Angel (J. J. Cale song)

"Angel"
Single by Eric Clapton
from the album Old Sock
Released March 4, 2013 (2013-03-04)
Format Digital
Genre Pop rock
Length 3:54
Label Polydor
Writer(s) J.J. Cale
Audio sample
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"Angel" is a pop rock song written by the American recording artist J.J. Cale.[1] The British rock musician Eric Clapton covered the song and released his take on the track in 2013 on his studio album Old Sock for Polydor Records. The title was also released as a digital download single on March 4, 2013.

Background and release

Cale wrote the song in 1981 and kept the publishing rights for the title for Really Crazy Mamas Music, administered by Broadcast Music Incorporated.[2] For his track-by-track commentary on the Old Sock release in 2013, Clapton explained: "When we did this other album that was just called Clapton, we had tracks in the can, which was another thing to do with why this came to be, this album because I had about three songs, maybe more, actually, that I thought were up to scratch to release and so... Part of that thing in killing time was to complement these tracks, and "Angel" was one of them, that we'd done a couple of years previously. We'd never really resolved it, so we kinda re-did it again. But we had J.J.'s voice on there and everything. And so it was another hommage to him, with him on it. And I liked the song a lot".[3]

The song was never released by Cale in 1981 and was not released on the 2010 Clapton studio album. Editor's from the official Clapton fan club Where's Eric! do believe, that the first recording was made in late 2005 or early 2006, when Clapton and Cale began to work on their collaborative effort The Road to Escondido.[4] Clapton, however, did explain in the Old Sock interview, that he recorded the song with Cale in 2009 or 2010.[3] The promotional single "Angel" was released as a digital download on March 4, 2013.[5] In addition to promote the Old Sock studio effort, the song was made available for airplay around the world.[6] The recording was produced by Eric Clapton himself along with his long-time collaborator record producer Simon Climie. Also, Doyle Bramhall II as well as Justin Stanley produced the title, which is the second song on Old Sock.[7]

Reception

The track was chosen by the coffee company Starbucks as "Pick of the Week" starting on March 5, 2013. "Angel" was made available for Starbucks customers via the entertainment section of the Starbucks Digital Network while in the store or through the Starbucks app.[8] Music critic Philip Majorins from PopMatters thinks, that "Angel" stands out for the "erratic evolution of styles represented" on Old Sock, noting the song seems to keep up the "consistent and reassuring sunny mood" of the album. Majorins calls the title a "joy of the collaborative interplay", which make the studio album a "satisfying but languid party".[9] The digital download and airplay released did not make a big splash on the charts, reaching position 27 on the Polish Lista przebojów Trójki single chart, where the release stayed for seven weeks.[10] In Romania, the single was downloaded over two and a half thousand times while on chart for nine weeks and was presented with a silver disc, peaking at position 11 on the country's digital download single chart, which is compiled by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry.[11]

Chart positions

Weekly charts

Chart (2013) Peak
position
Poland (LP3)[10] 27
Romania (IFPI)[11] 11

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/Sales
Romania (IFPI Romania)[11] Silver 2,500*

*sales figures based on certification alone

References

  1. ↑ "Angel – Eric Clapton | Song Info | AllMusic". AllMusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  2. ↑ Eric Clapton (2013). Old Sock Liner Notes (Compact Disc Liner Notes). Europe: Polydor Records. 3733098.
  3. 1 2 Angel (February 27, 2013). "Old Sock Track by Track Commentary" (Interview: Audio). London. Retrieved October 13, 2015. When we did this other album that was just called Clapton, we had tracks in the can, which was another thing to do with why this came to be, this album because I had about three songs, maybe more, actually, that I thought were up to scratch to release and so... Part of that thing in killing time was to complement these tracks, and "Angel" was one of them, that we'd done a couple of years previously. We'd never really resolved it, so we kinda re-did it again. But we had J.J.'s voice on there and everything. And so it was another hommage to him, with him on it. And I liked the song a lot.
  4. ↑ "WE! Previews Eric Clapton's New Album, Old Sock, Track By Track". Where's Eric! The Eric Clapton Fan Club Magazine. Whereseric.com. February 27, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  5. ↑ "Eric Clapton – Angel – Amazon.com". Amazon.com. Amazon.com, Inc. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  6. ↑ Johnson, Jim (March 4, 2013). "Listen To New Music From Eric Clapton « 104.3 WOMC". 104.3 WOMC. CBS Local Media. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  7. ↑ "Eric Clapton / J.J. Cale – Angel – austriancharts.at". Ö3 Austria Top 40 (in German). Steffen Hung – Hung Medien. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Angel Is Starbucks Pick Of The Week Starting 5 March | Eric Clapton". Where's Eric! The Eric Clapton Fan Club Magazine. Eric Clapton / Warner Bros. Records. March 2, 2013. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  9. ↑ Majorins, Philip (March 26, 2013). "Eric Clapton: Old Sock | PopMatters". PopMatters. PopMatters Media, Inc. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  10. 1 2 "Eric Clapton – Angel – LP3 Chart". Polskie Radio Online (in Polish). Nowe Media, Polskie Radio S.A. Retrieved October 13, 2015.
  11. 1 2 3 Ceauşescu, Aurica (May 21, 2013). "Cele mai bune patruzeci single digitale internaționale" [Top 40 International download singles]. Adevărul (in Romanian). Casa Presei Libere, Bucharest: Adrian Halpert.

External links

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