Some people may find Canadian singer Sarah McLachlan’s song “Angel” sad because they associate it with the ASPCA commercial full of animals pleading to be adopted from shelters.
McLachlan herself has said she can’t even finish watching the commercial without getting emotional!
Released in 1997 on her album Surfacing, it has never been a cheerful tune, exactly. She wrote it about the passing of Jonathan Melvoin, the touring keyboardist for the band Smashing Pumpkins,’ who lost his life after an overdose.
She managed to complete the song in two days.
Despite the lilting vocals and beauty of the melody, the lyrics are undeniably sad, though the singer called writing it “a joyous occasion.”
“I wrote ‘Angel’ after being on the road for almost two years straight and was both mentally and physically drained,” McLachlan wrote in an essay for Quora. “I went to a cottage north of Montreal to relax and write and read an article in Rolling Stone about the Smashing Pumpkins keyboard player who had OD’ed in a hotel room.”
There’s always some reason
To feel not good enough
And it’s hard at the end of the day
I need some distraction
Oh, beautiful release
Memories seep from my veins
Let me be empty
Oh, and weightless, and maybe
I’ll find some peace tonight
Composing the song was also a way of letting go and trying not to take responsibility for the problems of other people.
“…the story shook me because though I have never done hard drugs like that, I felt a flood of empathy for him and that feeling of being lost an lonely an desperately searching for some kind of release.”
And it’s touched many people in the same situation.
“Truly the hymn of helpers and healers, delivered by god through the voice of an angel. Every the I hear it I want to save the world. A true inspiration. Your love is a blessing to all. Thanks for the light of compassion you shine so well!” said one commenter.
Perhaps that’s why the vocals are so haunting – and doubly so in the video uploaded to her official YouTube channel.
In it, she performs the song solo in her home studio, accompanying herself on the piano.
The album version is pretty pared down as is but does include the accompaniment of the upright bass, played by Jim Creeggan of the band Barenaked Ladies.
But people seemed to like the solo version, as well as the peek into McLachlan’s home studio.
“Absolutely love her, that is as good as the studio version if not better. And she can deliver lyrics in her songs so unbelievably… she is such an awesome artist,” gushed a viewer.
The beautiful song has a way of bringing up a well of emotions.
One commenter summed it up well:
“This song touches deep inside the listener because it rings so true, and perfectly balances the feelings of despair and joy, fear and hope, that our lives hinge upon every week of every year. I love her look and smile into the camera at the end, as if to say “this is for you”. Thank you, Sarah.”
Be sure to scroll down below to see her home performance of the song.
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