Rahul Sharma (Editor)

Calling All Angels

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Released
  
June 17, 2003

Length
  
3:49

Genre
  
Pop rock, rock

Label
  
Columbia

B-side
  
"Fascinated" "Landmine"

Writer(s)
  
Charlie Colin Patrick Monahan Jimmy Stafford Scott Underwood

"Calling All Angels" is the title of a 2003 song by the rock band Train. It was included on the band's third studio album, My Private Nation, and produced by Brendan O'Brien.

Contents

The song was the first to be released from My Private Nation in 2003 and peaked at #19 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It also spent three weeks atop the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart that same year. The song features Greg Leisz on pedal steel guitar.

"Calling All Angels" was nominated for two Grammy Awards at the ceremony held in February 2004. In the category Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group, the song lost out to "Disorder in the House" by Bruce Springsteen and Warren Zevon; in the category Best Rock Song, the winner was "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes. The song has also been prominent in pop culture appearing in several television shows including One Tree Hill and as the theme song in the intro for the short lived medical drama 3 lbs. Train also performed the song at the 2006 Pepsi Super Bowl Smash.

The song was an unofficial anthem of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim baseball team; it was played at Angel Stadium before every game during the 2010 season, while the video screen showed a montage of the team's history (in addition, the band performed the song live and in person prior to the Home Run Derby of the 2010 All-Star Game, which was held at Angel Stadium).

This song was performed on the CSI:NY episode "Second Chances", and during the third season premiere of "Smallville".

The song was also briefly incorporated into Train's cover of "Joy to the World" for the 2012 holiday album A Very Special Christmas: 25 Years Bringing Joy to the World.

Track listing

2003 Single:

  1. "Calling All Angels"
  2. "Fascinated"
  3. "Landmine"
  4. "Calling All Angels" (Video)

Mexican Promo:

  1. Calling All Angels (Radio Version)
  2. Calling All Angels (Album Version)

Reviews

The song received mixed reviews from rock critics, with Ken Tucker of Entertainment Weekly giving the song a B+ and calling it "an anthemic hymn to commitment...that builds steadily to a gloriously clanging climax." Matt Lee of the BBC was less impressed, describing the track as "pedestrian, the vocals soulless, even more so than" the band's biggest hit single, "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)".

Cover Versions

In 2016, the song was used in the US version of The Passion. It is sung by Jencarlos and appears of the official soundtrack album.

References

Calling All Angels Wikipedia