Written for her fourth studio album, Surfacing, Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan was incredibly inspired by musicians who turn to heroin to cope with the pressures of the industry. Most notably, McLachlan was moved by the 1996 passing of Smashing Pumpkins keyboardist Jonathan Melovin, who died of an overdose when he was just 34 years old.
McLachlan has stated she is sympathetic to understanding why artists might gravitate towards heroin use, saying, “I’ve been in that place where you’ve messed up, and you’re so lost that you don’t know who you are anymore, and you’re miserable—and here’s this escape route. I’ve never done heroin, but I’ve done plenty of other things to escape.”
What came from the inspiration is the powerful ballad, “Angel.” McLachlan called writing the track “joyous” and “easy” and said it came together in just three hours. The song was released as the fourth and final single from Surfacing the year after the album’s release in 1998.
“Angel” peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent 19 weeks in the top 10, which put it in the top 20 of the most popular songs of the entire year. “Angel” has charted in multiple countries in the 29 years since its release, including Norway, New Zealand, Austria, France, the United Kingdom, McLachlan’s native Canada, and Norway.
Since 1997, “Angel” has become a song synonymous with grief and loss, notably being featured in commercials with McLachlan for the ASPCA. Additionally, CBC Radio said of the track, “With its sombre melody and heart-wrenching lyrics, Angel quickly became the unofficial anthem of mourning following tragic events, such as the death of Princess Diana in 1997, the 1999 Columbine High School massacre and the September 11, 2001 attacks. Today, it’s recognized as the de facto song of sorrow and healing for both public and private experiences of loss.”
For millennials and others everywhere, the opening notes and lines of “Angel” are practically branded into our brains, and the haunting melody will likely stick with us all for more years to come.
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