"Angel"
Single by Aerosmith
from the album Permanent Vacation
B-side"Girl Keeps Coming Apart"
ReleasedJanuary 5, 1988 (1988-01-05)
Recorded1987
GenreGlam metal[1]
Length5:08 (album version)
3:56 (radio edit)
4:02 (from Greatest Hits 2023)
LabelGeffen
Songwriter(s)Steven Tyler, Desmond Child
Producer(s)Bruce Fairbairn
Aerosmith singles chronology
"Dude (Looks Like a Lady)"
(1987) 		"Angel"
(1988) 		"Rag Doll"
(1988)
Music video
"Angel" on YouTube

"Angel" is a power ballad[2][3][4] by American rock band Aerosmith. It was written by lead singer Steven Tyler and professional songwriting collaborator Desmond Child.

It was released in 1988 as the third single from the band's 1987 album, Permanent Vacation. It quickly climbed to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100,[5] which at the time was their highest-charting single ever. The song currently ranks second behind their 1998 smash "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing", which was Aerosmith's first (and, as of 2022, only) single to top the Hot 100.[5]

Reception

Cash Box called it a "searing rock ballad" on which "Steven Tyler recreates the emotional intensity of the classic 'Dream On.'"[6]

Song structure

The song is in E♭ major.[7]

Personnel

Additional musicians

Charts

References

  1. ^ Goldsmith, Melissa (2019). Listen to Classic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre. ABC-CLIO. p. 26. ISBN 9781440865794.
  2. ^ "Music Review: 'Big Ones'". EW.com. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  3. ^ Blabbermouth (2012-08-29). "25th Anniversary Of AEROSMITH's 'Permanent Vacation' Celebrated On 'In The Studio'". BLABBERMOUTH.NET. Archived from the original on 2021-07-09. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  4. ^ "Aerosmith Tell the Story Behind Their Hard-Rock Masterpiece 'Toys in the Attic'". SPIN. 2015-05-04. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  5. ^ a b "Aerosmith". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-01-26.
  6. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. January 23, 1988. p. 10. Retrieved 2022-11-06.
  7. ^ Stephenson, Ken (2002). What to Listen for in Rock: A Stylistic Analysis, p.92. ISBN 978-0-300-09239-4.
  8. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5494". RPM. Retrieved 2023-10-30.
  9. ^ "Aerosmith | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2023-10-31.
  10. ^ "Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  11. ^ "Mainstream Rock". Billboard. Retrieved 2021-03-15.
  12. ^ "Billboard Top 100 - 1988". Archived from the original on 4 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-09.
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