by ZTT Records, ZTT w ...

''. It was written by MacColl and produced by

Steve Lillywhite Stephen Alan Lillywhite, (born 15 March 1955) is a British record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts XTC, Big ...

. For its release as a single, "Angel" was remixed with additional production by Gregg Jackman. The song reached number 87 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and number 26 on the US ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

Modern Rock Tracks Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...

chart.

Background

Speaking to Melinda Newman of ''

'', MacColl said of the song: "It's a euphoric song. It's kind of a feeling of being protected. It makes me feel better when I hear that one." The artwork on the single's sleeve is from the 1989 painting "Guardian Angel" by

Holly Johnson William Holly Johnson (born 9 February 1960) is an English artist, musician, and writer, best known as the lead vocalist of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, who achieved huge commercial success in the mid-1980s. Prior to that, in the late 1970s he was ...

Critical reception

On its release, ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later ...

'' commented, "The holiday season will last a little longer with this folk song in a Christmas atmosphere. Traditional instruments and the modern rhythm track are living in perfect harmony." Andrew Hirst of the ''

Huddersfield Daily Examiner The ''Huddersfield Daily Examiner'' is an English local daily evening newspaper covering news and sport from Huddersfield and its surrounding areas. History The first edition was published as a weekly, starting on 6 September 1851, as the ''H ...

'' picked "Angel" as the newspaper's "single of the week" and praised it as a "Kirsty is one of Britain's top songstresses with the voice to match. Starts with mournful bagpipes and then gets better and better. Sincere, sensitive, honest – in short, first-rate." In a review of ''Titanic Days'', Peter Holmes of ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'' wrote: "By track 3 MacColl has hit her stride. "Angel", with its gentle hip hop rhythm and floating vocal, sounds as if it were written for her by Single Gun Theory, no small compliment." Dave Hall of the ''

Tampa Bay Times The ''Tampa Bay Times'', previously named the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It has won fourteen Pulitzer Prizes since 1964, and in 2009, won two in a single y ...

'' noted: "The songs themselves are exceptional. "Angel" soars amid a hypnotic dance tempo". Ira Robbins of ''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...

'' commented: "The evanescent "Angel" has a bustling club beat and pizzicato violin plucks."

Gary Graff Gary Graff (born 1960) is an American music journalist and author. Biography Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Graff attended Taylor Allderdice High School where he wrote for school newspaper ''The Taylor Allderdice Foreword''. He receiv ...

, in his book ''MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide'' noted the song's "mutant dub/hip-hop beat supporting MacColl's ethereal vocals". ''

'' picked the song as one of the album's "high points". In 2005, Stephen M. Deusner of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' wrote: "Songs like "Soho Square" and "Angel" are shot through with a anticipation for something enormous and life-changing, whether good or bad."

Track listing

;7" single #"Angel" - 3:40 #"Angel" (Jay's Edit) - 3:52 ;12" single #"Angel" - 3:40 #"Angel" (Apollo 440 Remix) - 8:08 #"Angel" (Jay's Edit) - 3:52 #"Angel" (Stuart Crichton Remix) - 5:33 ;CD single #"Angel" - 3:40 #"Angel" (Jay's Edit) - 3:52 #"Angel" (Apollo 440 Remix) - 8:08 #"Angel" (Stuart Crichton Remix) - 6:24 #"Angel" (Into The Light Mix) - 5:33

Personnel

- vocals, guitar * Mark E. Nevin - guitar *

Pete Glenister Pete Glenister is an English guitarist, songwriter and producer, known for his work with Alison Moyet and Kirsty MacColl. He has also worked with a number of other artists including Anni-Frid Lyngstad, Bruce Foxton, Terence Trent D'Arby, Bros, ...

- guitar *

Gary Tibbs Gary Tibbs (born Gary Brian Tibbs, 25 January 1958) is a bass guitarist and actor. He is best known as a member of Adam and the Ants and Roxy Music. He appeared alongside Hazel O'Connor in the film '' Breaking Glass'' (1980) as bass guitarist ...

- bass * David Ruffy - drums * Ken Rice - violin Production *

- producer * Gregg Jackman - additional production and remixing on single version of "Angel" *

Apollo 440 Apollo 440 (also known as Apollo Four Forty or @440) are a British electronic music group formed in Liverpool in 1990. The group has written, recorded, and produced five studio albums, collaborated with and produced other artists, remixed as ...

Stuart Crichton Stuart Crichton is a music producer/songwriter from Scotland, currently based in Los Angeles, California. Career Starting out in 1989 under the name Solo, Stuart self-released the ''Sample Free EP'' in 1990 which featured the song "Rainbow", us ...

- remixes Other *

- cover painting

Charts

References

{{authority control 1993 songs 1993 singles Kirsty MacColl songs Songs written by Kirsty MacColl Song recordings produced by Steve Lillywhite ZTT Records singles