Angel Down (song)

"Angel Down" is a song by American singer-songwriter Lady Gaga. It was released on October 21, 2016, as the concluding track on the standard edition of her fifth studio album '' Joanne'', through Streamline and Interscope Records. Influenced by the killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012, it was written during initial recording sessions for Gaga's fifth studio album in 2015, while she was working with her long-time collaborator RedOne, who helped pen the song, as well as producing its " work tape" version. The singer played "Angel Down" to Mark Ronson in late 2015, who later produced the official rendition of the track, along with BloodPop. It is a torch song, as well as protest song against shootings involving Afro-Americans in the United States. The piano ballad also touches on topics of social media.

Critical reception towards "Angel Down" was mixed – some journalists found the track a beautiful end to the album and appreciated its message, while others deemed it well-intentioned but otherwise a weak offering. After debuting the song on the New York Times/T Gala, Gaga performed it during her two concert series in support of ''Joanne'', the Dive Bar Tour (2016) and the Joanne World Tour (2017–2018). In 2022, she added "Angel Down" to the setlist for select dates of The Chromatica Ball, and interpolated political statements to the performance.

Background

In 2013 and 2014, respectively, Lady Gaga released two albums: ''Artpop'' to mixed reviews, and ''Cheek to Cheek'', a jazz duets album with Tony Bennett, which was more appreciated by music critics. The singer confessed to ''NME'' that she had considered quitting music altogether when feeling depressed about herself and was not able to see her ability or talent following the ambivalent reception of ''Artpop''. It also led Gaga's management to come up with an image change for her. Along with a more subdued appearance in the media, Gaga emphasized her vocal prowess. A tribute to ''The Sound of Music'' at the 87th Academy Awards, where she sang a medley of songs from the film, was critically lauded. She also starred in '' American Horror Story: Hotel'', the fifth season of the American anthology television series ''American Horror Story'', winning a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film. At the awards ceremony the singer confirmed she would be releasing her fifth studio album later in 2016. In the first few months of the project's inception, she was seen collaborating with longtime producer RedOne, as well as new collaborators like Giorgio Moroder and Nile Rodgers. "Angel Down" is the only song featured on ''Joanne'' that was penned with RedOne.

"Angel Down" was influenced by the killing of Trayvon Martin in 2012. During the interview with New Zealand DJ Zane Lowe, she commented on the track:

"The epidemic of young African-Americans being murdered in this country – I was overwhelmed by the fact that people just stood around and didn't do anything about it. And that the justice system continues to, over and over again, not seek justice for these families... I can only pray that my voice and my lyrics will reach people. How can I not say something? How could I possibly make an album about twerking my ass off in the club? Being honest – in my mind, I can't reckon it. It feels empty. It feels irrelevant."

During her 2022 tour, The Chromatica Ball, Gaga further referred to "Angel Down" as a "song about America".

Development and composition

The initial, acoustic version of "Angel Down", officially released with the moniker " work tape" (as the last track on the deluxe edition of ''Joanne''), was written and produced by Gaga and RedOne in 2015, with the former handling piano and vocals, while the latter played on guitar and also programmed the track. This rendition of the song was recorded in Woodshed Studios in Malibu, California by Trevor Muzzy and Alekes Von Korff. It was mixed by RedOne and T.I Jakke in RedOne Studios in Los Angeles, while mastering was handled by Tom Coyne and Randy Merrill in New York-based Sterling Sound Studios. While looking for more collaborators for the project, Gaga encountered Mark Ronson in a London studio, where she played him "Angel Down", which was described by him as "quite moving". They finished production of the new version of the track with BloodPop, who played keyboards and drums. Ronson added Mellotron strings to the song. It was recorded by David "Squirell" Covell and Joshua Blair in Shangri-La, Pink Duck Studios session was taken by Blair and assisted by Justin Smith, and another take done in Electric Lady Studios was recorded by Blair with the help of Barry McCready. It was mixed by Ben Baptie at Atomic Studios in New York, while mastering was handled by Coyne and Merrill in Sterling Sound Studios.

The final version of "Angel Down" is the concluding track of ''Joanne'' standard edition. It is a torch song with a "lush sonic pallet". Featuring "backward loops and dreamy psychedelic flourishes", it is a piano-driven ballad touching on subjects of religion and racism. In a review for ''The Daily Telegraph'', Neil McCormick wrote that it has "mournfully elegant melody and quasi-religious save-the-nation sentiments", referring to the lyric "I'm a believer / Where are leaders?" A protest song, it includes Gaga's "vulnerable" vocals compliemented by a "gentle" production and "sadly" played Mellotron. "Angel Down" beggins with Gaga stating "I confess I am lost / In the age of the social / On our knees, take a test / To be lovin' and grateful", alluding to the on-going indifference towards racism issues to social media. As the song progresses, the singer reveals her confusion to the people's apathy to the death of an "angel" as she sings in the chorus "Shots were fired on the street / By the church where we used to meet / Angel down, angel down/ But the people just stood around". The song was compared to the works of such artists as Elvis Presley, Celine Dion, and Jewel.

Critical reception

Writing for ''The Observer'', Michael Cragg found "Angel Down" an "intoxicating lament that twinkles and wheezes in equal measure". Richard S. He of ''Vulture'' wrote that the song is "a far cry from the fearless optimism of Gaga’s past albums. But it carries an important message: to not turn away from suffering." ''NME'' Emily Mackay also praised the song for its "simple, warm and vital message", urging "to take care of each other in a cruel world". ''HuffPost''s Daniel Welsh opined that "Angel Down" is a better way to end the album, than "Just Another Day" (final original song of the deluxe edition of ''Joanne''), hence it "forc sthe listener to end thinking about something important". Luke Winstanley of '' Clash'' described it as a "beautifully sombre closer", while Kevin Fallon from ''The Daily Beast'' said it is a "solid torch song to wind down the album". For Digital Spy's Lewis Corner, "Angel Down" is "a beautiful ending to the album, hearing a vulnerable vocal from Gaga over a gentle production." At Contactmusic.com, Eoin Hanlon thought that "Angel Down" is one of the "moment where her vocals are at their best" on the album. Writing for ''Los Angeles Times'', Mikael Wood labeled the song as "lugubrious". In a review published by '' Spin'', Rich Juzwiak contemplated that the track is an "oblique enough to avoid revealing itself as the Trayvon Martin tribute that it was conceived as", however according to him, it "could have been much heavier handed".

On a more critical note, ''Pitchfork'' writer Amanda Petrusich described Gaga's attempt of talking about "serious concerns" in "Angel Down" as "clumsy if not performative". Adam White of ''The Independent'' found it a "well-intentioned if forgettable ode to political confusion". Similarly, '' Billboard'' Andrew Unterberger felt along with another ''Joanne'' track, "Come to Mama", Gaga's "well-intentioned anthems of social conscience ..land somewhat flat". ''Jezebel'' writer Bobby Finger called "Angel Down" the "album"s biggest problem", saying: "it's hard to listen to Gaga scorn those who did nothing after Martin's death four years after the fact. It all feels like a vigil held too late — one populated by cardboard cutouts and battery-operated flickering lights, not grieving humans holding candles. I don’t doubt her compassion, just her intentions." ''The Atlantic''s Spencer Kornhaber praised the "work tape" version of the track, calling it "by far the best product of this Gaga era: just piano and guitars as Gaga sings a winding melody with increasing abandon, to the point where she's screaming the final chorus." He however heavily criticized the album version by Ronson and BloodPop, thinking "the song has become strangely mannered, gilded in harps and forfeiting the original's searing vocals", adding that "it's a clear demonstration that the stripped-down and personal Gaga could have given a lot more than ''Joanne'' does."

Live performances

Gaga debuted "Angel Down" live on New York Times/T Gala on October 19, where she was honored for her contribution to the world of fashion. The following day, she performed the song at The Bitter End, in New York City, as part of her Dive Bar Tour, a promotional concert tour in support of ''Joanne''. After her main set was over, she climbed on the roof of the bar, and performed "Angel Down" and " Joanne" to the crowd who gathered outside, as they were unable to get in due to the limited capacity of the venue. Before singing the track at the Los Angeles stop of the tour, Gaga called for peace at a "tumultuous" time in American politics, referring to the 2016 United States presidential election. She added the line "Trayvon Angel" to the song's outro.

"Angel Down" was part the set list of Gaga's fifth headlining concert tour, the Joanne World Tour (2017–2018). She perfomed it while wearing a dress covered in song and album titles, as well as lyrics of her tracks, and a brownish hat with a feather. For the duration of the song, Gaga was lift up into the air on a mobile platform, which was slowly descended from the ceiling. She dedicated "Angel Down" to "everyone we lost this year." Jonathan Dean of ''The Times'' found the performance "incredibly moving". Because of the prior track of the setlist, "Paparazzi", Alex Stedman of ''Variety'' thought the sequence had an "almost dizzying tonal change".

In 2022, Gaga embarked on The Chromatica Ball, where she sang "Angel Down" on select dates in North America and Japan, as the sole track from ''Joanne'' on the setlist. She performed the song on the piano while wearing a black and lavender latex bodysuit. Her piano was covered in tree branches, appearing "as something growing organically out of gnarly forest limbs and trunks", according to ''Variety''. Preceding the track, she addressed different topics which are under debate in the United States, including gun violence and abortion rights. Gaga's piano was illuminated by blue lights for "Angel Down" at her Texas show, where she expressed hope that the " purple tateis gonna go blue".

Credits and personnel

Official version

Recording locations

* Recorded at Shangri-La Studios (Malibu, California), Pink Duck Studios ( Burbank, California), and Electric Lady Studios (New York)
* Mixed at Atomic Studios (New York)
* Mastered at Sterling Sound Studios (New York)

Personnel

* Lady Gaga vocals, piano, songwriting, production
* RedOne songwriting
* Mark Ronson Mellotron strings, production
* BloodPop drums, keyboards, production
* David "Squirell" Covell recording
* Joshua Blair recording
* Justin Smith recording asistance
* Barry McCrady recording asistance
* Ben Babtie mixing
* Tom Coyne mastering
* Randy Merrill mastering

Work tape version

Recording locations

* Recorded at Woodshed (Malibu, California)
* Mixed at RedOne Studios (Los Angeles)
* Mastered at Sterling Sound Studios (New York)

Personnel

* Lady Gaga vocals, piano, songwriting, production
* RedOne guitar, songwriting, production, programming, mixing
* Trevor Muzzy recording
* Alekes Von Korff recording
* T.I Jakke mixing
* Tom Coyne mastering
* Randy Merrill mastering

Charts

Notes

References

{{Black Lives Matter

2016 songs
Songs written by Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga songs
Songs written by RedOne
Song recordings produced by Lady Gaga
Song recordings produced by Mark Ronson
Song recordings produced by BloodPop
Song recordings produced by RedOne
Psychedelic songs
Protest songs
Songs against racism and xenophobia
Black Lives Matter art
Torch songs