“The Angel of 8th Ave.” by Gang of Youths
“The Angel of 8th Ave.” is one of those types of song explanations whereas it may be best if we reveal the spoiler from the jump.Ā And that is the titular āAngel of 8thĀ Ave.ā is actually a reference to the vocalistās significant other.Ā More specifically, Gang of Youthsā lead singer David Leāaupepe based this story on two different factors in his life. First is his relationship with his wife.Ā And second would be the fact that the whole gang of Youths recently relocated to London.Ā And it is such where the song is generally set.Ā
But whereas there is at least one solid reference to London, that is not to say that the narrative is set therein per se.Ā For instance, Leāaupepe also gives a shoutout to āWashington Squareā which, as far as we know, is in New York City.Ā So it appears as if the specific metropolis this song is set in is not whatās really important.Ā
So if one reference points to New York and another to London, the one thing they do have most in common is being prominent metropolises.Ā And again, such a setting is the one in which this narrative takes place.Ā Or more to the point, as explained by the singer, is this love story being situatedĀ āin a new cityāĀ the narrator is now discovering.
Addressee
But as far as the singerās relationship with the addressee, he gets a lot more specific in that regard.Ā Indeed the vocalist gets quite passionately detailed in terms of illustrating the effect the addresseeās presence has had on his life.Ā
In fact according to his own critique, prior to hooking up with her, he was basically worthless.Ā But it was now having someone to love which for instance compelled the vocalist to go out and āfindā¦ a jobā.Ā And even though that aspiration has not materialized as idealized, still the addressee remains by his side.Ā So he perceives her as his savior, so to speak.
Moreover, as further elaborated in the second verse, it was one of those situations where the addressee was able to perceive his āsorrowsā and mitigate them under her own initiative. He then goes on to make a couple of specific references, āIslingtonā (i.e. London) and āLaneyā, in his continued praise of her.
Cort Bray
Well since we already that this song serves as a tribute to Davidās wife, we resorted to Google to try to find a connection between all of these facts and ideas.Ā For instance we know that Gang of Youths have been to both New York and, as aforementioned, London (where they are presently situate).Ā However, we were not able to find out where Leāaupepeās wife comes from.Ā
But we do know that her name is Cort Bray, and they got marriedĀ sometime around late-2017.Ā And we also know that (as the storyline reads) David was dealing with some serious issues back then. Heck, he even attempted suicide.Ā But, as the song reveals, the vocalist eventually overcame this melancholy largely due toĀ the support of his significant other.
What “the angel of 8th ave.” is all about
So even though we may not know the history behind all of the facts in this song, we do understand to indeed be by and large facts.Ā And what we have here is a singer who is apparently using religious imagery in relation to his wife not simply in the name of love but also because she actually played a miraculous role in his life.
Gang of Youths
Gang of Youths is a rock band from Australia.Ā Theyāve been around since 2011, and for the record their membership as of the release date of this track (16 June 2021) would be in their late-20s/early-30s.Ā Also as of said date, the Gang is made of the following:
- David Leāaupepe (lead vocalist)
- Jung Kim (primary keyboardist)
- Max Dunn (primary bassist)
- Donnie Borzestowski (primary drummer)
- Tom Hobden (primary violinist)
Since 2015 Gang of Youths have dropped two albums, their debut,Ā “The Positions”Ā (2015) andĀ “Go Farther in Lightness”Ā (2017), with the latter topping their hometown ARIA Albums Chart.Ā Theyāve also released quite a few singles, particularly during the latter half of the 2010s, with 2017āsĀ “Let Me Down Easy”Ā being the most-successful of the lot.Ā
“The Angel of 8th Ave.”
“The Angel of 8thĀ Ave.”Ā is the first single the Youths have come out with during the 2020s.Ā And Sony Music Australia is behind its issuance, as is another label called Mosy Records.
Gang of Youths produced this song, and the aforementioned members of the band are individually credited as its writers.Ā They put the piece together in London, where the crewĀ recently relocated to.
The director of this trackās music video, which was also filmed in London, is Joel Barney.
āLaneyā is the a North Carolina high school that Cory Bray attended š
Awesome
Didn’t Michael Jordan also go to that school? That would make the claim that his wife is the “greatest thing that Laney ever made,” all the more impressive!
I don’t know Gang of Youth but the title’s nicked (consciously or not) from Ian Hunter of Mott the Hoople. who wrote a song called “Angel of 8th avenue” decades ago. The song Mott the Hoople’s 1971 album “Wild life”. It was about a brief encounter Ian had with a woman he fell in love with in New York, possibly a groupie, possibly not. It’s a different kind of song, but the title either inspired the Gang or they thought it was ok to not change the number of the avenue or it’s just plain coincidence. I prefer Ian’s song. give it a listen.