The Rolling Stones’ “Angie” Lyrics Meaning

Despite being one of the classic songs in The Rolling Stones’ catalog, the precise lyrical origins of “Angie” is still very much an issue of debate. What is clear is that the song is based on the singer ending what comes off as a romantic relationship with the addressee, who is the titular “Angie”.  But some have loosely speculated that even “Angie” herself may be a personification of drugs. But by and large, the consensus is that she is indeed another human being, in fact someone who is/was actually part of the life of The Rolling Stones. And with this conclusion being accepted by the masses, thus began the task of actually trying to determine who “Angie” is, which is where the confusion truly begin.

Who is Angie?

That is there have been a number of individuals whom it has been logically argued could actually be “Angie”. Being that the song was written by Mick Jagger and primarily Keith Richards, what fans have looked for is people in their lives who may fit the bill. So amongst the names that have been brought up are Angela Bowie, the former wife of music icon David Bowie (who was a friend of Jagger’s).  This is somehow supposedly related to Mrs. Bowie’s claim of having once caught Mick, nude, in bed with her husband, on top of her forthrightly proclaiming that the song is about her. 

Then there’s another lady by the name of Marianne Faithfull whom Jagger broke up with around the time this song was written and thus may also be “Angie”.

Is She Keith Richards’ Daughter?

 But again, his band mate Keith Richards is actually the one who is recognized as having penned most of this track’s lyrics. And Richards himself had a daughter, whom he named Dandelion Angela (with Angie being shortened form of Angela), just a year prior to this song being released. Indeed at one point in time he actually publicly stated that she was the inspiration behind the tune (which wouldn’t make a lot of sense considering its romantic undertone). But he later recanted, instead asserting that the track isn’t about anyone in particular. And these types of inconsistent assertions have led to the meaning of the song never being able to be definitively ascertained.

But regardless of its origins, “Angie” has likely served its idealized purpose in the eyes of The Rolling Stones. That is to say once again that to this day it is beloved by fans, in addition to having sold a bunch of copies worldwide.

Lyrics of "Angie"

Writing Credits for “Angie”

This Stones’ classic was written by Mick Jagger along with his forever writing partner and bandmate Keith Richards. And the track was produced by Jimmy Miller.

A Mighty Success

“Angie” went on to become one of the great successes for The Rolling Stones’, peaking at number 1 on the highly coveted Billboard Hot 100 in America. In addition to this, it topped music charts in the countries below:

  • Australia
  • Belgium
  • Canada
  • France
  • Netherlands
  • Norway
  • Switzerland

The song also peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart in addition to making it onto the top five in a number of places. Some of these places included: Denmark, Germany, Italy, New Zealand and South Africa.

Indeed “Angie” has been a mainstay on The Rolling Stones’ concert setlists throughout the decades.

When did “Angie” come out?

The song originally came out as the lead single from their album, “Goats Head Soup”.  Rolling Stones Records issued it as such on 20 August 1973.

It has also appeared on several Stones’ compilation albums, including their famed “Forty Licks” which came out in 2002. Other notable songs that appeared on “Forty Licks” include “Brown Sugar” and “Paint It Black“.

Angela Merkel and “Angie”

Prominent German politician Angela Merkel used this song while campaigning for the post of Chancellor of Germany in 2005. However, she did not get permission from The Rolling Stones before doing so.

2 Responses

  1. Anonymous says:

    Angie was written by Keith Richard’s just before going into rehab. Angie is hero-n.

  2. Nolan mendoza says:

    50 years ago this song came out…..what a beautiful song….the world had the stones in 73…..nowadays the world has Lil wayne….that’s kinda what’s wrong with our world nowadays…..our music……

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