For an Angel

"For an Angel"
Single by Paul van Dyk
from the album 45 RPM
Released5 December 1998 (1998-12-05)
GenreTrance
Length7:46
Label
Songwriter(s)Paul van Dyk
Producer(s)Paul van Dyk
Paul van Dyk singles chronology
"Words"
(1997) 		"For an Angel"
(1998) 		"Another Way/Avenue"
(1999)
"Let Go"
(2007)
"For an Angel 2009"
(2009)
"Home"
(2009)
Music video
"For an Angel" on YouTube

"For an Angel" is a trance song by German DJ Paul van Dyk, which served as his debut track and would become his most famous work. The song was initially released in 1994 as a track on 45 RPM on the MFS record label, which was van Dyk's first studio album. It was later reworked and re-released in 1998 as the "E-Werk Remix" on Deviant Records, a homage to the E-Werk nightclub where van Dyk used to be the resident DJ. This version was number one on the UK Dance Chart for several weeks. Since its release, the track has become one of the greatest and most influential trance tracks of all time. It was voted as the eighth greatest dance record of all time by Mixmag readers.[1]

A 2009 release titled "For an Angel 2009" containing the "PvD Remix '09" and other remixes reached the top 10 in Russia and the top 40 in Germany and Austria.

In an August 2024 interview with DJ Mag, van Dyk discussed the production of "For an Angel" which he completed with a Roland Juno-60, a Roland Juno-106, a Roland JX-1 and a Roland TR-808.[2]

Music video

Three music videos exist for the track; one from 1994, filmed in the Riviera Maya in Mexico. In this video, Paul van Dyk, dressed in Malibu clothing, is seen sitting under a palm tree on the beach, in a river and other various locations, and later watching local children playing football on the beach. Also appearing are various short clips of the scenery surrounding him. This video is available on van Dyk's Global album. The next video, from 1998, features footage from the Love Parade in Berlin. The third, from 2009, was filmed at an exhibition in L.A. and Berlin.

Track listing

  • UK 12" single (1998)
  1. "For an Angel" (PvD E-Werk club mix) – (7:43)
  2. "For an Angel" (Way Out West mix) – (5:48)
  3. "For an Angel" (Terry Lee Brown Jnr mix) – (6:28)

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1998) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[3] 104
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[4] 45
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100 Singles) 74
Germany (GfK)[5] 44
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[6] 54
Scotland (OCC)[7] 18
UK Singles (OCC)[8] 28
UK Dance (OCC)[9] 1
Chart (2009) Peak
position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[10] 31
CIS Airplay (TopHit)[11] 7
Germany (GfK)[12] 21
Russia Airplay (TopHit)[13] 4
UK Singles (OCC)[14] 68

Year-end charts

Chart (2009) Position
CIS (TopHit)[15] 56
Russia Airplay (TopHit)[16] 19
Chart (2010) Position
Russia Airplay (TopHit)[17] 39

Decade-end charts

Decade-end chart performance for "For an Angel"
Chart (2000–2009) Position
Russia Airplay (TopHit)[18] 139

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[19] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Other versions

The song was sampled in British singer Rachel McFarlane's 1998 song "Lover", which in turn has been mashed up with "For an Angel" by DJs in their club sets and bootleg releases.

In 2022, the song was sampled in "In Your Arms (For an Angel)" by Topic, Robin Schulz and Nico Santos; van Dyk was also credited and included as a main artist.

References

  1. ^ What is the Greatest Dance Track of All Time? Archived 18 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine Mixmag (15 February 2013).
  2. ^ How Paul van Dyk's ‘For An Angel’ changed trance forever? Archived 12 October 2024 at djmag.com (Error: unknown archive URL) DJ Mag (8 August 2024)
  3. ^ "Paul van Dyk ARIA Chart history (complete to 2024)". ARIA. Retrieved 28 July 2024 – via Imgur.com. N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.
  4. ^ "Paul van Dyk – For an Angel" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  5. ^ "Paul van Dyk – For an Angel" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  6. ^ "Paul van Dyk – For an Angel" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  7. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  8. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  9. ^ "Official Dance Singles Chart Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  10. ^ "Paul van Dyk – For an Angel 2009" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  11. ^ Paul van Dyk — For An Angel (Radio Mix '09). TopHit. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  12. ^ "Paul van Dyk – For an Angel 2009" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 3 March 2020.
  13. ^ "Top Radio Hits Russia Weekly Chart: Oct 1, 2009". TopHit. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  14. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  15. ^ "Популярные хиты 2009" [Popular hits 2009] (in Russian). TopHit. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Top Radio Hits Russia Annual Chart: 2009". TopHit. Archived from the original on 27 April 2024. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
  17. ^ "Top Radio Hits Russia Annual Chart: 2010". TopHit. Archived from the original on 28 April 2024. Retrieved 30 April 2024.
  18. ^ "Top Radio Hits Russia Decade Chart: 00s". TopHit. Archived from the original on 21 April 2024. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
  19. ^ "British single certifications – Paul van Dyk – For an Angel". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 December 2022.