| Angelo | |
| Cover: | Angelo - BOM.jpg |
| Type: | single |
| Artist: | Brotherhood of Man |
| Album: | Images |
| B-Side: | All Night |
| Released: | 21 June 1977 |
| Genre: | Pop |
| Length: | 3.15 |
| Label: | Pye Records |
| Producer: | Tony Hiller |
| Prev Title: | Oh Boy (The Mood I'm In) |
| Prev Year: | 1977 |
| Next Title: | Highwayman |
| Next Year: | 1977 |
"Angelo" is a song by British pop group Brotherhood of Man. Released as a single in June 1977, it became the group's second UK number one hit.
Written by Tony Hiller, Lee Sheriden and Martin Lee and produced by Hiller, it was the band's second UK number one single (after their Eurovision winner, "Save Your Kisses for Me" the previous year), spending a single week at the top in August 1977. The song remained on the UK Chart for 12 weeks - 10 of them in the Top Ten - and was the 9th biggest selling single of the year.[1] It was awarded a gold disc in August 1977 by the BPI.[2] The song also was a number one hit in Ireland, Japan and South Africa (for two weeks).[3] [4] [5] [6] It featured on the group's album Images, which was released later in the year.
The song tells of a shepherd in Mexico who falls in love with a rich girl, but he is met with resistance from her family. Both aware that her family would never allow the union, they run away together and end their lives by suicide.[7] According to co-writer Hiller, the lyrics were based on "Romeo and Juliet - the great love story. The idea was to create a modern day Romeo and Juliet romance".[8] The song is a moderate 117 beats per minute, and played in C Minor with the vocal range: G3-C5.[9]
The song is sung by the two female members of the group, Sandra Stevens and Nicky Stevens, although Sandra sings the opening lines alone. "Angelo" was performed by the group at the Silver Jubilee Royal Variety Gala in November 1977 in front of Queen Elizabeth II.[10]
UK comedy group The Barron Knights parodied this song on their "Live in Trouble" single, a top ten hit in 1977, as "Ann and Joe".[11] [1]
French and German version:
All tracks written by Tony Hiller, Lee Sheriden and Martin Lee
| Country | Peak position | |
|---|---|---|
| Belgium | 2 | |
| France[12] | 70 | |
| Germany | 14 | |
| Ireland | 1 | |
| Japan | 1 | |
| Netherlands[13] | 4 | |
| New Zealand[14] | 27 | |
| Rhodesia[15] | 1 | |
| South Africa | 1 | |
| United Kingdom | 1 |