Eurythmics

• Annie Lennox – vocals, keyboards
• David A. Stewart – keyboards

Additional personnel

• Stevie Wonder – harmonica
• Michael Kamen – strings
• Dean Garcia – bass guitar
• Olle Romo – drums
• Angel Cross - backing vocals

Recording and release

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

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

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

Credits and personnel

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

Charts

Certifications