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Wikipedia / Angels Would Fall

"Angels Would Fall" is a song by American musician Melissa Etheridge, released as the first single from her sixth album, Breakdown (1999), on August 31, 1999. The song gave Etheridge her first number-one single on the US Billboard Triple-A chart and peaked at number six in Canada.

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:

"Angels Would Fall" is about a desperate crush Etheridge had on someone else's girlfriend during her shattered relationship with Julie Cypher. 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.

Accolades

Track listings

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

US and Australian CD single

  1. "Angels Would Fall"

  2. "Into the Dark"

  3. "Beloved"

US 7-inch single and European CD single

  1. "Angels Would Fall" – 4:17

  2. "Into the Dark" – 4:58

Personnel

  • Melissa Etheridge – acoustic guitar, vocals

  • Kenny Aronoff – drums, marimba, shaker

  • Jon Brion – guitar

  • Mark Browne – bass

  • Matt Chamberlain – drums

  • Steve Ferrone – percussion, drums

  • Rami Jaffee – keyboard

  • Jim Keltner – drums

  • Greg Leisz – guitar, mandolin, lap steel guitar, pedals

  • Brian MacLeod – percussion, drum loop

  • Pino Palladino – bass

  • John Shanks – dulcimer, guitar, harp, marimba, background vocals

  • Patrick Warren – keyboard

  • Gota Yashiki – drum loop

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

  • Melissa Etheridge and Laura Morton: The truth is..., Random House 2002

  • Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled bonus DVD

  • Lyrics