Riffiter on Angels

Robbie has said he wrote Angels in about 25 minutes, and it sounds like it in a good way. The verse is almost nothing: piano, a tired voice, a man asking for help without saying what for. Then the chorus opens up and the whole song stands. It never tries to be clever, which is why crowds still ask for it. This week in Buenos Aires the fans outside his hotel requested it, and with one acoustic guitar behind him it still worked. The 1997 recording is heavier than it needs to be, and the strings push where the melody already does the job. The song itself is the best thing he has recorded.