Angel (Madonna song)

"Angel"
Madonna with rough, scrambled blond hair. She wraps a blue cloth around herself with her hands closing it on her chest.
Single by Madonna
from the album Like a Virgin
B-side
ReleasedApril 10, 1985
Recorded1984
Genre
Length3:56
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Nile Rodgers
Madonna singles chronology
"Crazy for You"
(1985)
"Angel"
(1985)
"Into the Groove"
(1985)
Licensed audio
"Angel" on YouTube

"Angel" is a song by American singer Madonna from her second studio album Like a Virgin (1984). It was released on April 10, 1985, by Sire Records as the album's third single. Written by Madonna and Steve Bray, it was one of the first songs developed for the project and, according to Madonna, was inspired by a girl who is saved by an angel, and she falls in love with him. "Angel" was released as a 12-inch single with "Into the Groove" in some countries and charted likewise. A music video was not filmed for "Angel", and instead, a promotional clip comprising segments of her previous videos was released in the United Kingdom.

Musically "Angel" consists of three chord ascending hook, which serves for the verse and chorus. It has vocal harmonies beneath the main chorus and the lyrics repeat the angel-like image of Madonna's saviour. Critical response to the song varied, with some music critics calling it a classic and others deeming it sub-par compared to Madonna's previous singles. "Angel" became the singer's fifth consecutive top-five single on the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top of its dance charts. It was also able to reach number-one in Australia and the top-five of the charts in Canada, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Spain and the United Kingdom. Madonna has performed the song during the Virgin Tour in 1985 and The Celebration Tour in 2023. The song was used on the soundtrack of the third season of Stranger Things.

  1. ^ Pitchfork Staff (September 10, 2018). "The 200 Best Albums of the 1980s". Pitchfork. Retrieved April 24, 2023. She was only a year removed from the effervescent electro-pop of her debut, and singles like "Dress You Up" and "Angel" revisited that sound...
  2. ^ Molanphy, Chris (April 14, 2023). "The British Are Charting Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate. Retrieved April 29, 2023.