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Angel


Shane

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Angel belongs to that group of 1980s Madonna singles that haven't been included on any of her compilations (alongside True Blue and Causing A Commotion). The song never had a music video and has only been performed live on The Virgin Tour. Maybe it will make a comeback one day, like we are seeing with True Blue on the Rebel Heart Tour.

It's interesting to me, because unlike the other three singles from LAV, Madonna wrote Angel (with S. Bray).

Some of the younger fans might not know unless they have researched the chart archives, but Angel was actually a top 5 smash, peaking at Number 5, the same position as Dress You Up. I remember hearing it on the radio when I was a kid, and according to Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, the song was a huge airplay smash, actually peaking at #4 in airplay. The song also spent one week longer than Dress You Up inside the Top 40.

I've always loved the effortless charm and infectious melody of this song. And when you think that radio listeners at that time went from Angel to Dress You Up, then Live To Tell a few months later, it shows you that the artistry of Madonna was in full bloom from the early days.

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Angel, Causing a Commotion, and Where's the Party are 80s musts on her next tour if you ask me.

(Thought she did very briefly throw in Where's the Party during Confessions which at least shows its on her radar somewhere.)

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Angel is the perfect song for being deliriously in love. Sweet, maddening innocence :) I don't remember it being played anywhere else but on my cassete tape, but perhaps that's because it coincided with Gambler which was huge over Europe and number one in Norway.

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That summer was crazily amazing. As already said, the powerhouse classics 'Like A Virgin' and 'Material Girl' were still being played everywhere, and in the space of six months we had 'Crazy For You' narrowly miss out on #1, quickly followed by 'Into The Groove' which had total chart domination for an entire month just as 'Crazy For You' started to slip, then 'Holiday' charged right back up to #2 (Madonna at this point has 3 songs in a top 20 including the #2 and #1 spot, in a chart that is FULL of massive songs that even today are recognised as classics), and then on the back of these comes a third wave that year with 'Angel' sailing into the top 5 closely followed by Gambler and seeing out 1985 / welcoming in 1986 with 'Dress You Up' at #5.

A casual glance at some of the tracks that Madonna's hits were competing with shows just how big an achievement it was to even reach the top ten at this time, let alone a constant and consistent run of top 5's:

Eurythmics - There Must Be An Angel

Pet Shop Boys - West End Girls

Wham! - I'm Your Man

Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You

Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill

A-Ha - Take On Me

Jennifer Rush - The Power Of Love

and this very week in 1985 keeping 'Angel' from #1 spot in the UK:

01. David Bowie & Mick Jagger - Dancing In The Street

02. Bonnie Tyler - Holding Out For A Hero

03. Stevie Wonder - Part Time Lover

04. Midge Ure - If I Was

05. Madonna - Angel

20. Madonna - Into The Groove

42. Madonna - Holiday

Just 3 weeks later, and 'Angel' loses it's grip on the top 10, slipping from #8 to #16 and 'Into The Groove' finally exits the top 40, down 12 places to #49, but inkeeping with Madonna's 1985 chart runs, climbing 13 places to #7 is a brand spanking new Madonna song called 'Gambler' !!!

Such an exciting time as a Madonna fan.

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Angel is the perfect song for being deliriously in love. Sweet, maddening innocence :) I don't remember it being played anywhere else but on my cassete tape, but perhaps that's because it coincided with Gambler which was huge over Europe and number one in Norway.

ugh Gambler was the best thing that ever happened to me. I heard it on radio and could not find the damn record in southern france. I had to have it. it was sitting in my brain the whole summer / when I finally got the record it did not disappoint. it was a massive personal hit... time before www. its romantic

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Like a virgin was still playing on the radio so was Material girl and came Angel with Into the groove followed closely by Crazy for you and Dress you up ( + Gambler was huge in Europe) = the 1985 onslaught !

And still some people think that the album is her worst and full of fillers hahaha. Which fillers???? The wonderful Over and Over??? The dramatic and exhilarating LDLHA???? The sweet Shoo Bee Doo, written by Madonna all by herself??? The magical Stay??? The trendy Pretender,?? That album crafted pop music. It was a pivotal moment and its influence has been bigger than Thriller for example

And Angel is the gem that only we, really hard fans, know and appreciate.

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ugh Gambler was the best thing that ever happened to me. I heard it on radio and could not find the damn record in southern france. I had to have it. it was sitting in my brain the whole summer / when I finally got the record it did not disappoint. it was a massive personal hit... time before www. its romantic

We need a Gambler thread!! I love it so much and it was one of my absolute favorites. I think the only reason many americans don't love it is that it wasn't a singel for some strange reason in america.

tumblr_myxoudnYo21qljse3o1_500.gif

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And still some people think that the album is her worst and full of fillers hahaha. Which fillers???? The wonderful Over and Over??? The dramatic and exhilarating LDLHA???? The sweet Shoo Bee Doo, written by Madonna all by herself??? The magical Stay??? The trendy Pretender,?? That album crafted pop music. It was a pivotal moment and its influence has been bigger than Thriller for example

And Angel is the gem that only we, really hard fans, know and appreciate.

It dosen't have any filler songs at all. I want you to stay, stay darling! Shoopshooshoo shodelibebop :)

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And still some people think that the album is her worst and full of fillers hahaha. Which fillers???? The wonderful Over and Over??? The dramatic and exhilarating LDLHA???? The sweet Shoo Bee Doo, written by Madonna all by herself??? The magical Stay??? The trendy Pretender,?? That album crafted pop music. It was a pivotal moment and its influence has been bigger than Thriller for example

And Angel is the gem that only we, really hard fans, know and appreciate.

Well to be honest, I don't think a lot of fans on here who put the album at the botton of a ranking mean to say the album is "bad" (at least for myself). It's just that the woman has SO much good music, something has to be at the bottom of a ranking. And maybe it shouldn't be LAV, but somehow the album seems to get the pick for a lot of people.

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And still some people think that the album is her worst and full of fillers hahaha. Which fillers???? The wonderful Over and Over??? The dramatic and exhilarating LDLHA???? The sweet Shoo Bee Doo, written by Madonna all by herself??? The magical Stay??? The trendy Pretender,?? That album crafted pop music. It was a pivotal moment and its influence has been bigger than Thriller for example

And Angel is the gem that only we, really hard fans, know and appreciate.

It's not at the bottom of my list at all :) (MDNA is and only because i hate GGW & Superstar & the whole mix of the album whereas i love everything on LAV). Like a virgin is a fantastic album inspired the Shangri la's, Motown & dancehall. The production, the drums..everything flows perfectly and the cover is beautiful. In fact i don't list Madonna albums now that i think about it.

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We need a Gambler thread!! I love it so much and it was one of my absolute favorites. I think the only reason many americans don't love it is that it wasn't a singel for some strange reason in america.

tumblr_myxoudnYo21qljse3o1_500.gif

I agree

Gambler is a gem, it was a departure because it had an edge. its burning up part 2

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I agree

Gambler is a gem, it was a departure because it had an edge. its burning up part 2

That's right baby!!! :) Only the lyrics have more attitude than burning up. What's not to love? I wonder if she ever will play it again, after all it was number one in several countries.

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