Angel is a piano-driven ballad by Canadian singer-songwriter Sarah McLachlan. It first appeared on her 1997 album Surfacing and was released as the album’s fourth single on 28 September 1998; the song also features on the City of Angels soundtrack. Written by McLachlan and produced by Pierre Marchand, it features a sparse arrangement of piano, a drum machine, and upright bass and sits within the pop/adult contemporary genre. Lyrically it reflects on the overdose death of Smashing Pumpkins keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin in 1996, conveying loss and the search for comfort in difficult times. The track peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 and spent 12 weeks at number one on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, and it remains a staple at funerals and in ASPCA campaigns. A 2002 Dusted remix gave it renewed life in Europe, reaching the top 10 in Ireland and charting in the UK.
