Angel in Blue

Last updated
"Angel in Blue"
Angel in Blue cover.jpg
Single by The J. Geils Band
from the album Freeze Frame
B-side "River Blindness"
ReleasedMay 26, 1982
Recorded1981
Genre Rock
Length4:51
Label EMI
Songwriter(s) Seth Justman
Producer(s) Seth Justman
The J. Geils Band singles chronology
"Flamethrower"
(1982)		"Angel in Blue"
(1982)		"I Do"
(1982)

"Angel in Blue" is a song written by Seth Justman that was first released by the J. Geils Band on their 1981 album Freeze Frame . Cissy Houston and Luther Vandross appear on the song as back up vocalists. [1] [2] "Angel in Blue" was also released on a number of J. Geils Band compilation albums, including Centerfold, The Very Best J. Geils Band Album Ever and Best of The J. Geils Band , as well as several multi-artist compilation albums. [1]

Contents

Background

Cash Box described "Angel in Blue" as "a story song about how life in the fast lane has turned one beautiful young girl into an emotionally, burnt-out shell" and said that "it has a slow, Phil Spectorish quality that is moving." [3] AllMusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine describes the song as "terrific neo-doo wop." [4] Critic Joe Viglione praises it further, stating that it is "arguably the smartest lyric in the J. Geils Band catalogue" with a "strong melody," concluding that it is "four minutes and fifty-one seconds (on the album) of Peter Wolf reading Seth Justman's post-'Centerfold' wet dream." [1] Music critic Robert Christgau states describes the song as "slick get-'em-off trash" about "a whore with a heart of brass that I'm just a sucker for." [5] Mark Coleman of The Rolling Stone Album Guide finds the song to be "haunting." [6] Classic Rock History critic Brian Kachejian named "Angel in Blue" as the band's 8th best song, and noted influences from Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty. [7]

Chart performance

"Angel in Blue" was released as a single in 1982, where the song reached the Top 40, [8] [9] following the Top 10 hits "Centerfold" and "Freeze Frame" from the Freeze Frame album. [8] [1] It peaked at #40 on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining there for two weeks. [8] It also reached #39 in Canada [10] and #55 in the UK. [11] The song also made the Billboard Singles Radio Action chart in a number of regions, including Buffalo, New York, Annapolis, Maryland, Nashville, Tennessee, and Jacksonville, Florida. [12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Viglione, J. "Angel in Blue". Allmusic . Retrieved 2012-09-04.
  2. ↑ Seymore, C. (2005). Luther: The Life and Longing of Luther Vandross. HarperCollins. p.  312. ISBN   9780060779238.
  3. ↑ "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. May 22, 1982. p. 8. Retrieved 2022-07-07.
  4. ↑ Erlewine, S.T. "Freeze Frame". Allmusic . Retrieved 2012-09-04.
  5. ↑ Christgau, R. "The J. Geils Band: Freeze-Frame". robertchristgau.com. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
  6. ↑ Coleman, M. (1992). DeCurtis, A.; Henke, J.; George-Warren, H. (eds.). The Rolling Stone Album Guide (3rd ed.). Random House. p. 276. ISBN   9780679737292.
  7. ↑ Kachejian, Brian (January 2024). "10 J. Geils Band Songs Fans Love". Classic Rock History. Retrieved 2024-09-21.
  8. 1 2 3 Whitburn, J. (2010). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (9th ed.). Random House. p. 263. ISBN   9780823085545.
  9. ↑ "Freeze Frame Awards". Allmusic . Retrieved 2012-09-04.
  10. ↑ "RPM Top 50 Singles - June 19, 1982" (PDF).
  11. ↑ "J. Geils Band singles". The Official UK Charts Company. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
  12. ↑ "Billboard Singles Radio Action". Billboard . June 12, 1982. pp. 51, 53. Retrieved 2012-09-04.
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