| "Cowboys and Angels" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by George Michael | ||||
| from the album Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 | ||||
| B-side | "Something to Save" | |||
| Released | 18 March 1991[1] | |||
| Recorded | March 1989[2] | |||
| Genre | Jazz | |||
| Length | 7:14 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | George Michael | |||
| Producer(s) | George Michael | |||
| George Michael singles chronology | ||||
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| Licensed audio | ||||
| "Cowboys and Angels" on YouTube | ||||
"Cowboys and Angels" is a song written and performed by English singer-songwriter George Michael, released on Epic Records in March 1991 as the fifth single from his second solo album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (1990). The song became the first single released by Michael to miss the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 45. The album was released in the UK on 3 September and in the US on 11 September; each single had finished lower than its predecessor and "Cowboys and Angels" continued the pattern, although the other four had all reached the threshold of the top 40. It was also Michael's longest single to date, at 7 minutes 14 seconds. The saxophone solo is performed by Andy Hamilton.[3] The song is notable for being written in waltz time.
In a 2004 interview with Adam Mattera for UK magazine Attitude, Michael revealed the song was about a short-lived love triangle where he was in love with a man while a female friend was in love with him, but none knew of the others' feelings: "She was in love with me because she couldn't get me, and I was in love with him because I couldn't get him... It's a very personal lyric, but it's about the ridiculousness of wanting what you can't have."[4]
- ^ "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. 16 March 1991. p. 19.
- ^ Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (liner notes). George Michael. Epic Records. 3 September 1990. p. 8. 467295 2.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) CS1 maint: year (link) - ^ "Exclusive Interview *Edward Barker*". george-michael-news. Retrieved 26 June 2016.
- ^ "George Michael's candid 2004 interview with Attitude". Attitude. Archived from the original on 6 February 2020. Retrieved 26 June 2012.