2025 marks the 25th anniversary of Shaggy and Barbadian singer Rayvon’s hit song Angel, which was released in 2000.
Angel was one of the featured songs on Shaggy’s multi-platinum fifth studio album Hot Shot, which also featured the mega-hit It Wasn’t Me. It was later added as one of the artiste’s selected hits for The Boombastic Collection – Best of Shaggy compilation album, which was released in 2008.
Angel peaked at #1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in 2001, and it acquired a Platinum certification in the United Kingdom last year as it continues to resonate with audiences years after its release. Angel was a crossover hit for Shaggy and Rayvon, with international fans easily gravitating to the love song’s lyrics.
Angel’s lyrics pay tribute to a romantic partner who is considered more than a lover but also a guardian angel.
“Girl you’re my angel. You’re my darling angel. Closer than my peeps you are to me, baby. Shorty you’re my angel. You’re my darling angel. Girl you’re my friend when I’m in need, lady,” Rayvon sings the chorus.
In the first verse, Shaggy highlights the need for someone who will always have your back.
“Life is one big party when you’re still young. But who’s gonna have your back when it’s all done? It’s all good when you’re little; you have pure fun. Can’t be a fool, son. What about the long run?” Shaggy deejays.
Angel’s music video also explores the guardian angel theme. The video begins with two animated women, one representing good and the other evil. The women also appear to signify a demon and his guardian angel.
Throughout the video, Shaggy is tempted by the seductive evil Vixen, almost falling from his private plane, nearly crashing his car, and narrowly misses getting hit by a falling chandelier. However, he and Rayvon are saved just in time by his “angel”.
RikRok, who is featured on It Wasn’t Me and helped to wrote Angel with Shaggy and producer Dave Kelly, makes an appearance in the music video.
Angel is Shaggy’s second most streamed song on Spotify, with more than 572.6 million streams. Go Down Deh, featuring Spice and Sean Paul; Hey Sexy Lady, featuring Brian and Tony Gold; and In The Summertime, featuring Rayvon, round out the remaining top five.
Angel is also his third top song on Apple Music, behind It Wasn’t Me and Go Down Deh. Additionally, the song is currently #4 on the iTunes Reggae chart. Angel’s official audio has acquired over 205 million views on YouTube.
