"Angel" is a

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. C ...

by American rock band

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...

. It was written by lead singer Steven Tyler and professional songwriting collaborator

Desmond Child John Charles Barrett (born October 28, 1953), known professionally as Desmond Child, is an American songwriter and producer. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2008. His hits as a songwriter include Kiss's "I Was Made for Lovi ...

. It was released in 1988 as the third single from the band's 1987 album, '' Permanent Vacation.'' It quickly climbed to No. 3 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, which at the time was their highest-charting single ever. The song currently ranks second behind their 1998 smash "

I Don't Want to Miss a Thing "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" is a song performed by American hard rock band Aerosmith as the official theme song for the 1998 sci-fi disaster film ''Armageddon'', in which lead singer Steven Tyler's daughter Liv starred. It is one of four ...

", which was Aerosmith's first (and, as of 2022, only) single to top the Hot 100. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' called it a "searing rock ballad" on which "Steven Tyler recreates the emotional intensity of the classic ' Dream On.'"

Song structure

The song is in

E major E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, ...

.Stephenson, Ken (2002). ''What to Listen for in Rock: A Stylistic Analysis'', p.92. .

Personnel

* Steven Tyler – lead vocals, piano, organ * Joe Perry – lead guitar, backing vocals *

Brad Whitford Bradley Ernest Whitford (born February 23, 1952)Putterford, Mark (1991) ''The Fall and Rise of Aerosmith'', Omnibus Press, Strong, Martin C. (2001) ''The Great Metal Discography'' (2nd edn.), MOJO Books, , p. 11-13 is an American musician who i ...

– rhythm guitar * Tom Hamilton – bass guitar *

Joey Kramer Joseph Michael Kramer (born June 21, 1950) is an American musician best known as the drummer of the hard rock band Aerosmith, which was inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2001. Life and career Kramer was born in the Bronx, New ...

– drums Additional musicians *

Drew Arnott Strange Advance is a Canadian new wave band formed in 1982 in Vancouver, British Columbia. They were nominated for a 1983 Juno Award as Most Promising Group of the Year and again in 1985 as Group of the Year. Their first two albums, 1982's ' ...

–

mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...

Henry Christian Henry B. Christian (1883–1953) was a painter who was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He studied at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and first visited Hawaii in 1908. He made frequent trips between Minnesota and Hawaii before settling in Hon ...

– trumpet *

Bruce Fairbairn Bruce Earl Fairbairn (December 30, 1949 – May 17, 1999) was a Canadian record producer. He was active as a producer from 1976 to 1999, and is considered one of the best of his era. His most successful productions are ''Slippery When Wet'' an ...

– trumpet, cello, background vocals * Scott Fairbairn – cello

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end chart

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Angel (Aerosmith Song) 1980s ballads 1987 songs 1988 singles Aerosmith songs Geffen Records singles Glam metal ballads Music videos directed by Marty Callner Song recordings produced by Bruce Fairbairn Songs written by Desmond Child Songs written by Steven Tyler Glam metal songs