Angel (Aretha Franklin song)

"Angel" is a soul ballad recorded by American singer Aretha Franklin. The song was co-written by Aretha's sister, Carolyn, and Sonny Sanders. Aretha co-produced the song with Quincy Jones and it originally appeared on Aretha's 1973 album Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky). It was released as a single in June 1973 and went on to top the US R&B Singles chart for two weeks while reaching number twenty on the Pop chart.[1] The single sold over 900,000 copies.

"Angel"
Single by Aretha Franklin
from the album Hey Now Hey (The Other Side of the Sky)
B-side"Sister from Texas"
ReleasedJune 1973
GenreSoul
Length
  • 3:34 (single version)
  • 4:30 (album version)
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)Carolyn Franklin, Sonny Sanders
Producer(s)Quincy Jones, Aretha Franklin
Aretha Franklin singles chronology
"Master of Eyes (The Deepness of Your Eyes)"
(1973)		 "Angel"
(1973)		 "Until You Come Back to Me (That's What I'm Gonna Do)"
(1973)

Record World predicted that it "should be a monster in no time at all."[2]

Credits
  • Lead and background vocals by Aretha Franklin
  • Additional background vocals by Carolyn Franklin and Erma Franklin
  • Produced and arranged by Quincy Jones and Aretha Franklin

Simply Red version
"Angel"
Single by Simply Red
from the album Greatest Hits
B-side"Money's Too Tight (to Mention)"
ReleasedOctober 28, 1996 (1996-10-28)
Length4:01
LabelEastWest
Songwriter(s)Carolyn Franklin, Sonny Sanders
Producer(s)Simply Red, Wyclef Jean, Pras, Jerry Duplessis
Simply Red singles chronology
"We're in This Together"
(1996)		 "Angel"
(1996)		 "Night Nurse"
(1997)
Music video
"Angel" on YouTube

British soul and pop band Simply Red covered "Angel" for their first compilation album, Greatest Hits (1996), featuring an uncredited appearance by American hip hop group Fugees. It was released on October 28, 1996, as the only single from the album and reached number four in the United Kingdom. The song also appeared on the Set It Off soundtrack. Simply Red performed it on TOTP, and with Fugees on the MTV Awards.

Critical reception

AllMusic editor Jon O'Brien wrote that the song is "a surprisingly passable attempt at hip-hop lite."[3] Larry Flick from Billboard described it as a "rugged jeep-funk cover" and commented further that "this is far more street-oriented than Simply Red's previous efforts, and front man Mick Hucknall is pushed to deliver one his roughest and most forceful performances to date." He also noted that the singer "sounds convincingly hard alongside Fugee Wyclef Jean's muscular guest rap".[4] Ken Tucker from Entertainment Weekly noted Hucknall's "keening croon to the Fugees' smoky harmonies" and added that "this low-key pleaser exerts a romantic pull".[5] A reviewer from Music & Media wrote that Wyclef Jean and Pras Michel "bring out the best in Mick Hucknall on this hair-raising version", and "his voice can handle any soul ballad on its own, but the unmistakeble Fugees beats and soulful snippets make this a great addition to the Simply Red Greatest Hits album."[6] Alan Jones from Music Week deemed it "a blinding remake" of the Aretha Franklin song.[7]

Music video

A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by Scottish music video, commercial and feature film director Paul Boyd.[8]

Track listings
UK CD1 and Australian CD single[9]
No.TitleLength
1."Angel" (Simply Red mix)4:00
2."Angel" (Mousse T soul mix)4:06
3."Angel" (soundtrack version)3:39
4."Angel" (Wondrous Angel dub)3:59
5."Angel" (Rubbadubb mix)4:06
UK CD2[10]
No.TitleLength
1."Angel" (Mousse T. smooth soul mix)3:53
2."Angel" (Simply Red mix)4:00
3."Angel" (recorded live at Montreux with Quincy Jones and His Big Band)4:42
4."Money's Too Tight (to Mention)" (edited disco vocal)4:56
UK 12-inch single[11]
No.TitleLength
1."Angel" (Mousse T. soul mix)4:06
2."Angel" (Mousse T. soul instrumental)4:18
3."Angel" (Rubbadubb mix)4:06
4."Angel" (Mousse T. club mix)6:04
UK cassette single and European CD single[12][13]
No.TitleLength
1."Angel" (Simply Red mix)4:00
2."Angel" (Mousse T. soul mix)4:06
US CD single[14]
No.TitleLength
1."Angel" (soundtrack version)3:40
2."Money's Too Tight (to Mention)" (Simply Red remix)4:56
US maxi-CD single[15]
No.TitleLength
1."Angel" (soundtrack version)3:40
2."Angel" (Mousse T. soul mix)4:08
3."Angel" (Mousse T. smooth soul mix)3:54
4."Money's Too Tight (to Mention)" (Simply Red remix)4:56
5."Angel" (Mousse T. club mix)6:06

Charts

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States October 22, 1996
EastWest [27]
United Kingdom October 28, 2002
  • CD
  • cassette
 [28]

Other versions

References
  1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 215.
  2. "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. June 23, 1973. p. 1. Retrieved March 23, 2023.
  3. O'Brien, Jon. "Simply Red – 25: The Greatest Hits". AllMusic. Retrieved March 22, 2020.
  4. Flick, Larry (October 26, 1996). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 80. Retrieved February 5, 2020.
  5. Tucker, Ken (November 8, 1996). "Music Single Review: 'Angel'". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 26, 2020.
  6. "New Releases" (PDF). Music & Media. October 5, 1996. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  7. Jones, Alan (October 5, 1996). "Talking Music" (PDF). Music Week. p. 12. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  8. "Simply Red: Angel". IMDb. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
  9. Angel (UK CD1 & Australian CD single liner notes). Simply Red. Eastwest Records. 1996. EW074CD1, 0630-16927-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. Angel (UK CD2 liner notes). Simply Red. Eastwest Records. 1996. EW074CD2, 0630-16928-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. Angel (UK 12-inch single vinyl disc). Simply Red. Eastwest Records. 1996. 0630-17541-0.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. Angel (UK cassette single sleeve). Simply Red. Eastwest Records. 1996. EW074C, 0630-16986-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. Angel (European CD single liner notes). Simply Red. Eastwest Records. 1996. 0630-16986-9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. Angel (US CD single liner notes). Simply Red. Eastwest Records America. 1996. 64223-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. Angel (US maxi-CD single liner notes). Simply Red. Eastwest Records America. 1996. 63990-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. "Simply Red – Angel" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  17. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 9724." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  18. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 13, no. 46. November 16, 1996. p. 19. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  19. "Simply Red – Angel" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved February 18, 2019.
  20. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Simply Red". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  21. "Hits of the World – Italy" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 6. February 8, 1997. p. 40. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
  22. "Simply Red – Angel". Top 40 Singles.
  23. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  24. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  25. "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company.
  26. "Top 100 Singles 1996" (PDF). Music Week. January 18, 1997. p. 25. Retrieved May 6, 2022.
  27. "Selected New Releases" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1168. October 18, 1996. pp. 38, 44. Retrieved August 24, 2021.
  28. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. October 26, 1996. p. 29. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
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