"I'm Your Angel" is a

duet A duet (italian language, Italian: ''duo'') is a musical composition for two Performing arts, performers in which the performers have equal importance to the piece, often a composition involving two singers or two pianists. It differs from a har ...

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...

and R. Kelly from Dion's '' These Are Special Times'' album and Kelly's '' R.'' album. It was released on 13 October 1998. The song was written and produced by R. Kelly. The single was very successful, reaching number one in the United States and was certified platinum by the

Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

(RIAA). The single also reached the top five in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Critical reception

Chuck Taylor from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' praised "I'm Your Angel". He wrote that "this wonderfully restrained ballad delights with the most graceful vocal performances either of these artists has ever offered to radio". Taylor commented, "what raises the roof is the tune's elegant, epic instrumental base, which includes sweeping strings, a soulful choir, and gentle but determined percussive drive". He continued that it "sells big at the bridge, where the instrumentation drops and Kelly and Dion harmonize in a gorgeous minor key – it truly makes the song". Launch Yahoo wrote: "The ballad to beat all ballads is his duet with Celine Dion, "I'm Your Angel," which, were it not released the same week, could no doubt top the charts".

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

noted it as a highlighted on ''R.'' and called it a "soaring ballad". A mixed review came from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' editor Chris Willman: "Dion's earnest take on Vietnam-era Lennon is howler No. 1. No. 2 is her duet with R. Kelly, "I'm Your Angel," a slice of squishy-hearted pseudo gospel that might better be called "Touched by a Marketing VP". David Browne of ''EW'' wrote: "By the time R. winds up — with "I Believe I Can Fly" and "I'm Your Angel," a belt-by-numbers duet with Dion — Kelly has realized his crossover dream". Rob Sheffield of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' wrote: "Every guest star who enters Kelly's parlor emerges better for the experience — even Celine Dion, the human anti-NAFTA petition whose dancing on the ''VH1 Divas'' special cried out for stricter work-visa controls".

Commercial performance

The song proved commercially successful in the United States and worldwide. It peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for six weeks, and was the first number one on ''Billboard''s new charting method of including airplay-only tracks. The song remains both artists' latest U.S. number one single as of 2025. It also spent twelve weeks at number one on the

Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks The Adult Contemporary chart is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary radio stations in the United States. The chart is compiled based on airplay data submitted to ''Billboard'' by stat ...

, reached number one on the Hot 100 Singles Sales for six weeks, and number 22 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 Airplay. "I'm Your Angel" also became a top 10 hit in various European countries, including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Sweden. "I'm Your Angel" has sold over 1,550,000 copies in the United States alone and was certified platinum by the RIAA. In addition, the single was certified gold in Australia for 35,000 copies shipped and silver in the United Kingdom for 200,000 copies shipped. The single was nominated at the

41st Annual Grammy Awards The 41st Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 24, 1999, at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, recognizing musical achievements from the year 1998. Lauryn Hill led the ceremony with a record-breaking 10 nominations, becoming the first woman ...

for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, but lost to "I Still Have That Other Girl", by

Elvis Costello Declan Patrick MacManus (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, author and television host. According to ''Rolling Stone'', Costello "reinvigorated the literate, lyrical ...

and

Burt Bacharach Burt Freeman Bacharach ( ; May 12, 1928 – February 8, 2023) was an American composer, songwriter, record producer, and pianist who is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential figures of 20th-century popular music. Start ...

. The song was included later on Dion's greatest hits albums; '' All the Way... A Decade of Song'' and '' My Love: Essential Collection''. It was also performed by her live during the

Let's Talk About Love World Tour The Let's Talk About Love World Tour was the ninth concert tour by Canadian recording artist Celine Dion. Visiting North America, Asia and Europe; the trek supported Dion's fifth English and fifteenth studio album ''Let's Talk About Love'' (1997 ...

(included on the ''

Au cœur du stade ''Au cœur du stade'' (English: "in the heart of the stadium") is the fourth live album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, released by Sony Music on 27 August 1999. It was recorded during two sold-out concerts at the Stade de France in Paris in Jun ...

'' DVD) and the Taking Chances World Tour. "I'm Your Angel" appeared also on R. Kelly's compilation album, '' The R. in R&B Collection, Vol. 1'' in 2003. On 14 January 2019, following

Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...

’s removal of " Do What U Want", Dion, through her management, had the song on her own releases and its video pulled from streaming services due to renewed allegations of sexual misconduct and abuse against R. Kelly. However, the song remains on streaming services on R. Kelly's own releases.

Music video

"I'm Your Angel" music video directed by

Bille Woodruff Bille Woodruff is a director of film, television and music videos, noted for directing many videos for a number of R&B and hip-hop artists since the mid-1990s. These artists include Joe, for whom Woodruff has directed 9 music videos since 1994, ...

, premiered on 19 October 1998. There are two versions: with or without both artists in the recording studio. The video without recording sessions was included on Dion's '' All the Way... A Decade of Song & Video'' DVD. R. Kelly's daughter Joann Kelly is featured in the video.

Formats and track listings

Australian CD single #"I'm Your Angel" (Radio Version) – 4:49 #"I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)" – 5:31 #"Christmas Eve" – 4:16 #"S'il suffisait d'aimer" – 3:35 European CD single #"I'm Your Angel" (Radio Version) – 4:49 #"

S'il suffisait d'aimer ''S'il suffisait d'aimer'' (English: "if only love could be enough") is the sixteenth studio album by Canadian singer Celine Dion, and her eleventh French-language album. It was released by Sony Music on 31 August 1998. The album was mainly writ ...

" – 3:35 European CD maxi-single #"I'm Your Angel" (Radio Version) – 4:49 #"S'il suffisait d'aimer" – 3:35 #"I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)" – 5:31 Japanese CD single #"I'm Your Angel" (Radio Version) – 4:49 #"I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)" – 5:31 #"Christmas Eve" – 4:16 UK cassette single #"I'm Your Angel" (Radio Version) – 4:49 #"I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)" – 5:31 #" Je crois toi" – 5:05 UK CD single #"I'm Your Angel" (Radio Version) – 4:49 #"Je crois toi" – 5:05 #"

My Heart Will Go On "My Heart Will Go On" is a song performed by Canadian singer Celine Dion, used as the theme for the 1997 film '' Titanic''. It was composed by James Horner, with lyrics by Will Jennings, and produced by Horner, Walter Afanasieff and Simon F ...

" – 4:40 UK CD single #2 #"I'm Your Angel" (Radio Version) – 4:49 #"I Can't Sleep Baby (If I)" – 5:31 #"

To Love You More "To Love You More" is a song by Canadian singer Celine Dion, written by David Foster and Edgar Bronfman Jr., writing under the pen-name Junior Miles. It was released as a single in Japan on 21 October 1995 and became a hit, reaching number one o ...

" ( Tony Moran I'll be Waiting... Vocal Mix) – 9:27 US CD single #"I'm Your Angel" (Album Version) – 5:31

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

References

External links

* * {{authority control 1998 singles 1998 songs 1990s ballads American Christmas songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Celine Dion songs Contemporary R&B ballads Epic Records singles Jive Records singles Music videos directed by Bille Woodruff Pop ballads R. Kelly songs Songs written by R. Kelly Self-censorship Soul ballads Male–female vocal duets