Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and recorded in November and December 1972, "Angie" is an acoustic guitar driven ballad which tells of the end of a romance. Rolling Stones-recording regular Nicky Hopkins plays the song's distinctive piano accompaniment. The strings on the piece (as well as "Winter") were arranged by Nicky Harrison. One unusual feature of the original recording is that singer Mick Jagger's vocal guide track (made before the final vocals were performed) is faintly audible throughout the song (an effect sometimes called a "ghost vocal").

Released as a single in August 1973, "Angie" went straight to the top of the US Billboard Hot 100 and reached No. 5 on the UK singles chart. The song was also a No. 1 hit in both Canada and Australia for five weeks each and topped the charts in many countries throughout Europe and the rest of the world.

 

Popular belief has it that the song was about David Bowie's first wife Angela or even about actress Angie Dickinson. Another belief was that the song was about Richards' daughter Dandelion Angela who had just been born. The song was written almost entirely both lyrically and musically by Keith Richards and in Richards' own biography he claims that the name Angie is a pseudonym for heroin and his attempt to quit while detoxing in Switzerland.

#1 back in 73, how about today?

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