"Angie" is a song by the English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the g ...

, featured on their 1973 album ''

Goats Head Soup ''Goats Head Soup'' is the 11th British and 13th American studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones. It was released on 31 August 1973 by Rolling Stones Records. Like its predecessor '' Exile on Main St.'', the band composed and ...

''. It also served as the lead single on the album, released on 20 August 1973.

Background

The song is credited, as most Rolling Stones songs are, to both

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English singer and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the lead vocalist and one of the founder members of the rock band the Rolling Stones. His ongoing songwriting partnershi ...

and

Keith Richards Keith Richards (born 18 December 1943), often referred to during the 1960s and 1970s as "Keith Richard", is an English musician and songwriter who has achieved international fame as the co-founder, guitarist, secondary vocalist, and co-princi ...

, but it is acknowledged to be almost completely written by Richards, with Jagger contributing some of the lyrics. "Angie" was recorded in November and December 1972 and is an acoustic guitar-driven ballad characterizing the end of a romance. The song's distinctive piano accompaniment, written by Richards, was played on the album by

Nicky Hopkins Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins (24 February 1944 – 6 September 1994) was an English pianist and organist. Hopkins performed on many popular and enduring British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, most notably ...

, a Rolling Stones recording-session regular. The strings on the piece (as well as on another song, "

Winter Winter is the coldest season of the year in polar and temperate climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Different cultur ...

") were arranged by Nicky Harrison. An unusual feature of the original recording is that singer

's vocal guide track (made before the final vocals were performed) is faintly audible throughout the song (an effect sometimes called a "ghost vocal"). '' Cash Box'' said that "Jagger is at his best-slurring words by the dozens to ring out the feeling of every important line." Released as a single in August 1973, "Angie" went straight to the top of the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and reached No. 5 on 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 ...

. The song was also a No. 1 hit in both Canada and Australia for five weeks each and topped the charts in many countries throughout Europe and the rest of the world. Because of the song's length, some radio stations made edits to shorten it to 3 minutes, omitting the longer coda and the second instrumental section of the song. There was speculation that the song was about

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

's first wife Angela, Keith Richards' newborn daughter Dandelion Angela, the actress

Angie Dickinson Angeline Dickinson (née Brown; born September 30, 1931) is an American actress. She began her career on television, appearing in many anthology series during the 1950s, before gaining her breakthrough role in ''Gun the Man Down'' (1956) wit ...

, and others. In 1993, in an interview for the liner notes to the Rolling Stones' compilation album '' Jump Back: The Best of The Rolling Stones'', Richards said that the title was inspired by his baby daughter. However, in his 2010 memoir ''

Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for Cell growth, growth, reaction to Stimu ...

'', Richards said that he had chosen the name at random when writing the song – before he knew that his baby would be named Angela or even knew that his baby would be a girl – and that the song "was not about any particular person." According to ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'', Jagger's contributions to the lyrics referred to his breakup with

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer and actress. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single " As Tears Go By" and became one of the lead female artists during the British I ...

. The Rolling Stones have frequently performed the song in concert; it's included in set lists on their 1973, 1975 and 1976 tours; it's available on two of their "Vault" recorded concerts including 1973 Brussels Affair (using electric guitars with Mick Taylor soloing) and Live at the L.A. Forum 1975 (played by Keith Richards and Ron Wood acoustically). It has been a touring staple since their

1982 European Tour The 1982 European Tour was the 11th official season of golf tournaments known as the PGA European Tour and organised by the Professional Golfers' Association. It was the first year that the schedule included a tournament outside Europe, visiting ...

. Concert renditions were released on the albums ''

Stripped Stripped may refer to: Music * "Stripped" (song), by Depeche Mode, 1986 * ''Stripped'' (Christina Aguilera album) or the title song, 2002 * ''Stripped'' (Daniel Ash album), 2014 * ''Stripped'' (Macy Gray album), 2016 * ''Stripped'' (Pretty Ma ...

'', ''

Live Licks ''Live Licks'' is a double live album by the Rolling Stones and was released in 2004. Coming six years after '' No Security'', this ninth official Rolling Stones full-length live release captures performances from the band's year-long 2002– ...

'' and '' The Rolling Stones: Havana Moon''. "Angie" was covered by Welsh rock band Stereophonics in 1999, as the B-side to the single "Hurry Up and Wait". The song was also included on the 2010 deluxe re-issue of their 1999 second studio album ''

Performance and Cocktails ''Performance and Cocktails'' is the second studio album by Welsh rock band Stereophonics. It was released by V2 on 8 March 1999. The name of the album comes from lyrics in the album's first song, "Roll Up and Shine", just like the previous a ...

.''

Personnel

According to authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon: The Rolling Stones *

vocals *

acoustic guitar *

Mick Taylor Michael Kevin Taylor (born 17 January 1949) is an English guitarist, best known as a former member of John Mayall's Bluesbreakers (1967–1969) and the Rolling Stones (1969–1974). As a member of the Stones, he appeared on: ''Let It Bleed'' ...

acoustic guitar * Bill Wyman bass * Charlie Watts drums Additional personnel *

piano *Nicky Harrison string arrangement

Music video

Two music videos were shot to promote the song., director

Michael Lindsay-Hogg Sir Michael Edward Lindsay-Hogg, 5th Baronet (born 5 May 1940) is an American-born television, film, music video, and theatre director. Beginning his career in British television, Lindsay-Hogg became a pioneer in music film production, directing ...

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Angie (Song) 1970s ballads 1973 singles The Rolling Stones songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Number-one singles in Australia Number-one singles in Switzerland Number-one singles in Norway RPM Top Singles number-one singles Songs written by Jagger–Richards Rock ballads Tori Amos songs Song recordings produced by Jimmy Miller Music videos directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg British soft rock songs 1973 songs Glam rock songs