"Angel" by Madonna

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  2301
Date:  04/27/1985
Debut:  48
Peak:  5
Weeks:  17
Genre:  Dance-Pop



Pop Bits:  Madonna's Vision Quest soundtrack song "Crazy for You" was on the verge of hitting #1 when this third single from her Like a Virgin album was released. The tune was the first one written and pegged for the album and initially Madonna wanted it to be the lead single, but then a little tune called "Like a Virgin" came her way and this song got shuffled to third single status. Still, it did very well giving Madonna her fifth Top 5 hit in a row, which tied a record that had originally been set by Olivia Newton-John. The song would reach #1 at Dance while also getting to #5 AC and #71 R&B.

ReduxReview:  At the time this came out, it was a good single. It was hooky and seemed to fall directly in line with some of the material Madonna had done for her debut LP. It was solid dance-pop. Looking back now, I have to say that it's fairly pedestrian in comparison to many of Madonna's early hits (or even album tracks). Frankly, it's kind of forgettable. I mean, when is the last time you even thought about this song, let alone heard it? I think her label made a huge mistake in releasing this song over "Into the Groove" (see below). That song would have easily been her third #1 and it's a signature tune that has far outlasted lesser hits like this one.

ReduxRating:  5/10

Trivia:  Around this time, Madonna had recorded a song that was going to be used in the upcoming film Desperately Seeking Susan, in which Madonna had a co-starring role. She originally wrote "Into the Groove" for one of her former producers (Mark Kamins) to use, but she thought it was a fit for the film and recorded the song herself. Initially, the song was strong enough to be a single and with a hit movie, doubly so. However, with "Crazy for You" (another soundtrack song) already interrupting the flow of singles from Like a Virgin, there just wasn't a time slot to release the track. Therefore, the song got placed on the b-side to the 12" version of "Angel" and was pushed out to the clubs. The song ended up getting tons of airplay and in combination with "Angel," it hit #1 at Dance. It also got to #19 at R&B. However, without an official a-side single release, which was required for the Pop chart, it never made the chart despite its popularity. At the time the song wasn't available on the movie soundtrack or anywhere else, so folks were forced to buy the 12" to hear it. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing as the 12" combo of "Angel" and "Into the Groove" would end up being a gold seller. The song would be issued as a single elsewhere and it would reach #1 in many countries including the UK.

_________________________________________________________________________________