"Angel of Harlem" is a song by Irishrock bandU2. It is the tenth track on their 1988 albumRattle and Hum, and was released as its second single in December 1988. It topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand, and peaked at number nine on theUK Singles Chart, number eight on the Dutch Top 40, number 14 on theBillboard Hot 100, and number one on theMainstream Rock Tracks chart. Written as a homage toBillie Holiday, it was released with two differentB-sides; one was an original U2 song called "A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel", while the other was a live version ofRattle and Hum's "Love Rescue Me".
"Angel of Harlem" was written during 1987'sJoshua Tree Tour[citation needed] in "a time of experimentation" and immersion by U2 in "the various facets of American roots music".[3] U2 lead singerBono has said that the writing of the song was inspired by U2's initial trip to New York City: "'We landed in JFK and we were picked up in a limousine. We had never been in a limousine before, and with the din of punk rock not yet faded from our ears, there was a sort of guilty pleasure as we stepped into the limousine. Followed by a sly grin, as you admit to yourself this is fun. We crossedTriborough Bridge and saw the Manhattan skyline. The limo driver was black and he had the radio tuned toWBLS, a black music station. Billie Holiday was singing. And there it was, city of blinding lights, neon hearts. They were advertising in the skies for people like us, as London had the year before'".[3]
The in-studio performance of "Angel of Harlem" that was included in theRattle and Hum movie dates from a recording session atSun Studio inMemphis, Tennessee, during the later stages of the third leg of theJoshua Tree Tour.[citation needed]
Cash Box said it is "not their most inspiring cut, but there is a familiarity of sound that should bode for radio play".[4]
