Angie (4:32)

“Angie” is a song by rock and roll band The Rolling Stones, featured on their 1973 album Goats Head Soup.

Recorded in November and December 1972, “Angie” was written primarily by Keith Richards. The song is an acoustic guitar driven ballad which tells of the end of a romance. The song is noted for its poignant lyrics concerning lost love and the grieving involved. Singer Mick Jagger gives a wrenching performance for the recording, while Stones-recording regular Nicky Hopkins plays the song’s distinctive piano chords. The strings on the piece (as well as “Winter”) were arranged by Nicky Harrison.

Released as a single in August 1973, “Angie” went straight to the top of the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and reached number five on the UK singles chart.

Questions about the song’s origins have never ceased. Despite wide-ranging rumors that “Angie” was written by Jagger about a relationship he had with David Bowie’s wife Angela, Jagger denies this. Richards claims to have come up with the title and chord sequence a year before production on the album began. In the liner notes to the compilation disc Jump Back, Richards says, “I’d recently had my daughter born, whose name was Angela, and the name was starting to ring around the house. ‘Angie’ just fitted.”

The Rolling Stones have frequently performed the song in concert; it was included in set lists on their 1973, 1975 and 1976 tours, and on every tour since their 1982 European tour. Concert renditions have been released on the albums Stripped and Live Licks.

Two music videos were shot to promote the song.