"Fallen Angel" is the second single from '' Open Up and Say...Ahh!'',

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

glam metal Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal that features pop-influenced hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat rock anthems, and slow power ballads. It borrows heavily from the fashion and image of 1970s glam ...

band Poison's second studio album. The B-side of the seven inch was "Bad to Be Good".

Background

Released as a single in 1988 on Capitol Records, the track reached #12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and #32 on the

Mainstream rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent the middle ground between classic rock and active rock ...

charts and has since gone Gold in the US. This made it the only single from the album not to reach the Top Ten. It also charted at number 21 on the Australian charts and number 59 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 is about a young girl who grew up in a small town and goes to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

to try to make it as an actress. While there, she abandons her old life. This theme is a reference to the history of the band Poison itself: Bret Michaels,

Bobby Dall Robert Harry Kuykendall, also known as Bobby Dall (born November 2, 1958), is an American musician best known as the bassist for the multi-platinum selling rock band Poison. The band has sold over 50 million albums worldwide and has sold 15 mill ...

and

Rikki Rockett Richard Allan Ream (born August 8, 1961), better known by the stage name Rikki Rockett, is an American drummer for rock band Poison. The band has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and 15 million records in the United States alone. Bio ...

all left their native Pennsylvania for Los Angeles in their quest for fame. '' Cash Box'' said that "once again the boys bash and thrash their way through a good tune about the small-town girl gone bad in the big city." "Fallen Angel", along with "

Talk Dirty to Me "Talk Dirty to Me" is a single from American glam metal band Poison. Released on February 18, 1987, it was the second single from their debut album ''Look What the Cat Dragged In''. The song peaked at No. 9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becomin ...

," "

I Won't Forget You "I Won't Forget You" is a power ballad by the American glam metal band Poison, originally from the album ''Look What the Cat Dragged In''. Released as a single in 1987 on the Enigma label of Capitol Records, the song peaked at number 13 on the ...

" and " Ride the Wind," was the subject of a lawsuit in 2011 by members of the defunct band Kid Rocker, who claimed that the songs were based on Kid Rocker songs played to Poison guitarist

C.C. DeVille C.C. DeVille (born Bruce Anthony Johannesson; May 14, 1962) is an American guitarist best known as a member of rock band Poison. The band has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, including 15 million in the United States. In addition to ...

before he was a member of Poison. On April 8, 2013, a California federal judge said that the plaintiffs waited too long to file their lawsuit, stating, "It is totally implausible that plaintiff did not discover the alleged infringement until 2011." The judge ruled that the plaintiffs could only sue for damages dating back three years from the date of the lawsuit (following a three-year statute of limitations), and no more.

Music video

The

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing device ...

to "Fallen Angel" mostly follows the lyrics to the song, and was in

heavy rotation In broadcasting, rotation is the repeated airing of a limited playlist of songs on a radio station or satellite radio channel, or music videos on a TV network. They are usually in a different order each time. However, they are not completely ...

on MTV. In the video, a young blonde (portrayed by Bret's then-girlfriend,

model A model is an informative representation of an object, person or system. The term originally denoted the plans of a building in late 16th-century English, and derived via French and Italian ultimately from Latin ''modulus'', a measure. Models c ...

and then aspiring singer/actress Susie Hatton) tells her family, at dinner, that she is leaving for California at the end of the week, a statement that surprises and silences them. She arrives in Los Angeles with a suitcase in tow, eventually catching the attention of a sleazy manager (played by Anthony James). She becomes a success as a lingerie model, but feels like she is selling out her morals for fame. She begins dating her manager, but when he starts getting friendly with other ladies at a club, she leaves. He tries to get her back, but the girl gives him a kick in the groin and walks off. She is back on the streets, but is picked up by Bret Michaels on a

Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson, Inc. (H-D, or simply Harley) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depressi ...

Softail A softail (shortened form of ''soft tail'') motorcycle intentionally looks like vintage motorcycles with a rigid hard-tail frame that has a triangle of steel tubes at the rear axle, like on a bicycle frame, but on a Softail these tubes are ...

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It begins in the east at Sunset Boulevard in the Los Feliz district and proceeds to the west as a major thoroughfare through Little Armenia and Thai Town, Hollywoo ...

and rides off into an unknown future. As her story ends, another girl, played by Michelle Davis, arrives on the bus hoping to find fame and fortune... Rikki Rocket's white tee-shirt was blurred in several scenes, as it contained the

Vision Street Wear Vision Street Wear is an American apparel company focused on BMX and skateboarding. Started in 1976 by Brad Dorfman, the company sponsored early skateboarding greats such as Mark 'Gator' Rogowski, and Mark Gonzales. Although the company is most ...

logo, a popular brand with skate-boarders; Rikki was an avid skate-boarder. Two other logos, one being on a store window and another being a bus logo were also blurred as well perhaps for product brand issues.

Reception

"Fallen Angel" is widely regarded as one of Poison's best songs. In 2017, '' Billboard'' and '' OC Weekly'' each ranked the song number seven on their lists of the 10 greatest Poison songs.

Albums

"Fallen Angel" is included on the following albums: * '' Open Up and Say... Ahh!'' * '' Swallow This Live'' (live version) * '' Poison's Greatest Hits: 1986-1996'' * '' Power to the People'' (live version) * ''Show Me Your Hits'' - (Alternate version) * '' The Best of Poison: 20 Years of Rock'' * '' Open Up and Say...Ahh! - 20th Anniversary Edition'' * ''

Live, Raw & Uncut ''Live, Raw & Uncut'' is a music DVD/CD combo from the Hard rock band Poison, released in 2008 for their summer tour. It sold around 2,400 copies in its first week of release to debut at position No. 8 on Billboard's Top Music Videos chart. CD ...

'' (live version)

Charts

Cover versions

Punk rockers

MxPx MxPx () is an American pop punk band from Bremerton, Washington, founded in 1992 as Magnified Plaid. As of 2016, current members include Mike Herrera on lead vocals and bass guitar, Yuri Ruley on drums and percussion, Tom Wisniewski on lead gu ...

released a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of co ...

of the song on their 2009 album

On the Cover II ''On the Cover II'' is the ninth studio album by American punk rock band MxPx. Songs The album is a sequel to the ''On the Cover'' (1995) EP and features covers of various 1980s songs. Craig Owens of Chiodos features on the cover of Poison's "F ...

. Their version featured

guest appearance In show business, a guest appearance is the participation of an outsider performer (such as a musician or actor) in an event such as a music record or concert, show, etc., when the performer does not belong to the regular band, cast, or other ...

s by

Craig Owens Craigery "Craig" Owens (born August 26, 1984) is an American musician best known as the lead vocalist of Chiodos. He has also had an involvement in various projects such as Cinematic Sunrise, The Sound of Animals Fighting, Isles & Glaciers, ...

Chiodos Chiodos (, ) was an American post-hardcore band from Davison, Michigan. Formed in 2001, the group was originally known as “The Light-hearted Carpet Knights” before changing their name to "The Chiodos Bros," the band's name was a tribute to fi ...

and Stephen Egerton of

Descendents The Descendents are an American punk rock band formed in 1977 in Manhattan Beach, California, by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson. In 1979, they enlisted Stevenson's school friend Milo Aukerman as a ...

References

{{authority control 1988 singles Songs written by Bobby Dall Songs written by Bret Michaels Songs written by Rikki Rockett Songs written by C.C. DeVille Poison (American band) songs Song recordings produced by Tom Werman 1988 songs Enigma Records singles Capitol Records singles