11 Angel Songs That Are Truly Angelic | Playlist 🎧

11 Angel Songs That Are Truly Angelic features music courtesy of Halle, Monica, Omar Apollo, PinkPantheress, and Tavares. 

“All night, all day / Angels watching over me, my Lord.” Those angelic lyrics hail from the beloved, African American spiritual, “All Night, All Day,” sometimes referred to as “Angels Watching Over Me.” Ask yourself this question: do you believe in angels? Whether the answer is a resounding yes or a no, you can believe in the angelic songs that grace this playlist.  That’s right, 11 Angel Songs That Are Truly Angelic is filled with heaven… or, at least, heavenly music that’s sure to enhance the playlist! 11 Angel Songs That Are Truly Angelic features music courtesy of Halle, Monica, Omar Apollo, PinkPantheress, and Tavares among others. So, without further ado, let’s dive right into the angelic excellence that is 11 Angel Songs That Are Truly Angelic!

1. Halle, “Angel”     

🎵 “Angel” • 🏷 Parkwood Entertainment LLC / Columbia • 🗓 2023      

Grammy nominated singer Halle (Halle Bailey) unveiled her debut solo single, “Angel” in August 2023. Written by Halle, Sebastian Kole and producer, Ron “Neff-U” Feemster, the results are… angelic 😇!  “Angel” commences angelically, with gorgeous, rhythmic production.  Vocally, Halle’s tone is stunning – celestial.  The control and ease with which she sings is impressive, never breaking a sweat yet packing a formidable and mighty punch. Melodically, “Angel” is tuneful, particularly the chorus:           

“Black girl here, black girl with the black girl hair     

Took a little sunkiss just to look like this     

God-sent, you’re an angel (angel)     

Angel (angel)     

Angel (angel)      

Angel (angel).”  

Her high notes are EPIC!  Beyond the sound – piano, organ, and tasteful synths – and the voice, the theme and lyrics are #winning. Black girl empowerment, PERIOD.  “I’m more than a girl,” Halle sings in the second verse, continuing, “Won’t let the troubles of the world / Come weigh me down.” Among the most beautiful lyrics hail from the bridge, where she sings, “Some might hate, and they wait on your fall / They don’t know there’s a grace for it all / My flaws don’t make me.” All told, Halle nails it on “Angel”. BRAVO!

Appears in 🔻:    

• Awesome Songs: August 2023   
• 11 Songs Where Spirituality is Sus… (2023)   
• 51 Best Songs of 2023  

2. Omar Apollo, “Angel” 

💿 Live for Me (EP) • 🏷 Omar Apollo / Warner • 📅 2023 

Live For Me marks an emotional project for Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter Omar Apollo – an understatement.  A lyric that stands out from the first verse of the third track, “Angel,” is “Took Fentanyl to melt his mind / Numb his thoughts… a sacrifice /… You pray to God… I’ll pray to mine.” Whoa!  At the beginning, there is a hypnotic guitar loop.  “Angel” features indulgent, rich vocals, with Omar’s tone shining as always – gorgeous to the nth degree. The vocal effects, harmonies, and various vocal parts help to make “Angel” truly angelic. Eventually a drum groove enters the mix. What separates “Angel” from the title track that precedes are the more experimental vibes, making it an ear-catching listen. As the song progresses, it reveals more of its magic, particularly how tuneful the chorus is. That chorus is also honestly penned and performed:

“Too young to grow wings, too young to be an angel 

Your mother needs you, woah 

Your father needs you.”  

The bridge section marks another high point of the record, where Omar speaks about lying.  He finishes things off with that fabulous chorus, in extended fashion. Shout out the various instruments and production work by Oscar Santander (Apollo writes, plays instruments, and co-produces).   

3. Monica, “Angel of Mine”   

💿 The Boy is Mine • 🏷 Arista • 📅 1998  

“You came into my life / Sent from above / When I lost all hope / You showed me love…” Grammy-winning R&B artist Monica landed multiple big-time hits in her heyday.  The biggest, of course, is the song she won her sole Grammy for, “The Boy is Mine” alongside Brandy, which spent 13 weeks at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.  That said, her 1998 album, fittingly titled, The Boy Is Mine, was stacked with gems, including the sixth track, “Angel of Mine”.  A platinum certified single from a multiplatinum album, “Angel of Mine” spent four weeks at no. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1999. The ballad was written by Rhett Lawrence and Travon Potts.  However, Monica was not the original performer. Those honors belonged to British R&B group, Eternal, who earned a top-five hit on the UK charts. Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins ultimately produced the version I grew up by Monica. 

Why is “Angel of Mine” the cat’s meow – rad AF? It begins and ends with Monica. Her voice is stunning – beautiful, refined, and rich. She sings with authenticity, which sells the angelic vibes that this boy is giving off.  “I look at you looking at me / Now I know why they say / The best things are free,” she sings in the first verse, adding, “I’m gonna love you, boy / You are so fine, angel of mine.” It should be noted that Monica was a teenager when she released the song, but, her ‘feels’ are, well, ‘feeling!’ “Last night, the way you moved is still on my mind,” she sings in verse two, capping it off with, “Angel of mine.” Of course, the centerpiece is the chorus, where she’s thankful for his love, which is, “right on time.” Besides awesome vocals, tuneful melodies, and memorable songwriting, the production and sound of the record constructed by Jerkins is perfect. Idiomatic of the 90s, that rhythmic guitar and warm keyboard touches take me back (hopefully, you too)! So does the beat for that matter.  “Angel of Mine”, courtesy of Monica remains a bop, approaching three decades (!) later!

Appears in 🔻:  

• Monica, Angel of Mine: COVERS No. 4 (2024) 

4. Troye Sivan, “Angel Baby” 

🎵 “Angel Baby” • 🏷 Universal Music Australian Pty Ltd • 📅 2021

“I need a lover to keep me sane / Pull me from hell – bring me back again.” On Instagram, openly gay Australian (via South Africa) pop artist Troye Sivan described “Angel Baby” as a “surprise gushy juice doting adoring power bottom gay ballad.” Sivan has consistently embraced his sexuality, doing so once again, brilliantly on “Angel Baby.” “Angel Baby” checks off all boxes.  Sivan gets gorgeous production work from Jason Evigan, who embraces a lush, plush, 80s-infused sound. Vocally, Sivan sounds utterly sublime, coming off authentic and honest. I heart the dedication that he exhibits towards his ‘angel.’ “I tell you how I almost died, while you’re bringing me back to life,” he sings on the pre-chorus, before unveiling the epic chorus.  On the chorus, there’s a fuller sound with more punch from a production perspective.  Furthermore, Sivan also performs with more oomph. The chorus is incredibly tuneful, bearing a memorable melody:     

“I just wanna live in this moment forever  

‘Cause I’m afraid that living couldn’t get any better  

Started giving up on the world forever  

Until you give up heaven so we could be together.”    

Troye Sivan excels in the pop lane, unafraid to embrace queerness. Musically, “Angel Baby” showcases a high level of musicianship in all facets: great performance, songwriting, and production work. 

Appears in 🔻:  

• 15 Steamy Songs Best Listened to After Dark (2021)  
• Awesome Songs: September 2021  
• Queer Joy: 5ive Songs No. 82 (2021)  
• 15 Gay Anthems That Exude Joy (Vo1. 1) (2021)  

5. Tavares, “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel”  

💿 Sky High • 🏷 Capitol • 🗓 1976 

“Heaven must be missing an angel / Missing one angel, child, ‘cause you’re here with me right now.” Oh, the feels, the feels, the feels! Grammy-winning collective Tavares keeps it all in the family – five Cape-Verdean American brothers born and bred in Providence, Rhode Island.  One of the biggest hits and best-known songs of the R&B/soul/funk collective’s career was “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel”. “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel” appears as the fourth track on the collective’s 1976 album, Sky High. Tavares earned multiple accolades for the record. For one, it peaked at no. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 – impressive.  Secondly, it marked the sole gold single of their career.  Gold singles were more difficult to come by back in the day, so, the fact “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel” earned such honors is also impressive.

Matters of the heart drive the success of this song, period.  “Your kiss, filled with tenderness / I want all I can get out of your sexiness,” Tavares asserts, adding, “Showers, your love comes in showers / And every hour on the hour / You let me feel your loving power.” Ooh wee! Later, it’s admitted, “Ooh, I’m captured by your spell (ooh, ooh) / You’re different, girl, I can tell.” Indeed, indeed! With dynamic singing, tuneful melodies, sexy vibes, and a groovy, picturesque backdrop (Freddie Perren) – rhythm section, strings, winds etc. – “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel” is nothing short of a vibe.  It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say this  six-and-a-half-minute Tavares song right here sounds angelic – just like heaven! Kent St. Lewis and Perren penned a good one!    

Appears in 🔻: 

• Tavares, Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 No. 191 (2023)  

6. PinkPantheress, “Angel (From Barbie The Album) 

💿 Barbie The Album • 🏷 Atlantic / Warner Bros. Entertainment • 📅 2023

“One day, my baby just went away… / My angel… / You’re what haunts me now that you’re away…” Sigh. PinkPantheress gets her moment to shine on Barbie The Album. That moment is brief, mind you, but angelic: “Angel.” PinkPantheress serves up a cool brand of smooth vocals, never getting too high.  She’s backed by a strong instrumental which she produced alongside BloodPop® and Count Baldor.  Thematically, “Angel” is about an ideal love that has gone away – oh the plight, the plight! While “He could be the one to make me never freeze again because / No one is as romantic as him,” ultimately, her angel, Johnny, is out of the picture 😢.

7. Manchester Orchestra, “Angel of Death”  

💿 The Million Masks of God • 🏷 Loma Vista • 📅 2021 

On The Million Masks of God, Atlanta, Georgia alt rock band 🎙 Manchester Orchestra deliver one of the most accomplished albums of 2021. Among key themes on The Million Masks of God are life and death.  One of the very best songs from this ultra-consistent LP is “Angel of Death,” a nearly six-minute record. The second track from The Million Masks of God continues to the conceptual nature of the album.  The music sounds utterly awesome with the robust bass, ripe guitars, and of course, beautiful, and commanding vocals by front man Andy Hull. “I was told it wouldn’t be long / ‘Life’s a basket full of cravings’,” he sings on the second verse, as mortality drives the narrative.  On the epic, powerful chorus, he asserts, “I’m on fire / And the guilt’s doing all of the thinking / I’m alive / But it isn’t the same as before.”  Definitely a record that tickles one’s fancy despite its darker theme.   

Appears in 🔻:  

• ‘A’ Songs: No Rhyme or Reason, Vol. 2 (2021)  
• Angel of Death: 3BOPS No. 63 (2021)  
• Mortality: 5ive Songs No. 83 (2021)  
• 13 Songs That Explore Mortality (In Some Form or Fashion) (2021)  

8. Gunna, “p angels” 

💿 a Gift & a curse • 🏷 Young Stoner Life / 300 Entertainment • 📅 2023

“On a tsunami, yeah, like wave / I bought the map (uh), Bruce Wayne (Wayne).” Woo! “P angels” appears as the ninth track from a Gift & a Curse, the 2023 studio album by rapper, Gunna. Interestingly, the Grammy-nominated rapper doesn’t mention those p angels until the first verse (“I got P angels, they pullin’ up whisperin’ / Breakin’ out sentences, and geekin’ and trippin’”).  Over the course of nearly three minutes, Gunna flexes hard. There’s ample drip (“Paint all my watches same color of spade”), ambition (“I’m gon’ get a Grammy, that’s my witness”), and of course, sex (“I fuck some baddies four hours straight (Yeah) / Pill came from Porn Hub, we fucked out the gate (Yeah)”). His cadence and flow are sweet – in a hard-nosed sort of way.  He raps with ease, yet still manages to pack a sizable punch.  Furthermore, Gunna gets a lift from the production, courtesy of 88 Krazy, Slowburnzz, and Willis Keating. That beat, as well as the minor key and dark aesthetic fuel the fire.    

9. Kacey Musgraves, “angel” 

💿 star-crossed • 🏷 UMG Recordings, Inc. • 📅 2021 

Kacey Musgraves is honest and open on “Angel,” a standout from her 2021 album, star-crossed.  On this ballad, the Grammy winner admits to being imperfect. She takes some of the responsibility for the end of her marriage to singer/songwriter Ruston Kelly.  In the chorus, if she were indeed angelic – taking an escapist approach – she sings, “I’d pull you out of the darkness / Keep you out of the rain / Everything would be better / I’d never have to change.” Of course, ‘it takes two to tangle’ so, the dissolution of the marriage isn’t solely on her.  

10. Slayer, “Angel of Death”  

💿 Reign in Blood • 🏷 American Recordings • 📅 1986   

“Auschwitz, the meaning of pain / The way that I want you to die / Slow death, immense decay / Showers that cleanse you of your life.” Slayer is both famous and infamous depending on where you stand. The themes covered in their music – serial killers, religious skepticism, and Satanism – aren’t for the ‘faint of heart.’ “Angel of Death” serves as the up-tempo opener from their renowned, controversial 1986 album, Reign in Blood. Slayer tackles Joseph Mengele, an infamous doctor at the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II, known for his “inhumane medical experimentation upon the prisoners”.    

“Sadistic, surgeon of demise / Sadist of the noblest blood / Destroying, without mercy / To benefit the Aryan race.” It doesn’t end there, folks! “Surgery, with no anesthesia / Feel the knife pierce you intensely / Inferior, no use to mankind / Strapped down screaming out to die.” Fans of FX anthology series American Horror Story may not have realized that character Dr. Arthur Arden (played by James Cromwell on season two, Asylum) was based on Mengele. “Angel of Death” was the nickname for the twisted doctor/murderer.  Listen to this record and read through the lyrics, and there’s no way this couldn’t be controversial. 

“Pumped with fluid, inside your brain  

Pressure in your skull begins pushing through your eyes  

Burning flesh, drips away  

Test of heat burns your skin; your mind starts to boil.”   

Appears in 🔻:  

• Slayer, Angel of Death: Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 No. 28 (2021) 
• Angel of Death: 3BOPS No. 63 (2021)  

11. Hinder, “Lips of an Angel”  

💿 Extreme Behavior • 🏷 Universal • 📅 2005   

“Honey why you callin’ me so late?” Those are the famous opening lyrics from the 2005 hit single, “Lips of an Angel” by rock collective, Hinder.  This was the breakthrough song – a rock ballad, mind you – from Extreme Behavior that ‘put the band on the map.’  Of course, many people ‘hated on’ Hinder back in the day, comparing them to successful if divisive Canadian rock band, Nickelback.  Nonetheless, “Lips of an Angel” was difficult to escape – it was incredibly ubiquitous. Of course, the most irresistible part of the song is none other than the centerpiece, the chorus.  Besides the lyrics and melody here, maybe it’s the masculine, dare I say, sexy vocals of front man Austin Winkler, sigh.    

“It’s really good to hear your voice  

Sayin’ my name, it sounds so sweet  

Comin’ from the lips of an angel  

Hearin’ those words, it makes me weak  

And I never wanna say goodbye  

But girl you make it hard to be faithful  

With the lips of an angel.”    

Appears in 🔻:  

• Lips 👄: 5ive Songs No. 12 (2021)  

11 Angel Songs That Are Truly Angelic (2024) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; 300 Entertainment, American Recordings, Arista, Atlantic, Capitol, Columbia, Loma Vista, Omar Apollo, Parkwood Entertainment LLC, UMG Recordings Inc., Universal, Universal Music Australian Pty Ltd, Warner, Young Stoner Life; Carlos Santiago, KoolShooters, Reign Martinez from Pexels; Eris, LeandroDeCarvalho, NoName_13, Vika Glitter from Pixabay; Tide_trasher_x on Unsplash]