Angels (Robbie Williams song)

"Angels"
Single by Robbie Williams
from the album Life thru a Lens
B-side
  1. "Walk This Sleigh"
Released1 December 1997 (1997-12-01)
StudioMatrix Maison Rouge (London, England)
Genre
Length
  • 4:24 (album version)
  • 3:58 (radio edit)
LabelChrysalis
Songwriter(s)Robbie Williams, Guy Chambers
Producer(s)
Robbie Williams singles chronology
"South of the Border"
(1997)
"Angels"
(1997)
"Let Me Entertain You"
(1998)
Music videos
"Angels" on YouTube
"Angels (XXV)" on YouTube

"Angels" is a song by the English singer Robbie Williams. It was included on Williams's debut solo album, Life thru a Lens (1997), and released as a single on 1 December 1997 by Chrysalis. It was produced by Guy Chambers and Steve Power.

The Irish singer-songwriter Ray Heffernan asserts that he wrote the first version of "Angels" in 1996 and finished it with Williams. Williams confirmed that he recorded a demo with Heffernan but said he rewrote it significantly with Chambers. To avoid a lawsuit, Williams bought the song rights from Heffernan before it was released; he has never confirmed that Heffernan wrote it. Vaughan Arnell directed its music video, which was filmed in black and white.

"Angels" reached number four on the UK singles chart and number 53 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. As of 2014, it had sold more than 1.16 million copies in the UK. It won the 1999 Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically and was voted the best song of the previous 25 years at the 2005 Brit Awards. In 2005, Britons voted it the song they most wanted played at their funeral.

"Angels" has been covered by artists including Jay Pérez, Jessica Simpson, David Archuleta, Beverley Knight, All Angels, Declan Galbraith and Josh Groban. It was recorded in Spanish (as "Ángel") by the Mexican singers Yuridia and Marco Moré, in Italian (as "Un Angelo") by Patrizio Buanne and in Brazilian Portuguese (as "Um Anjo") by KLB. Williams also recorded a Spanish version.