"Angels" is a song by the English singer Robbie Williams, released as the fourth single from his debut solo album, Life thru a Lens, on 1 December 1997 by Chrysalis. It was produced by Guy Chambers and Steve Power.

The Irish singer-songwriter Ray Heffernan asserts that he wrote the first version of "Angels" in 1996 and finished it with Williams. Williams confirmed that he recorded a demo with Heffernan but said he rewrote it significantly with Chambers. To avoid a lawsuit, Williams bought the song rights from Heffernan before it was released. He has never confirmed that Heffernan wrote it.

"Angels" reached number four on the UK singles chart and number 53 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. As of 2014, it had sold more than 1.16 million copies in the UK. It won the 1999 Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically and was voted the best song of the previous 25 years at the 2005 Brit Awards. In 2005, Britons voted it the song they most wanted played at their funeral. The success helped make Williams one of the biggest British pop stars of the era.

"Angels" has been covered by artists including Jessica Simpson, David Archuleta, Beverley Knight, All Angels, Declan Galbraith and Josh Groban. It was recorded in Spanish (as "Ángel") by the Mexican singers Yuridia and Marco Moré, in Italian (as "Un Angelo") by Patrizio Buanne and in Brazilian Portuguese (as "Um Anjo") by KLB.

Authorship Robbie Williams said he wrote "Angels" with his collaborator Guy Chambers in 25 minutes. By his account, he and Chambers were sitting outside a café watching a water fountain, which inspired them to write the chorus. In 2016, Williams said: "It was the first of our songs that we wrote together. We could tell and hoped and prayed that we got something incredibly special." He expressed irritation that some assumed Chambers was the sole author. Chambers said he wrote the music, and Williams the lyrics and melody: "It was very equal. Rob knew exactly what he wanted to say, and how he wanted to say it." Williams said he wrote the lyrics about his aunt and uncle, and about his belief in the afterlife: "It's about the thoughts that loved ones that have passed on come back and take care of you."

The Irish singer-songwriter Ray Heffernan asserts that he wrote the first version of "Angels" after his girlfriend had a miscarriage. The lyrics express the thought that "I won't have a baby to love so I'll love an angel instead". Heffernan says he met Williams in a pub by chance in Dublin in 1996, and played him an incomplete version. That week, the two recorded a studio demo. Williams confirmed that he had recorded a demo with Heffernan but said he rewrote the song significantly with Chambers. He has never confirmed that Heffernan wrote the song, calling him a "fantasist". Heffernan believes that Williams was seeking recognition as a songwriter at the time, and to have credited Heffernan would have damaged Williams' credibility.

Before the song's release, Heffernan accepted an offer from Williams to buy the rights. According to Heffernan, he was initially offered £2,500, which rose to £7,500 when he asked for a writing credit. He said: "I was mostly thrilled. That’s what you're supposed to do, right? Sell your songs to pop stars." He is thanked in the UK CD2 single liner notes.Angels, UK CD2, liner notes Williams said: "We could have gone to court, and it all would have been down to whether what way the judge wakes up that day out of bed ... So I gave him some money, and he went away."

In 2011, Heffernan said was once angry about the situation but that "Angels" had earned him connections with publishing companies. In 2023, he said he did not regret earning no royalties, as this would have enabled his destructive use of drugs at the time. However, he was hurt that Williams had accepted an Ivor Novello Award for writing "Angels" in 1999 and had never acknowledged his authorship. He said: "That's what the young kid in me really wants — acknowledgement. It's not about the millions." As of 2023, Heffernan was working as a language teacher in rural Italy.

According to Heffernan, in September 2024, he privately sent Williams a hand-written letter to his Instagram account. The following day, Williams made a public post reading "Look, I did answer / I answered by not answering", which Heffernan interpreted as a cryptic response. In August 2025, Heffernan said he planned to pursue legal action under a new part of EU copyright law that allows creators to seek retrospective compensation for successful works. He sought around a third of future royalties.

Music videos The video for "Angels" was directed by Vaughan Arnell and filmed at Saunton Sands in Devon. Williams walks along a beach, stares at the sky, kicks a football and rides a motorbike with a woman while a helicopter flies around them. In 1999, a second video was filmed for the US market in which Williams watches a city from a rooftop.

Release After Williams left Take That to pursue a solo career in 1995, two of his singles reached number two on the UK singles chart. However, his fourth single reached number 14, suggesting his popularity was declining.

"Angels" was released as the fourth single from Williams's debut album, Life Thru a Lens (1997). Though it only reached number 4 on the UK singles chart, it was a consistent seller. It spent a total of 12 weeks in the top 10 and 17 weeks in the top 75. In the UK, it was the 38th-bestselling single of 1997, the 25th-bestselling of 1998 and the 34th-bestselling single of the decade. As of 2014, it had sold more than 1.16 million copies in the UK. Williams also recorded a Spanish version. The success helped make Williams one of the biggest British pop stars of the late 1990s and early 2000s.

In the US, it was less successful. "Angels" was released in 1999 after Williams' debut there with his single "Millennium". It reached number 53, becoming his highest-charting US single. "Angels" re-entered the ARIA Top 100 at No. 91, on 5 May 2008. In 2022, Williams released a reworked version, "Angels (XXV)", from his compilation album XXV. It reached number 92 on the UK singles chart on 10 June.

Reception Aberdeen Press and Journal said "Angels" was perhaps the strongest song from Life thru a Lens."Robbie Williams". Aberdeen Press and Journal. 7 November 1997. page 14. John Bush from AllMusic noted Williams' "crooning". Larry Flick of Billboard described it as a "sweet ballad that never gets sappy". He noted that the production is "first-rate, the lyric is thoughtful and ear-grabbing, and his smoky, crisp vocal is a sheer delight. All that and a chorus to kill for." An editor for Daily Record felt Williams had "come of age with this melodic pop ballad""Chart Slot; Top 10 Singles Chart". Daily Record. 20 February 1998. and complimented a "surprisingly grown-up sounding Robbie on what is his best tune to date"."Chart Slot". Daily Record. 12 December 1997. The Irish Independent called it an "epic ballad"."A showbiz tart finger in every". Irish Independent. 28 August 1999. page 32.

Music & Media wrote: "With songs of the quality of 'Angels', Robbie Williams is on his way towards extending his audience by drawing in older listeners ... [It] distinguishes itself from its indie rock-inspired predecessors 'Old Before I Die' and 'Lazy Days' by exchanging their guitars for a more mellow, piano-based arrangement." Music Week gave "Angels" four out of five, likening it to Elton John and saying it suggested that Williams would be more successful than his former Take That bandmate Gary Barlow. The Pitchfork writer Michael Sandlin called it a "pink feather-boa'd Elton John mishap" with a guitar imitating George Harrison.

In 2017, Dave Fawbert from ShortList declared "Angels" "genuinely brilliant", with "a pretty understated vocal from Robbie. Nothing too over the top, just sincere." The Guardian critic Alexis Petridis wrote in 2022 that "Angels" was "so ubiquitous for so long that it is almost impossible for anyone of a certain age to listen to it objectively: throughout the late 90s and 00s, it wasn't so much a song as an unavoidable fact of daily life. Most pop songwriters would kill to come up with something with such impact and longevity." In 2025, the Guardian writer Ian Gittins described "Angels" as "the ubiquitous national anthem of the 90s".

"Angels" won the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically in 1999. In 2003, Q named it the 237th-best song of all time. In a 2004 poll of almost 30,000 people by VH1, "Angels" was voted the best single that never reached number one. At the 2005 Brit Awards, where Williams performed it with Joss Stone, the British public voted "Angels" the best British song of the past 25 years. In a 2005 survey of more than 45,000 people by Music Choice, Britons chose "Angels" as the song they would most like played at their funeral.

Live performances

In 2009, Williams performed "Angels" at the final of the sixth series of The X Factor with Olly Murs. On 14 June 2018, Williams performed "Angels" with the Russian soprano Aida Garifullina at the 2018 FIFA World Cup opening ceremony held at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia. On 23 June 2018, Williams performed "Angels" with the American singer Taylor Swift at Wembley Stadium, London, during her Reputation Stadium Tour.

Formats and track listings

UK CD1 "Angels" – 4:24 "Karaoke Overkill" – 3:31 "Get the Joke" – 3:03 "Angels" (acoustic version) – 4:27

UK CD2 and cassette single "Angels" – 4:24 "Back for Good" (live version) – 3:59 "Walk This Sleigh" – 3:01

European CD single "Angels" – 4:24 "Walk This Sleigh" – 3:01

Australian CD single (1997) "Angels" – 4:24 "Karaoke Overkill" – 3:31 "Get the Joke" – 3:03

Australian CD single (1999) "Angels" – 4:24 "It's Only Us" – 2:50 "Angels" (live) – 5:39 "Let Me Entertain You" (live at The Brits '99) – 4:41 "Millennium" – 4:05

Credits and personnel Credits are taken from the Life thru a Lens album booklet.

Studios Recorded at Matrix Maison Rouge (London, England) Mixed at Battery Studios (London, England)

Personnel

Robbie Williams – writing, vocals Guy Chambers – writing, keyboards, production, arrangement Gary Nuttall – backing vocals, guitar Andre Barreau – backing vocals, guitar Nicole Patterson – backing vocals Chester Kamen – guitar Mark Smith – bass, programming Steve Power – keyboards, production, mixing, programming Chris Sharrock – drums Andy Duncan – percussion The London Session Orchestra – orchestra Gavyn Wright – concertmaster Jim Brumby – Battery Studios assistant Matt Hay – Matrix Maison Rouge assistant

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1997–2000)PeakpositionEstonia (Eesti Top 20)3Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)7Europe (European Hit Radio)4Finland Airplay (Radiosoittolista)12France Airplay (SNEP) 2Greece (IFPI Greece) 3Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)22Italy (FIMI)6Italy Airplay (Music & Media)2Latvia (Latvijas Top 40)7Nicaragua (El Siglo de Torreón)8Spain Airplay (Top 40 Radio)14UK Airplay (Music Week)1US Adult Contemporary (Radio & Records)6US CHR/Pop Top 50 (Radio & Records)25US Hot AC (Radio & Records)21 Chart (2025)PeakpositionIsrael International Airplay (Media Forest)12

Year-end charts Chart (1997)PositionUK Singles (OCC)39 Chart (1998)PositionBelgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)39Brazil (Crowley) 97Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)24Europe (European Hit Radio)32France (SNEP)43France Airplay (SNEP)30Germany (Media Control)53Latvia (Latvijas Top 50)58Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)65Netherlands (Single Top 100)65Sweden (Hitlistan)97Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)36UK Singles (OCC)25UK Airplay (Music Week) 1 Chart (1999)PositionCanada Adult Contemporary (RPM)85US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)84US Hot AC (Radio & Records)87 Chart (2000)PositionUS Adult Contemporary (Billboard)28US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)62US Adult Contemporary (Radio & Records)28US Hot AC (Radio & Records)76 Chart (2006)PositionUK Singles (OCC)198