"Angels Brought Me Here" (or "Faith Has Brought Me Here") is a pop song by Australian singer-songwriter Guy Sebastian. It was released in Australia on 24 November 2003 as the lead single from his debut album, Just as I Am (2003). The song was written by Jörgen Elofsson and John Reid for Network Ten's TV talent competition, Australian Idols inaugural season. Recorded versions were made for both grand finalists, Sebastian and Shannon Noll, with only Sebastian's version officially released by BMG. On 22 November the promotional video had premiered on the same network's Video Hits – produced by Australian Idols Stephen Tate and directed by its musical director, John Foreman.
"Angels Brought Me Here" peaked at number one on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart. The single's first-week sales were at the time the highest weekly sale on record for both an Australian artist and a debut artist. The song was certified quintuple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) and sold in excess of 350,000 units. In January 2010 "Angels Brought Me Here" was announced as the highest-selling single of the 2000s decade in Australia. Until 2011 the song held the record as the highest-selling Australian-artist single in Australian chart history. "Angels Brought Me Here" was also popular in New Zealand, topping the RIANZ Singles Chart and achieving platinum status. In October 2004, Lisa B. Bermingham published Sebastian's official biography, Angels Brought Me Here.
Background "Angels Brought Me Here" was performed on 9 November 2003 by the final two contestants, Guy Sebastian and Shannon Noll, during the penultimate episode of Network Ten's TV talent competition, Australian Idol (2003).Davis, Tony. (8 November 2003). "Idol to Live on After Showdown" . The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 28 December 2007. Both contestants were recorded and had their versions pressed by BMG, ready for the winner's version to be released immediately after the competition. Sebastian's winning performance was watched by an Australian record audience – for a non-sporting event – of 3.65 million. On 19 November he did an encore performance of the song and the single was issued in Australia on 24 November by BMG.
Sebastian referred to "Angels Brought Me Here", his winning moment on Australian Idol and his progress through the competition:
I reckon it really sums up just what I felt as far as the competition goes. It's a very overwhelming process to go through and you really do feel that there's something else that got you there. Especially with how I didn't feel confident before and then something just clicked and I could look people in the eyes and really try and deliver a song.Alera, Rowena. (2004). . ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs. Archived from the original on 26 June 2007. Retrieved 21 December 2011.
Sebastian believes it is "a great, inspirational song" that summarises how any Australian Idol winner would have felt. Noll, however, felt that the song was too difficult for him to sing.. dB Magazine (dbmagazine.com) (338). 11–24 August 2004. Retrieved 19 December 2011. Sebastian's version was produced by Bryon Jones (member of Rockmelons) and Adam Reilly (who was also the programmer)."Angels Brought Me Here". Music Australia (National Library of Australia). 12 August 2005. Retrieved 18 December 2011. The B-side, "When I Get You Alone" – a cover version of Robin Thicke's 2002 single – was recorded live on Australian Idol episode "Up Close & Personal" in October 2003. Sebastian's second single, "All I Need Is You", followed in February 2004 and also debuted at number-one.Hung, Steffen. Guy Sebastian – "All I Need Is You" . Australian Charts Portal (Steffen Hung). Retrieved 20 December 2011. In September, his third number-one single in a row, "Out with My Baby", was issued from his second album, Beautiful Life (2004).Hung, Steffen. Guy Sebastian – "Out with My Baby" . Australian Charts Portal (Steffen Hung). Retrieved 20 December 2011. He has since achieved three further number-one singles in Australia, "Like It Like That" in 2009, "Who's That Girl" in 2010, and "Battle Scars" in 2012.
Lisa B. Bermingham's official biography of Sebastian is titled, Angels Brought Me Here (October 2004) (aka Guy Sebastian: Angels Brought Me Here: The Official Biography).Guy Sebastian : angels brought me here : the official biography / L. B. Bermingham . Music Australia (National Library of Australia). 15 June 2005. 21 December 2011.Bermingham, Lisa B. (October 2004). Angels Brought Me Here: Guy Sebastian: The Official Biography . Funtastic: South Oakleigh, Victoria. In November 2010, two versions of "Angels Brought Me Here" appeared on Sebastian's 2×CD compilation album, Twenty Ten: both the original and a newly recorded acoustic version. For the acoustic version, Sebastian also plays piano and is the co-producer with Carl Dimataga.
Musical structure "Angels Brought Me Here" is an R&B, pop ballad which was composed and written before the Australian Idol finalists were decided. The song's writers are Jörgen Elofsson and John Reid – it is also called "Faith Has Brought Me Here"."Angels Brought Me Here" . Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 18 December 2011. Both Sebastian's and Noll's recorded versions were performed with the same musical structure. The song is composed in common time. The song's tempo is adagio, performed at 64 beats per minute. Its structure is in verse-chorus form, with a bridge following after two verses. The verses are in the key of C major, while the chorus changes key to D major, with higher dynamics. The last chorus following the bridge changes key again to E♭ major. At the end of the chorus, the lead singer sings the highest note of the song, holding for four bars, while the backing vocals repeat the chorus. The last line of the chorus is performed slightly off-beat, with the last notes held longer before the song ends. The vocals of the song range from C3 to B♭5.Sebastian, Guy; Celiberti, Tony. (2004). Just as I Am. London: Wise Publications, pp. 4-9. .
Chart performance "Angels Brought Me Here" debuted on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart on 1 December 2003 at number-one, the first of 12 top ten and six number-one singles that Sebastian has achieved during his career. Sebastian is the only Australian male artist in Australian chart history to achieve six number-one singles, and is third overall for all Australian acts. Only Delta Goodrem and Kylie Minogue have achieved more.Ryan, Gavin (19 August 2012). Guy Sebastian Equals Abba For Number 1 Hits In Australia. Noise11. Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. "Angels Brought Me Here" sold 128,679 copies in its first week, setting an Australian record at the time for the highest first week single sales by both a debut artist and an Australian artist.Guy Sebastian. Music Australia (National Library of Australia). 5 December 2003. Retrieved 18 December 2011."Idol Goes into Sales Decline" . Herald Sun The Herald and Weekly Times (News Corporation). 5 December 2006. Retrieved 23 October 2007. It also had the second highest first week single sales from any artist, behind Elton John's tribute to Princess Diana, "Candle in the Wind".Donovan, Patrick (2 December 2003). "Delta Makes History" . The Age. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 28 December 2007. This record was eclipsed in late 2004 by Anthony Callea's debut single "The Prayer".Cashmere, Paul (29 December 2004). . undercover.com.au. Archived from the original on 31 December 2004. Retrieved 4 February 2012. Sebastian still has the second highest one week sales for an Australian artist single. "Angels Brought Me Here" remained at the top spot for three consecutive weeks, dropping to number three in its fourth week. The single spent a total of five weeks in the top ten and twelve weeks in the top fifty. Despite being released near the end of 2003, its strong sales placed "Angels Brought Me Here" at number-one on the End of Year Top 100 ARIA Singles Chart of 2003.ARIA Charts - End of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2003 . Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). 2003. Retrieved 28 December 2007.
At the ARIA Music Awards of 2004, Sebastian earned the award for 'Highest Selling Single', and was also nominated for 'Highest Selling Album' for Just as I Am.Winners by year - 2004 . ARIA Awards. Archived from the original on 23 January 2012. In January 2010 ARIA announced that "Angels Brought Me Here" was the highest selling single of the previous decade, with Anthony Callea's "The Prayer" ranked second.ARIA's End of Decade Charts . Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). (PDF). 7 January 2010. Retrieved 28 January 2010. It was certified quintuple platinum and sold in excess of 350,000 copies.Cashmere, Paul (29 January 2005). . undercover.com.au. Archived from the original on 31 January 2004. Retrieved 4 February 2012. At the time this was the highest sales ever recorded for an Australian artist single, a record Sebastian held until 2011. In 2011 the sales of "Angels Brought Me Here" were surpassed by Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know" which has now been certified 11× platinum.ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2011 Singles.Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Archived from the original on 25 January 2012. Since then several other Australian artist songs have also reached higher sales than "Angels Brought Me Here", including Sebastian's own song "Battle Scars" which has been certified 9× platinum.Album and Single Accreditations 1997–2011. Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on 24 January 2012.
Sebastian reflected on his song's popularity, "I guess its success is due to it being a well-written pop ballad, coupled with the fact that it's perfectly suited to my voice, and also my back-story... It doesn't take a genius to realise that the show was mostly responsible for the songs enormity but still, I'm glad I was the guy standing there at the end singing it". In a review for Sebastian's fifth number one single "Who's That Girl" in 2010 The Vines Tim Byron said "Angels Brought Me Here" was "heavily associated with the climax of the show, and thus [has] pre-packaged meanings and associations that other songs will not ... something of the joy of music, of its eternal mystery, gets leached out in the process".Byron, Tim. (2 January 2011). "Guy Sebastian 'Who's that Girl'" . The Vine. Fairfax Media. Retrieved 21 December 2011. Byron felt there was considerable "controversy over whether to give ARIA awards to people like Guy Sebastian" due to concerns about the artist's credibility. Byron added "But it's hard to argue that Guy Sebastian's continued success, seven years later, has much to do with Australian Idol.....even his 'brand recognition' will have faded by now.....If he is still successful, it's more and more because of his musical talent."
"Angels Brought Me Here" was also released in New Zealand, and debuted at number-one on 1 December 2003 on the RIANZ Singles Chart, retaining the position for three weeks. It spent eleven non-consecutive weeks in the top ten and twenty-two weeks in the top forty, and it achieved platinum accreditation.
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