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There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)

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"There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" is a song by the British musical duo Eurythmics, released as the second single from their fifth studio album, Be Yourself Tonight (1985). It features a harmonica solo by American musician Stevie Wonder. The song became a worldwide success; most notably in Ireland, Norway and the United Kingdom, where it remains the duo's only chart-topper.

"There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)"
Single by Eurythmics
from the album Be Yourself Tonight
B-side"Grown Up Girls"
Released24 June 1985 (1985-06-24)[1]
GenrePop[2][3]
Length
  • 4:32 (7-inch version)
  • 5:22 (album version)
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)David A. Stewart
Eurythmics singles chronology
"Would I Lie to You?"
(1985) 		"There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)"
(1985) 		"Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves"
(1985)
Music video
"There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" on YouTube

Original version

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Upon its release, "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" became Eurythmics' first (and to date only) number-one single in the United Kingdom, reaching number one on 27 July 1985 and staying there for one week, whilst also topping the charts in Finland, Ireland and Norway. The song also reached the top 10 in Australia, Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand and Sweden, while peaking at number 22 on the US Billboard Hot 100.

Reception

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Cash Box said that the "Annie Lennox harmonies, slick Dave Stewart production work and Stevie Wonder's incredible harmonica" were highlights of the song.[4] Billboard similarly praised Wonder's harmonica bridge and Lennox’s "absolutely happy" lead vocals.[5]

Spin wrote it was, "in the tradition of the best MOR pop, reminiscent of Dusty Springfield and Dionne Warwick. It's sweet but not syrupy, the background voices so otherworldly I can only guess if they are human or synthesized."[2]

Music video

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The accompanying music video was shot at New Wimbledon Theatre in London.

The music video for "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)", directed by Eddie Arno and Mark Innocenti, was shot at New Wimbledon Theatre in London in June 1985. It portrays the times of Louis XIV of France (David A. Stewart) being entertained while watching a theatre performance of singing angels (one of which is played by Steven O'Donnell).[6]

Track listings

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  • 7-inch single
A. "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" (7″ edit) - 4:36
B. "Grown Up Girls" - 4:17
  • 12-inch single
A. "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" (LP version) - 5:22
B. "Grown Up Girls" - 4:17
  • 12-inch single (Special Dance Mix)
A. "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" (Special Dance Mix) - 6:20
B. "Grown Up Girls" - 4:17

Credits and personnel

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Eurythmics

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Additional personnel

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Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for "There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[37] Gold 50,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[38] Silver 200,000‡

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

No Angels version

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"There Must Be an Angel"
 
Single by No Angels
from the album Elle'ments
Released12 August 2001
StudioAudiostudios (Berlin)
Length3:55
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
No Angels singles chronology
"Rivers of Joy"
(2001) 		"There Must Be an Angel"
(2001) 		"When the Angels Sing" / "Atlantis"
(2001)

Recording and release

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In mid-2001, producers Patrik Majer, Ulf Leo Sommer, and Rosenstolz member Peter Plate consulted on a contemporary version of the track, recorded by German girl band No Angels.[39] Suggested for re-recording by band manager Joy Behar, the Eurythmics song was one of a couple of tracks considered to be remade by the quintet but was eventually picked when the producers of the animated feature The Little Polar Bear [it] agreed to accept the track as film's theme song.[40] "We were speechless and very happy about [the decision]. The animated movie was a world premiere and something really big for us. We immediately said 'yes'," Lucy Diakovska said in an interview.[40] Sandy Mölling noted, that the song was an all-time favourite of the band: "I liked Annie Lennox' voice ever since I can remember."[41] However, in a 2005 interview, Vanessa Petruo revealed her discontent with the song, calling it the "most unnecessary" of all cover versions the band had released between the years of 2001 and 2003.[42]

"There Must Be an Angel" premiered on 9 July 2001, on the RTL Berlin radio network, receiving a positive reception from music critics, and on 17 July 2001 a preview was available on-demand in its entirety on the band's official website. Finally released as the band's third single on 12 August 2001 in German-speaking Europe, the original CD single spawned both an unplugged and an orchestral version, latter featuring music by the Deutsches Filmorchester Babelsberg.[43] The record was subsequently included on the Special Winter Edition reissue of the Elle'ments album (2001).[40] "There Must Be an Angel" was awarded for "Top Single Germany" at the 2001 Top of the Pops Awards.[44]

Commercial performance

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The group's first non-album release following "Daylight in Your Eyes" and "Rivers of Joy", the single debuted at number one on the German Singles Chart, staying at the top for five consecutive weeks, 12 weeks in the top 40, and 17 weeks inside the top 60.[45] "There Must Be an Angel" was eventually certified gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI) for more than 250,000 shipped copies and ranked 13th on the 2001 year-end chart in Germany.[46][47]

In Austria, the single opened at number eight on the Ö3 Austria Top 40 singles chart.[48] However, it was not until 23 September 2001, the song's fifth week of release, "There Must Be an Angel" eventually climbed to the top spot. It remained another week at number one and spent 21 weeks within the top 60 of the chart,[48] ranking 19th on the Austrian year-end chart in 2001.[49] In Switzerland, the single debuted at number 36 on the Swiss Singles Chart.[43] Benefiting from strong airplay, the song reached number two in its third week of release, becoming No Angels' second highest-charting single there to date.[43] As in Germany, "There Must Be an Angel" was certified gold by the Swiss arm of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and ranked 21 on the Swiss year-end chart.[50] In Poland, "There Must Be an Angel" reached number 29 on the Polish Airplay Chart.[51]

Music video

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The music video for "There Must Be an Angel" was filmed at the Gatow Airport in Berlin-Spandau.[52]

The music video for "There Must Be an Angel" was directed by Jörn Heitmann and filmed near the General-Steinhof-Kaserne at the Gatow Airport in Berlin-Spandau, Germany, on 19 July 2001.[52] Inspired by Tony Scott's 1986 film Top Gun, the clip features the quintet as fighter pilots of the fictional US military squadron 68 at an also-fictional airbase in Angelville, United States. Additionally, it incorporates a 1940s World War II theme, heavily inspired by performances of Marilyn Monroe, The Andrews Sisters and others during their USO shows. Among the aircraft shown in the video are MiG-21s, a B-57 Canberra, an F-104 Starfighter and a Dassault Mystère.[53] "There Must Be an Angel" world premiered in early August 2001 on television but was temporarily banned from music networks due to its military theme, following the 11 September 2001 attacks.[54]

Track listings

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Maxi single[55]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."There Must Be an Angel" (Radio Edit)
3:55
2."There Must Be an Angel" (Unplugged Version)
  • Lennox
  • Stewart
  • Majer
  • Plate
  • Sommer
4:22
3."There Must Be an Angel" (Score Version)
  • Lennox
  • Stewart
  • Majer
  • Plate
  • Sommer
5:34
4."100% Emotional" (Radio Edit)
Peter Ries3:03
2-Track CD single[56]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."There Must Be an Angel" (Radio Edit)
  • Lennox
  • Stewart
  • Majer
  • Plate
  • Sommer
3:55
2."There Must Be an Angel" (Unplugged Version)
  • Lennox
  • Stewart
  • Majer
  • Plate
  • Sommer
4:22

Credits and personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of the Special Winter Edition of Elle'ments.[39]

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for "There Must Be an Angel"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[47] Gold 250,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[60] Gold 20,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ "New Singles". Music Week. 22 June 1985. p. 12. The song does not appear on the main list but can be seen in the index on the right side of the page.
  2. ^ a b Elliott Murphy (July 1985). "Spins". Spin. No. 3. p. 30.
  3. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Eurythmics - Greatest Hits (1991) Review at AllMusic. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  4. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. 3 August 1985. p. 11. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Reviews". Billboard. 1 August 1985. p. 74. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Making of - behind the scene of "There Must Be An Angel" video". eontv.free.fr. Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  7. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 105. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  8. ^ "Eurythmics – There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  9. ^ "Eurythmics – There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  10. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0585." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  11. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 9314." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  12. ^ "European Top 100 Singles" (PDF). Eurotipsheet. Vol. 2, no. 33. 19 August 1985. p. 10. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  13. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  14. ^ "Eurythmics – There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" (in French). Les classement single.
  15. ^ "Eurythmics – There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  16. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – There Must Be an Angel". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  17. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Eurythmics" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  18. ^ "Eurythmics – There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  19. ^ "Eurythmics – There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)". Top 40 Singles.
  20. ^ "Eurythmics – There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)". VG-lista.
  21. ^ "SA Charts 1965–1989 (As presented on Springbok Radio/Radio Orion) – Acts E". The South African Rock Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 3 May 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  22. ^ Salaverrie, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (in Spanish) (1st ed.). Madrid: Fundación Autor/SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
  23. ^ "Eurythmics – There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart)". Singles Top 100.
  24. ^ "Eurythmics: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 November 2016.
  25. ^ "Eurythmics Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  26. ^ "Eurythmics Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  27. ^ "Eurythmics Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  28. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles – Week ending September 21, 1985". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  29. ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1985". Kent Music Report. No. 599. 30 December 1985 – via Imgur.
  30. ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1985 – Singles" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  31. ^ "RPM's Top 100 Singles of 1985". RPM. Vol. 43, no. 16. 28 December 1985. p. 11. ISSN 0033-7064 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  32. ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts – 1985" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  33. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  34. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1985" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  35. ^ "Top Selling Singles of 1985". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  36. ^ "Top 100 Singles (January 5–December 28, 1985)" (PDF). Music Week. 18 January 1986. p. 10. ISSN 0265-1548 – via World Radio History.
  37. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Eurythmics – There Must Be an Angel". Music Canada. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  38. ^ "British single certifications – Eurythmics – There Must Be an Angel". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  39. ^ a b Elle'ments (Media notes). No Angels. Cheynne Records. 2001.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  40. ^ a b c Kale, Akira (1 November 2001). "Making of Der Kleine Eisbär". C4D-Treff. Archived from the original on 29 December 2007. Retrieved 22 December 2007.
  41. ^ "Neue Single 'There Must Be an Angel!". NoAngels.tv. Retrieved on 22 December 2007.
  42. ^ "Vanessa Petruo Interview". Rent a Pocher. Retrieved on 30 August 2009.
  43. ^ a b c d "No Angels – There Must Be an Angel". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  44. ^ "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank ('There Must Be an Angel')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 22 March 2009.
  45. ^ a b "No Angels – There Must Be an Angel" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 16 October 2018.
  46. ^ a b "Top 100 Singles-Jahrescharts – 2001" (in German). Offizielle Deutsche Charts. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  47. ^ a b "Gold-/Platin-Datenbank (No Angels; 'There Must Be an Angel')" (in German). Bundesverband Musikindustrie. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  48. ^ a b c "No Angels – There Must Be An Angel" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  49. ^ a b "Jahreshitparade Singles 2001". austriancharts.at (in German). Retrieved 24 April 2020.
  50. ^ a b "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 2001". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  51. ^ a b "Polish Airplay Charts - Lista krajowa 42/2001". PiF PaF Production. Archived from the original on 20 July 2002. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
  52. ^ a b Willer, Beate. "Geheimer Video-Dreh der No Angels auf dem Airport Gatow". Berliner Kurier. Retrieved 22 December 2007.
  53. ^ "No Angels drehen Video-Clip im Luftwaffenmuseum". BW-Fyler. 18 December 2001. Archived from the original on 30 December 2007. Retrieved 22 December 2007.
  54. ^ Holtschoppen, Felix (2004). Clips Collage. ISBN 9783825874209. Retrieved 22 December 2007.
  55. ^ "No Angels – There Must Be An Angel / 100% Emotional". Discogs. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  56. ^ "No Angels – There Must Be An Angel". Discogs. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
  57. ^ "Major Market Airplay – Week 45/2001" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 19, no. 45. 3 November 2001. p. 27. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  58. ^ "Romanian Top 100". Archived from the original on 30 June 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2016.
  59. ^ "Brazilian Top 100 Year-End 2002". Crowley Broadcast Analysis. 3 April 2018. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  60. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('There Must Be an Angel')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 April 2017.
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