Angels Brought Me Here
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| “Angels Brought Me Here” | |||||
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| Single by Guy Sebastian from the album Just as I Am |
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| Released | November 24, 2003 (Australia) | ||||
| Format | CD single | ||||
| Recorded | 2003 | ||||
| Genre | Pop | ||||
| Length | 3:59 | ||||
| Label | BMG | ||||
| Writer(s) | Jörgen Elofsson, John Reid | ||||
| Certification | 4× platinum (ARIA) | ||||
| Guy Sebastian singles chronology | |||||
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"Angels Brought Me Here" is a pop song written by Jörgen Elofsson and John Reid for 2003 Australian Idol winner Guy Sebastian, for his first album Just as I Am (2003). Recorded versions were made for both grand finalists, Sebastian and Shannon Noll, with only Sebastian's version officially released by BMG. The single was released in Australia on November 24, 2003, and peaked at number one on the ARIA Singles Chart becoming the fastest selling single on record for both an Australian artist and a debut artist. The single was also popular in New Zealand, topping the RIANZ Singles Chart.
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[edit] Background
"Angels Brought Me Here" was performed on November 9, 2003 by the final two contestants, Sebastian and Shannon Noll, during the penultimate episode of Australian Idol 2003.[1] Both contestants recorded and had their versions pressed by BMG, ready for the winner's version to be released immediately after the competition.[2] Guy Sebastian made an encore performance of the song after he was announced the winner of Australian Idol on November 19, 2003.
Guy Sebastian refers "Angels Brought Me Here" to his winning moment of Australian Idol and his journey throughout the competition.
"I reckon it really sums up just what I felt as far as the competition goes. It's a very overwhelming process to go through and you really do feel that there's something else that got you there. Especially with how I didn't feel confident before and then something just clicked and I could look people in the eyes and really try and deliver a song."[3]
Sebastian also states that "Angels Brought Me Here" is "a great, inspirational song" that summarises how any Idol winner would have felt during their winning moment of the competition.[3]
Shannon Noll's version of this song was later released in a bonus disc accompanying the limited edition of his debut album That's What I'm Talking About in 2004.[4]
[edit] Musical structure
The song is a pop ballad that was readily composed and written before the Idol finalists received the song. Both Sebastian and Noll's recorded versions were performed with the same musical structure.
The song is composed in common time. The song's tempo is adagio, performed at 65 beats per minute. The song's structure is in verse-chorus form, with a bridge following after two verses. The verses are in the key of C major, while the chorus changes key to D major, with higher dynamics. The last chorus following the bridge changes key again to E♭ major. At the end of the chorus, the lead singer sings the highest note of the song, holding for four bars, while the backing vocals repeat the chorus. The last line of the chorus is performed slightly off-beat, with the last notes held longer before the song ends. The vocals of the song range from C4 (middle C) to B♭5.[5]
[edit] Chart performance and sales
After its official single release on November 24, 2003, "Angels Brought Me Here" was sold out in two days, and BMG had to ship more copies during the week to cover sales.[2] The single debuted on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart on December 1, 2003 at number one,[6] selling 128,679 copies.[7] "Angels Brought Me Here" set an Australian record for the highest first week single sales from both a debut artist and an Australian artist. The single also had the second highest first week single sales from any artist, behind Elton John's tribute to Princess Diana, "Candle in the Wind".[8]
"Angels Brought Me Here" remained at the top spot for three consecutive weeks, before dropping to number three in its fourth week. The single spent a total of five weeks in the top ten and twelve weeks in the top fifty.[6] "Angels Brought Me Here" was certified four times platinum, selling in excess of 280,000 copies, being only a limited edition.[9] Despite being released at the end of 2003, the single's strong sales placed "Angels Brought Me Here" at number one on the End of Year Top 100 ARIA Singles Chart of 2003.[10] Its high sales earned Sebastian an ARIA Music Award for "Highest Selling Single" in 2004.[11]
"Angels Brought Me Here" was also released in New Zealand, and debuted at number one on December 1, 2003 on the RIANZ Singles Chart, retaining the position for three weeks. It spent eleven non-consecutive weeks in the top ten and twenty-two weeks in the top forty.[12] Since 1994, the single ranks number ninety-four of the best singles of all time in New Zealand.[13]
[edit] Notable performances
Guy Sebastian made a special guest appearance on American Idol in 2004, performing "Angels Brought Me Here" in the Top 3 verdict show.[14] Sebastian was also a guest performer in the verdict show on Asian Idol in 2007, performing the song with 2005 Indonesian Idol winner Mike Mohede.[15] It was also performed by the fourth American Idol winner, Carrie Underwood, in the last performance show on American Idol 2005.[16] In the United Kingdom, the song was performed on British drama series Rock Rivals. The show told the story of a fictional talent show set in London and the eventual "winner" Bethany Hopkins sang the song as her supposed winner's single on 23rd April 2008.
[edit] Track listing
- "Angels Brought Me Here" – 3:59
- "Angels Brought Me Here" (Midnite disco mix) – 7:32
- "Angels Brought Me Here" (DB's Idol edit) – 5:10
- "Angels Brought Me Here" (Starr mix) – 6:42
- "What a Wonderful World" (live from Idol) – 2:21
[edit] Charts
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart[6] | 1 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart[12] | 1 |
[edit] References
- ^ Davis, Tony. "Idol to live on after showdown", The Age, November 8, 2003. Retrieved on December 28, 2007.
- ^ a b Guy Sebastian biography. sing365.com. Retrieved on December 28, 2007.
- ^ a b Alera, Rowena. Album review: Just As I Am. ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved on December 28, 2007.
- ^ CD Releases: That's What I'm Talking About. Sony BMG Australia. Retrieved on December 28, 2007.
- ^ Sebastian, Guy (2004). Just as I Am. London: Wise Publications, pp. 4-9. ISBN 1-876871-47-4.
- ^ a b c australian-charts.com - Guy Sebastian - Angels Brought Me Here. australian-charts.com. Retrieved on December 28, 2007.
- ^ "Idol goes into sales decline", Herald Sun, December 5, 2006. Retrieved on October 23, 2007.
- ^ Donovan, Patrick. "Delta makes history", The Age, December 2, 2003. Retrieved on December 28, 2007.
- ^ ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2003 Singles. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved on December 28, 2007.
- ^ ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2003. Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved on December 28, 2007.
- ^ 2004: 18th Annual ARIA Awards. ARIA Awards. Retrieved on December 28, 2007.
- ^ a b New Zealand chart position. charts.org.nz. Retrieved on December 28, 2007.
- ^ Best of All Time - Singles. charts.org.nz. Retrieved on December 28, 2007.
- ^ "American Idol III Delivers Another Shocker with Finalists, Jasmine Trias, Fantasia Barrino & Diana DeGarmo", Rugged Elegance, May 19, 2004. Retrieved on December 28, 2007.
- ^ Moran, Jonathon. "Pearson charms Attenborough", The Sunday Telegraph, December 16, 2007. Retrieved on December 28, 2007.
- ^ King, Jennifer Carolyn. "Bo Bice Then Carrie Underwood Sing A Trio of American Idol IV Final Performances", Rugged Elegance, May 25, 2005. Retrieved on December 28, 2007.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by "Me Against the Music" by Britney Spears featuring Madonna |
ARIA (Australia) number one single December 1, 2003 - December 15, 2003 |
Succeeded by "Predictable" by Delta Goodrem |
| Preceded by "Stand Up"/"Not Many" by Scribe |
RIANZ (New Zealand) number one single December 7, 2003 - December 21, 2003 |
Succeeded by "Shut Up" by Black Eyed Peas |
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