"Jealous of the Angels" is a 2012 song 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, ...

and

Christian music Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely around ...

singer-songwriter

Jenn Bostic Jenn Bostic (born January 3, 1986 as Jennifer Christiana Bostic) is an American country music and Christian music singer-songwriter, based in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2012, her song " Jealous of the Angels" was released. Her album, ''Jealous'' ...

. It was co-written and composed by Jenn Bostic with Barrett Yeretsian, Zachary Runquist and Jimmy Fortune. It first appeared on her

extended-play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

''Change'', and later in her album, ''Jealous''. The album was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland in September 2012, and the song "Jealous of the Angels" was released as her debut single in the UK on December 17, 2012. The song reached number one on the UK singer-songwriter charts. It reached number one on the UK iTunes Music Charts. The song won Bostic five awards at the 2012 Independent Country Music Association Awards; for Overall Winner, for Best Female Country Artist, Best Musician, Best Songwriter and for Country Music Song of the Year.

Context

The song is inspired by her father James Regan Bostic, and is a tribute to him. James Bostic was a musician, who was killed in a motoring accident when Jenn was ten, an event which had a huge impact on Bostic's decision to become a musician. "The first time I sat down at the piano after the accident, I shut my eyes and honestly felt my dad's presence next to me. I poured my heart into those first few songs. The only way I could connect with him was when I played music. I still feel that way."

Popularity and fame

"Jealous of the Angels" – a song inspired by her father – became popular in the UK after it was played by broadcaster

Simon Bates Simon Philip Bates (born 17 December 1946) is an English disc jockey and radio presenter. Between 1976 and 1993 he worked at BBC Radio 1, presenting the station's weekday mid-morning show for most of this period. He later became a regular pres ...

on his ''

Simon Bates at Breakfast ''Simon Bates at Breakfast'' was the flagship show on Smooth Radio in the United Kingdom from January 2011 to March 2014. It was presented by Simon Bates, who took on the role of the station's breakfast show presenter on 4 January 2011, having lef ...

'' show on

Smooth Radio Smooth Radio may refer to: * Smooth Radio (2010), the original national network in the UK * Smooth Radio (2014) See also * Smoothfm smoothfm is an Australian commercial radio network owned and operated by NOVA Entertainment. From original ...

as part of the ''

Our Tune ''Our Tune'' is a long-standing feature/segment on British radio presented by broadcaster Simon Bates. Having begun by at least 1979 it was originally part of his mid-morning show on BBC Radio 1, where it aired daily throughout the 1980s and ear ...

'' strand on May 14, 2012, that had featured a story about loss. The song was quickly picked among the station's Top 10 Most Played for the week, and went on to receive over two million views on YouTube. It was also picked up by other UK radio networks, including

BBC Radio 2 BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 15 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. ...

, where

Terry Wogan Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in the UK for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in December 2009, his BBC Radio 2 weekd ...

featured it on his Sunday morning ''

Weekend Wogan ''Weekend Wogan'' was the incarnation of the Sunday morning show on BBC Radio 2 from 14 February 2010 to 8 November 2015. The show was presented by Sir Terry Wogan, which marked his return to the airwaves following his departure as presenter of ...

'' show. It was also added to the

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including electronica, dance, ...

playlist.

Music video

Bostic released a sentimental music video of the song on her YouTube channel. It displays Bostic singing and playing solo on her piano. It also shows her browsing the family photo album and memorabilia and then writing a letter to her dead father. The video finishes with her visiting her father's grave and putting some flowers and the letter addressed to "Dad" with the final shot of the tombstone that says: "BOSTIC, JAMES REGAN, May 18, 1940 – Feb 16, 1996".

Covers

The song has been subject of a number of covers including that by the Celtic singer and musician

Donna Taggart Donna Taggart is a Celtic singer and musician. Born in Omagh in County Tyrone in Northern Ireland, she first came to prominence in 2011, when her acclaimed debut album ''Celtic Lady Vol. 1'' was picked up by highly respected BBC Radio Ulster ...

in 2014 accompanied by a music video She performed it live on '' The Late Late Show'' on the Irish television station

RTÉ One RTÉ One ( ga, RTÉ a hAon) is an Irish free-to-air flagship television channel owned and operated by Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ). It is the most-popular and most-watched television channel in the country and was launched as ''Telefís � ...

in October 2016 and during The Irish Post Country Music Awards in September 2018.. The song was also covered by the British-Irish country singer

Nathan Carter Nathan Kane Tyrone Carter (born 28 May 1990) is a British-born Irish country music singer based in the UK and Ireland. He has released thirteen studio albums and six live albums as of December 2022, five of which peaked at number one, and four ...

who included his own version of the song in his 2017 album ''

Livin' the Dream "Livin' the Dream" is the twenty-first episode of the ninth season of the American comedy television series ''The Office'' and the 197th episode overall. It originally aired on NBC on May 2, 2013. The episode guest stars Michael Imperioli as Sens ...

'' In 2018

Katherine Jenkins Katherine Maria Jenkins (born 29 June 1980) is a Welsh singer. She is a mezzo-soprano and performs operatic arias, popular songs, musical theatre, and hymns.

References

{{authority control 2012 songs American country music songs