"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:Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled at 00:48:40
"Angels Would Fall" is about a desperate crush Etheridge had on someone else's girlfriend during her shattered relationship with Julie Cypher.Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled at 00:50:10 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.The music video on YouTube, published by Universal Music Group
Accolades Year Award Category Result Ref. 2000 Grammy Award Best Rock Song Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
Track listings All song were written by Melissa Etheridge except "Angels Would Fall", written by Etheridge and John Shanks.
US and Australian CD single "Angels Would Fall" "Into the Dark" "Beloved"
US 7-inch single and European CD single "Angels Would Fall" – 4:17 "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 Chart (1999)PeakpositionAustralia (ARIA)59Canada (Nielsen SoundScan)16Quebec (ADISQ)4
Year-end charts Chart (1999)PositionCanada Top Singles (RPM)43Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)33US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)52US Triple-A (Billboard)19
Chart (2000)PositionUS Adult Top 40 (Billboard)84
References
Melissa Etheridge and Laura Morton: The truth is..., Random House 2002 Greatest Hits: The Road Less Traveled bonus DVD Lyrics