Angels Would Fall Explained

Angels Would Fall
Cover:Angels would fall.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Melissa Etheridge
Album:Breakdown
Released:[1]
Studio:Sunset Sound (Hollywood, California)
Length:4:39
Label:Island
Producer:Melissa Etheridge, John Shanks
Prev Title:Nowhere to Go
Prev Year:1996
Next Title:Scarecrow
Next Year:1999

"Angels Would Fall" is a song by American musician Melissa Etheridge, released as the first single from her sixth album, Breakdown (1999), in August 1999.

Song information

The song was written by Melissa Etheridge with the main guitar loop contributed by John Shanks. It is one of her darkest songs as the singer says herself on the bonus DVD of her album Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled:[2]

"Angels Would Fall" is about a desperate crush Etheridge had on someone else's girlfriend during her shattered relationship with Julie Cypher.[3] In the verses, she describes the pain she feels because she can tell nobody about her feelings ("The rope that's wrapped around me is cutting through my skin..."), while in the chorus she is singing the desired person's praises ("Angels never came down [...] but if they knew, if they knew you at all, angels would fall...").

Music video

The music video was shot in 1999 and shows Etheridge playing her song in a dark, empty, saloon-styled bar where the furniture is destroyed like after a fight. In retrospective scenes, nebulous images of people in white dresses come down from the ceiling symbolising the fallen angels. While they fall down, they cause the damage described above. These angels find love in each other, both homosexual and heterosexual couples are formed. Towards the end, the door of the bar opens and the angels go into the light.[4]

Track listings

All song were written by Melissa Etheridge except "Angels Would Fall", written by Etheridge and John Shanks.

US and Australian CD single[5] [6]

  1. "Angels Would Fall"
  2. "Into the Dark"
  3. "Beloved"

US 7-inch single and European CD single[7] [8]

  1. "Angels Would Fall" – 4:17
  2. "Into the Dark" – 4:58

Personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1999)Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[9] 59
Canada (The Record)[10] 16

Year-end charts

Chart (1999)Position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[11] 43
Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[12] 33
US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[13] 52
US Triple-A (Billboard)[14] 19

Sources

Notes and References

  1. Going for Adds. Radio & Records. _. 139, 143, 154. August 27, 1999.
  2. Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled at 00:48:40
  3. Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled at 00:50:10
  4. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ0IiYJGz9Y The music video on YouTube, published by Universal Music Group
  5. Angels Would Fall. Melissa Etheridge. 1999. US CD single liner notes. Island Records. 314 562 345-8.
  6. Angels Would Fall. Melissa Etheridge. 1999. Australian CD single liner notes. Island Records. 562 345 2.
  7. Angels Would Fall. Melissa Etheridge. 1999. US 7-inch single vinyl disc. Island Records. 314-562 344-7.
  8. Angels Would Fall. Melissa Etheridge. 1999. European CD single liner notes. Island Records. 562 344-2.
  9. Book: Ryan, Gavin. Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. 2011. Moonlight Publishing. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia.
  10. Hits of the World: Canada. Billboard. 111. 38. 74. September 18, 1999.
  11. RPM 1999 Top 100 Hit Tracks. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. August 16, 2023.
  12. RPM 1999 Top 50 Rock Tracks. RPM. Library and Archives Canada. August 16, 2023.
  13. Most Played Adult Top 40 Songs of 1999. Airplay Monitor. 7. 52. 47. December 24, 1999.
  14. The Best of '99: Most Played Triple-A Songs. Airplay Monitor. 7. 52. 38. December 24, 1999.
  15. Most Played Adult Top 40 Songs of 2000. Airplay Monitor. 8. 51. 48. December 22, 2000.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Angels Would Fall".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.