"Angel" is a song by Jamaican reggae artist Shaggy featuring additional vocals from Barbadian singer Rayvon. Sampling the 1973 song "The Joker" by American rock band Steve Miller Band and interpolating the 1967 song "Angel of the Morning" written by Chip Taylor, it was released to radio on 9 January 2001 as the follow-up to Shaggy's international number-one hit, "It Wasn't Me". "Angel" also proved to be successful, reaching number one in 12 countries, including Australia, Germany, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
The song debuted at number 81 on the US Billboard Hot 100 on the week ending 30 December 2000.[2] The song first entered the top 40 at number 39 on the week ending 20 January 2001.[3] It peaked at number one on the chart week of 31 March 2001, for one week.[4] According to Billboard writer Silvio Pietroluongo, "Angel" beat Crazy Town's "Butterfly" to number one by a margin of two points, which was the smallest gap between two singles since the magazine began having its charts stored digitally in 1985.[5] It was also the second song to reach number one without a retail release, after Aaliyah's "Try Again" (2000), although physical formats would later be issued in the United States on 24 April 2001.[5][6] "Angel" was the 17th-most-successful song of 2001 in the US and has sold 1,494,000 digital copies in the US as of April 2016.[7][8]
Internationally, the song reached number one in Australia, Austria, Flanders, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, topping the Eurochart Hot 100 as well.[9][10][11][12][13] In Australia, it peaked atop the ARIA Singles Chart for eight weeks, finishing fourth on the Australian year-end chart for 2001.[9][14] It was also an enduring hit in Ireland, where it is the 20th-highest-selling single of all time.[15]
Music videoedit
The music video was directed by Cameron Casey. It features Shaggy and Rayvon relaxing in a private plane and driving around in luxury cars.
* Sales figures based on certification alone. ^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
^ ab"Hits of the World: Eurochart Hot 100 (IFPI/Nielsen Marketing Research) 06/30/01" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 113, no. 26. 30 June 2001. p. 45. ISSN 0006-2510. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
^ ab"ARIA Top 100 Singles for 2001". ARIA. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
^ ab"Top 20 of All Time". Retrieved 21 September 2020.
^Angel (US maxi-CD single liner notes). Shaggy. MCA Records. 2001. 088 155 811-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Angel (Japanese CD single liner notes). Shaggy. Universal Music Japan. 2001. UICC-5004.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Angel (US 7-inch single vinyl disc). Shaggy. MCA Records. 2001. 088 155 820-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Angel (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Shaggy. MCA Records. 2001. 088 155 820-1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Angel (Australian & European maxi-CD single liner notes). Shaggy. MCA Records. 2001. 155 836-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Angel (European CD single liner notes). Shaggy. MCA Records. 2001. 155 820-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Angel (UK CD single liner notes). Shaggy. MCA Records. 2001. MCSTD 40257, 155 842-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Angel (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Shaggy. MCA Records. 2001. MCST 40257.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Angel (UK cassette single sleeve). Shaggy. MCA Records. 2001. MCSC 40257, 155 842-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Hot Shot (US CD album booklet). Shaggy. MCA Records. 2000. 088 112 096-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^"IFPI Norsk platebransje Trofeer 1993–2011" (in Norwegian). IFPI Norway. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
^"Guld- och Platinacertifikat − År 2001" (PDF) (in Swedish). IFPI Sweden. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
^"The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Angel')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
^Adam Miller. "20 of the biggest selling singles of the 2000s you've already forgotten". EntertainmentWise. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
^"CHR/Rhythmic: Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1382. 22 December 2000. p. 45. Retrieved 31 May 2021.
^"CHR/Pop: Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1386. 26 January 2001. p. 46. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
^"新譜発売日一覧 4月分" [New Release Date List for April] (in Japanese). Universal Music Japan. Archived from the original on 14 April 2001. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
^"The ARIA Report: ARIA New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 28th May 2001" (PDF). ARIA. 28 May 2001. p. 24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 February 2002. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
^"Reviews – For Records Out on 28 May 2000" (PDF). Music Week. 19 May 2001. p. 10. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
^"Shaggy talks new 'Hot Shot 2020' album: 'I make songs to put smiles on people's faces'".
^"Shaggy performs 'Angel' with Sting | GMA". YouTube.[dead YouTube link]