Angie (song)

"Angie"
"Angie"
Single by The Rolling Stones
from the album Goats Head Soup
B-side	"Silver Train"
Released	20 August 1973
Recorded	November–December 1972,; Dynamic Sound Studio; Kingston, Jamaica;
Genre	Soft rock; glam rock;
Length	4:33
Label	Rolling Stones
Songwriter(s)	Jagger/Richards
Producer(s)	Jimmy Miller
The Rolling Stones singles chronology
Alternative cover
	German picture sleeve
Goats Head Soup track listing
	show 10 tracks

"Angie" is a song by the rock band The Rolling Stones, featured on their 1973 album Goats Head Soup. It was also featured as the lead single on the album, released on 20 August 1973.

Background[]

The song is credited, as most Rolling Stones songs are, to both Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, but it is acknowledged to be almost completely written by Richards. "Angie" was recorded in November and December 1972 and is an acoustic-guitar-driven ballad characterizing the end of a romance. The song's distinctive piano accompaniment, written by Richards, was played on the album by Nicky Hopkins, a Rolling Stones recording-session regular. The strings on the piece (as well as on another song, "Winter") were arranged by Nicky Harrison.^[3] An unusual feature of the original recording is that singer Mick Jagger's vocal guide track (made before the final vocals were performed) is faintly audible throughout the song (an effect sometimes called a "ghost vocal").^[4]

Released as a single in August 1973, "Angie" went straight to the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 5 on the UK singles chart. The song was also a No. 1 hit in both Canada and Australia for five weeks each and topped the charts in many countries throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

Because of the song's length, some radio stations made edits to shorten it to 3 minutes, omitting the longer coda and the second instrumental section of the song.

There was speculation that the song was about David Bowie's first wife Angela,^[5]^[6]^[7] Keith Richards' newborn daughter Dandelion Angela,^[8]^[9] the actress Angie Dickinson,^[8] and others. In 1993, in an interview for the liner notes to the Rolling Stones' compilation album Jump Back: The Best of The Rolling Stones, Richards said that the title was inspired by his baby daughter.^[10] However, in his 2010 memoir Life, Richards said that he had chosen the name at random when writing the song – before he knew that his baby would be named Angela or even knew that his baby would be a girl – and that the song "was not about any particular person."^[11] According to NME, Jagger's contributions to the lyrics referred to his breakup with Marianne Faithfull.^[6]

The Rolling Stones have frequently performed the song in concert; it was included in set lists on their 1973, 1975 and 1976 tours. It has been a touring staple since their 1982 European Tour.^[12] Concert renditions were released on the albums Stripped, Live Licks and The Rolling Stones: Havana Moon.

Angie was covered by Welsh band Stereophonics on their 1999 Deluxe album Performance and Cocktails.

Music video[]

Two music videos were shot to promote the song.^[13]

Chart and certifications[]

Weekly charts[]

Chart (1973–74)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)	1
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[14]	8
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)^[15]	1
Canada (RPM) Top Singles	1
Canada (RPM) Adult Contemporary^[16]	39
Denmark (Tracklisten)	4
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)	16
France (SNEP)	1
Germany (Official German Charts)^[17]	2
Ireland (IRMA)^[18]	9
Italy (Hit Parade)	1
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[19]	1
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)^[20]	2
Norway (VG-lista)^[21]	1
South Africa (Springbok)^[22]	2
Spain (AFE)^[23]	2
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)^[24]	1
UK Singles (OCC)^[25]	5
US Billboard Hot 100^[26]	1
US Billboard Adult Contemporary^[27]	38
US Cash Box Top 100^[28]	1

Year-end charts[]

Chart (1973)	Rank
Australia^[29]	19
Canada^[30]	6
Netherlands (Single Top 100)^[31]	2
Switzerland^[32]	2
US Billboard^[33]	85
US Cash Box^[34]	69

Certifications[]


Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Italy (FIMI)^[35]	Gold	25,000
United States (RIAA)^[36]	Gold	1,000,000^{^}
^{^} Shipments figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References[]

^ Malvinni, David (25 February 2016). Experiencing the Rolling Stones: A Listener's Companion. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-8108-8920-0.
^ Pepinster, Catherine (16 August 1998). "Gold Dust: Glam rock's top 10 singles". The Independent. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
^ "Welcome to the site of Nick Harrison". Nickthefiddle.com. Archived from the original on 19 May 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
^ Janovitz, Bill. "Angie". Retrieved 1 September 2009.
^ Schragis, Steven (August 1987). "Love Was a Many-Splendored Thing". Spy. New York City: Thomas L. Phillips, Jr. p. 20. Retrieved 26 January 2016. Jagger, it was rumored, had earlier written 'Angie' (Goats Head Soup, 1973) for David Bowie's wife, Angela.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Revealed - The Stories Behind The Rolling Stones' Classic Songs: 'Angie'". NME. London. 12 October 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2016. Rumored to be inspired by Angie Bowie, it was actually inspired by Marianne Faithful after her relationship with Jagger collapsed.
^ Brown, Adam Tod (26 June 2008). "6 Famous Songs That Don't Mean What You Think". Cracked.com. Demand Media. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Fornatale, Pete (2013). 50 Licks: Myths and Stories from Half a Century of the Rolling Stones. New York City: Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 167–168. ISBN 978-1408833827.
^ McPherson, Ian. "Track Talk: Angie". timeisonourside.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
^ Richards, Keith; Sandall, Robert (1993). Interview, Jump Back: The Best of The Rolling Stones (Liner notes). Hollywood, California: Virgin Records. 72438-64682-2-2. "The basic melody and the title were mine...I'd recently had my daughter born, whose name was Angela, and the name was starting to ring around the house. But I'm into writing about my babies. Angie just fitted. I mean, you couldn't sing 'Maureen'...
^ Richards, Keith; Fox, James (2010). Life. New York City: Back Bay. p. 323. ISBN 978-0316034418. While I was in the [Vevey drug] clinic, Anita was down the road having our daughter, Angela. Once I came out of the usual trauma, I had a guitar with me and I wrote Angie in an afternoon, sitting in bed, because I could finally move my fingers and put them in the right place again...I just went, 'Angie, Angie'. It was not about any particular person; it was a name, like 'ohhh, Diana'. I didn't know Angela was going to be called Angela when I wrote 'Angie'. In those days you didn't know what sex the thing was going to be until it popped out.
^ Zentgraf, Nico. "The Complete Works of the Rolling Stones 1962–2008". Archived from the original on 5 January 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2009.
^ The Rolling Stones - Angie - official promo on YouTube, director Michael Lindsay-Hogg
^ "Austriancharts.at – The Rolling Stones – Angie" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
^ "Ultratop.be – The Rolling Stones – Angie" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 24 November 1973. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Rolling Stones – Angie" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Angie". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Rolling Stones – Angie" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
^ "Charts.nz – The Rolling Stones – Angie". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The Rolling Stones – Angie". VG-lista. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
^ Currin, Brian. "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1965 - 1989 Songs (A-B)". www.rock.co.za.
^ Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
^ "Swisscharts.com – The Rolling Stones – Angie". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
^ "The Rolling Stones: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
^ "The Rolling Stones Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 June 2016.
^ Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 204.
^ "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending October 27, 1973". Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.. Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
^ "Australian Chart Book". Austchartbook.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1971" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 March 2018.
^ Swiss Year-End Charts, 1973
^ "Top Pop Singles" Billboard 29 December 1973: TA-28
^ "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1973". Tropicalglen.com. 29 December 1973. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
^ "Italian single certifications – The Rolling Stones – Angie" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 8 October 2018. Select "2018" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Angie" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".
^ "American single certifications – The Rolling Stones – Angie". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 12 January 2015.

External links[]

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

[1] Malvinni, David (25 February 2016). Experiencing the Rolling Stones: A Listener's Companion. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 196. ISBN 978-0-8108-8920-0.

[2] Pepinster, Catherine (16 August 1998). "Gold Dust: Glam rock's top 10 singles". The Independent. Retrieved 8 August 2019.

[3] "Welcome to the site of Nick Harrison". Nickthefiddle.com. Archived from the original on 19 May 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2016.

[all_music-4] Janovitz, Bill. "Angie". Retrieved 1 September 2009.

[5] Schragis, Steven (August 1987). "Love Was a Many-Splendored Thing". Spy. New York City: Thomas L. Phillips, Jr. p. 20. Retrieved 26 January 2016. Jagger, it was rumored, had earlier written 'Angie' (Goats Head Soup, 1973) for David Bowie's wife, Angela.

[nme-6] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Revealed - The Stories Behind The Rolling Stones' Classic Songs: 'Angie'". NME. London. 12 October 2010. Retrieved 26 January 2016. Rumored to be inspired by Angie Bowie, it was actually inspired by Marianne Faithful after her relationship with Jagger collapsed.

[brown-7] Brown, Adam Tod (26 June 2008). "6 Famous Songs That Don't Mean What You Think". Cracked.com. Demand Media. Retrieved 26 January 2016.

[fornatale-8] Jump up to: ^a ^b Fornatale, Pete (2013). 50 Licks: Myths and Stories from Half a Century of the Rolling Stones. New York City: Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 167–168. ISBN 978-1408833827.

[mcpherson-9] McPherson, Ian. "Track Talk: Angie". timeisonourside.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2009. Retrieved 26 January 2016.

[10] Richards, Keith; Sandall, Robert (1993). Interview, Jump Back: The Best of The Rolling Stones (Liner notes). Hollywood, California: Virgin Records. 72438-64682-2-2. "The basic melody and the title were mine...I'd recently had my daughter born, whose name was Angela, and the name was starting to ring around the house. But I'm into writing about my babies. Angie just fitted. I mean, you couldn't sing 'Maureen'...

[11] Richards, Keith; Fox, James (2010). Life. New York City: Back Bay. p. 323. ISBN 978-0316034418. While I was in the [Vevey drug] clinic, Anita was down the road having our daughter, Angela. Once I came out of the usual trauma, I had a guitar with me and I wrote Angie in an afternoon, sitting in bed, because I could finally move my fingers and put them in the right place again...I just went, 'Angie, Angie'. It was not about any particular person; it was a name, like 'ohhh, Diana'. I didn't know Angela was going to be called Angela when I wrote 'Angie'. In those days you didn't know what sex the thing was going to be until it popped out.

[nzentgraf-12] Zentgraf, Nico. "The Complete Works of the Rolling Stones 1962–2008". Archived from the original on 5 January 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2009.

[13] The Rolling Stones - Angie - official promo on YouTube, director Michael Lindsay-Hogg

[sc_Austria_The_Rolling_Stones-14] "Austriancharts.at – The Rolling Stones – Angie" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 19 June 2016.

[sc_Flanders_The_Rolling_Stones-15] "Ultratop.be – The Rolling Stones – Angie" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 19 June 2016.

[16] "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 24 November 1973. Retrieved 25 February 2019.

[sc_Germany_The_Rolling_Stones-17] "Offiziellecharts.de – The Rolling Stones – Angie" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 19 June 2016.

[sc_Ireland2_The_Rolling_Stones-18] "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Angie". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 June 2016.

[sc_Dutch100_The_Rolling_Stones-19] "Dutchcharts.nl – The Rolling Stones – Angie" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 19 June 2016.

[sc_New_Zealand_The_Rolling_Stones-20] "Charts.nz – The Rolling Stones – Angie". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 4 October 2017.

[sc_Norway_The_Rolling_Stones-21] "Norwegiancharts.com – The Rolling Stones – Angie". VG-lista. Retrieved 19 June 2016.

[22] Currin, Brian. "South African Rock Lists Website - SA Charts 1965 - 1989 Songs (A-B)". www.rock.co.za.

[23] Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.

[sc_Switzerland_The_Rolling_Stones-24] "Swisscharts.com – The Rolling Stones – Angie". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 June 2016.

[sc_UKsinglesbyname_The_Rolling_Stones-25] "The Rolling Stones: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 19 June 2016.

[sc_Billboardhot100_The_Rolling_Stones-26] "The Rolling Stones Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 June 2016.

[27] Whitburn, Joel (1993). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993. Record Research. p. 204.

[28] "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending October 27, 1973". Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.. Cash Box magazine. Retrieved 5 September 2016.

[29] "Australian Chart Book". Austchartbook.com.au. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 8 October 2016.

[30] "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 8 October 2016.

[31] "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1971" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 March 2018.

[32] Swiss Year-End Charts, 1973

[33] "Top Pop Singles" Billboard 29 December 1973: TA-28

[34] "Cash Box YE Pop Singles - 1973". Tropicalglen.com. 29 December 1973. Archived from the original on 15 July 2014. Retrieved 8 October 2016.

[ItalyThe_Rolling_StonesAngiesingleCertRef-35] "Italian single certifications – The Rolling Stones – Angie" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 8 October 2018. Select "2018" in the "Anno" drop-down menu. Select "Angie" in the "Filtra" field. Select "Singoli" under "Sezione".

[United_StatesThe_Rolling_StonesAngiesingleCertRef-36] "American single certifications – The Rolling Stones – Angie". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 12 January 2015.

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Video releases	Let's Spend the Night Together (1983) Video Rewind (1984) Stones at the Max (1992) Sympathy for the Devil (1994) Voodoo Lounge Live (1995) The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus (1996) Bridges to Babylon Tour '97–98 (1998) Four Flicks (2003) Toronto Rocks (2004) A Bigger Bang: Special Edition (2005) The Biggest Bang (2007) T.A.M.I. Show (2010) Ladies and Gentlemen: The Rolling Stones (2010) Some Girls: Live in Texas '78 (2011) Muddy Waters & The Rolling Stones Live At The Checkerboard Lounge, Chicago 1981 (2012) Sweet Summer Sun: Live in Hyde Park (2013) Hampton Coliseum (Live 1981) (2014) L.A. Friday (2014) Live at the Tokyo Dome (2015) Live at Leeds (2015) Totally Stripped (2016) Havana Moon (2016) Voodoo Lounge Uncut (2018) Steel Wheels Live (2020)
Documentaries	Charlie Is My Darling (1966) The Stones in the Park (1969) Gimme Shelter (1970) Cocksucker Blues (1972) 25×5: the Continuing Adventures of the Rolling Stones (1989) Stripped (1995) Shine a Light (2008) Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out! (2009) Stones in Exile (2010) Crossfire Hurricane (2012) Olé Olé Olé!: A Trip Across Latin America (2017)
Tours	British Tour 1963 1964 tours 1965 tours 1966 tours European Tour 1967 American Tour 1969 European Tour 1970 UK Tour 1971 American Tour 1972 Pacific Tour 1973 European Tour 1973 Tour of the Americas '75 Tour of Europe '76 US Tour 1978 American Tour 1981 European Tour 1982 Steel Wheels/Urban Jungle Tour Voodoo Lounge Tour Bridges to Babylon Tour No Security Tour Licks Tour A Bigger Bang Tour 50 & Counting 14 On Fire Zip Code Tour América Latina Olé Tour 2016 Fall 2016 US Tour No Filter Tour
Associated places	Redlands Stargroves Nellcôte The Wick Downe House The Mick Jagger Centre Stones Fan Museum
Related articles	Discography Songs Awards and nominations Concert tours Jagger–Richards Nanker Phelge Rolling Stones Records Promotone Altamont Free Concert The Rolling Stones' Redlands bust Rolling Stones Mobile Studio The Rolling Stones: An Illustrated Record Andrew Loog Oldham Eric Easton Allen Klein John Pasche Instruments played Stone Country: Country Artists Perform the Songs of the Rolling Stones Tongue and lips logo
Category

show v t The Rolling Stones singles
Decca (UK) and London (US) singles	"Come On" "I Wanna Be Your Man" / "Stoned" "Not Fade Away" / "Little by Little" "It's All Over Now" "Tell Me" / "I Just Want to Make Love to You" "Time Is on My Side" "Little Red Rooster" "Heart of Stone" "The Last Time" / "Play with Fire" "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" / "The Spider and the Fly" "Get Off of My Cloud" / "I'm Free" "As Tears Go By" "19th Nervous Breakdown" / "As Tears Go By" "Paint It Black" / "Stupid Girl" "Mother's Little Helper" / "Lady Jane" "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?" "Let's Spend the Night Together" / "Ruby Tuesday" "We Love You" / "Dandelion" "In Another Land" "She's a Rainbow" / "2000 Light Years from Home" "Jumpin' Jack Flash" "Street Fighting Man" / "No Expectations" "Honky Tonk Women" / "You Can't Always Get What You Want"
Rolling Stones Records/Atlantic singles	"Brown Sugar" / "Bitch" / "Let It Rock" "Wild Horses" / "Sway" "Tumbling Dice" / "Sweet Black Angel" "Happy" / "All Down the Line" "Angie" / "Silver Train" "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)" / "Dancing with Mr. D" "It's Only Rock 'n Roll (But I Like It)" "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" / "Dance Little Sister" "Fool to Cry" "Hot Stuff"
Rolling Stones Records singles	"Miss You" / "Far Away Eyes" "Beast of Burden" / "When the Whip Comes Down" "Respectable" / "When the Whip Comes Down" "Shattered" "Emotional Rescue" "She's So Cold" / "Send It to Me" "Start Me Up" "Waiting on a Friend" / "Little T&A" "Hang Fire" / "Neighbours" "Going to a Go-Go" (live) / "Beast of Burden" (live) "Time Is on My Side" (live) / "Twenty Flight Rock" (live) "Undercover of the Night" "She Was Hot" "Too Much Blood" "Harlem Shuffle" "One Hit (To the Body)" "Mixed Emotions" "Rock and a Hard Place" "Almost Hear You Sigh" "Highwire" / "2000 Light Years from Home" (live) "Ruby Tuesday" (live) / "Play with Fire" (live) "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (live) / "Tumbling Dice" (live)
Virgin singles	"Love Is Strong" "You Got Me Rocking" "Out of Tears" "I Go Wild" "Like a Rolling Stone" (live) / "Black Limousine" / "All Down the Line" "Wild Horses" (live) / "Live with Me" (live) / "Tumbling Dice" (live) "Anybody Seen My Baby?" "Saint of Me" / "Gimme Shelter" (live) "Out of Control" "Don't Stop" / "Miss You" (remix) "Streets of Love" / "Rough Justice" "Rain Fall Down" "Biggest Mistake" / "Before They Make Me Run" (live) "Laugh, I Nearly Died"
Universal singles	"Plundered My Soul" / "All Down the Line" "No Spare Parts" / "Before They Make Me Run" "Doom and Gloom" "One More Shot" "Just Your Fool" "Living in a Ghost Town" "Scarlet"
ABKCO singles	"I Don't Know Why" / "Try a Little Harder" "Out of Time" / "Jiving Sister Fanny"
Other countries	"Let It Bleed" / "You Got the Silver" (Japan) "Rocks Off" / "Sweet Virginia" (Japan) "Star Star" / "Doo Doo Doo Doo Doo (Heartbreaker)" (France, Germany)