"Angels Among Us" is a song written by Don Goodman and

Becky Hobbs Becky Hobbs (born January 24, 1950) is an American country singer, songwriter and pianist. She has recorded seven studio albums, and has charted multiple singles on the '' Billboard'' Hot Country Songs charts, including the 1983 Top Ten hit "Let ...

and recorded by the American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

band

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

. The song was released in December 1993 as a Christmas single from the band's 1993 album '' Cheap Seats''. It charted twice on the

Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...

charts. The song features backing vocals from the Sanctuary Choir and Young Musicians Choir of the First Baptist Church of Fort Payne, Alabama. Hobbs also recorded the song on her album ''The Boots I Came to Town In''. Alabama lead singer Randy Owen has said that the band received "hundreds of letters from all over the world saying that the song was a blessing." Owen performed the song at the funeral of

Dale Earnhardt, Sr. Ralph Dale Earnhardt Sr. (; April 29, 1951February 18, 2001) was an American professional stock car driver and team owner, who raced from 1975 to 2001 in the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series (now called the NASCAR Cup Series), most notably driv ...

in 2001, with whom he shared a personal friendship. A live recording of the song is included on ''Angels Among Us: Hymns and Gospel Favorites'', released in 2014.

Critical reception

Tom Roland of ''New Country'' magazine wrote that "even when the members of the band get schmaltzy with the kiddie chorus ��hey stop short of going overboard."

Cover versions

Becky Hobbs included the song on her 1994 album ''The Boots I Came to Town In''. On December 24, 2012, singer and actress

Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992), known as Demi Lovato, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), Lovato rose to prominence for pl ...

released a cover of the song to support the victims of the

Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting The Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting occurred on December 14, 2012, in Newtown, Connecticut, United States, when 20-year-old Adam Lanza shot and killed 26 people. Twenty of the victims were children between six and seven years old, and t ...

. On December 5, 2017, country singers

Scotty McCreery Scott Cooke McCreery (born October 9, 1993) is an American country music singer. He rose to fame after winning the tenth season of ''American Idol'' on May 25, 2011. His debut studio album, '' Clear as Day'', was released in October 2011 and w ...

Carly Pearce Carly Pearce (born Carly Cristyne Slusser; April 24, 1990) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Her material contains elements of both traditional and contemporary country-pop music. Pearce began performing professionally in her ...

Sara Evans Sara Lynn Evans (; born February 5, 1971) is an American country music singer and songwriter. She is also credited as a record producer, actress, and author. She had five songs reach the number one spot on the '' Billboard'' country songs ch ...

Lucy Hale Karen Lucille Hale (born June 14, 1989) is an American actress, singer, and television personality. She has received various accolades, including seven Teen Choice Awards (the most for any actress in a single series), a Gracie Award, a People's ...

, Tegan Marie, RaeLynn, Jillian Jacqueline, Brennley Brown, CB30 and Temecula Road, all performed the cover to support the

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a pediatric treatment and research facility located in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1962, it is a 501(c)(3) designated nonprofit medical corporation which focuses on children's catastrophic diseases, pa ...

. Kristin Chenoweth sang the song with The Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square in a 2018 Christmas concert. Chris Rupp released a version on his 2018 A New Day: A Cappella, Vol II featuring

Tim Foust Home Free is an American country a cappella group of five vocalists: Austin Brown, Rob Lundquist, Adam Rupp, Tim Foust, and Adam Chance. Starting as a show group, they toured with approximately 200 shows a year across the United States. The gr ...

from Home Free

Chart performance

"Angels Among Us" debuted on the

charts dated for the week ending December 25, 1993. The song spent six weeks on the charts and peaked at number 51 in January 1994. On the chart dated for the week ending December 31, 1994, it re-entered and went on to peak at number 28 in January 1995. Despite being charted during the holiday season, it remains one of the group's best-known songs, due to its inspirational content as well as its inclusion at funerals and in tribute videos.

Certifications

References

{{authority control 1993 singles Alabama (American band) songs American Christmas songs Music videos directed by Deaton-Flanigen Productions Songs written by Becky Hobbs Songs written by Don Goodman (songwriter) RCA Records singles 1993 songs