Bob Dylan: Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground (Willie Nelson)

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_color=”mulled_wine” icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-quote-left”]He takes whatever thing he’s singing and makes it his. There’s not many people who can do that. Even something like an Elvis tune. You know, once Elvis done a tune, it’s pretty much done. But Willie is the only one in my recollection that has even taken something associated with Elvis and made it his. He just puts his sorta trip on it…
–> Bob Dylan (April 1993)[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Happy 88th Birthday Willie Nelson

1. Song facts & different versions
2. Lyrics
3. Bob Dylan

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_message message_box_color=”mulled_wine” icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-quote-left”]If you had not have fallen
Then I would not have found you
Angel flying too close to the ground
And I patched up your broken wing and hung around a while
Trying to keep your spirits up and your fever down[/vc_message][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Song facts & different versions

“Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” is a 1981 single from the film Honeysuckle Rose. “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground” was written and performed by Willie Nelson. The single was Willie Nelson’s seventh number one on the country chart as a solo artist and stayed at number one for one week and spent a total of fourteen weeks on the country chart.

 

This song is commonly believed to have been written about Charlie “Magoo” Tinsley, a good friend of Nelson’s who happened to also be a member of The Hells Angels. This has never been confirmed or denied by Nelson who usually says he’s not going to argue with a load of bikers. He did once claim the song was about his wife Connie.

Original single:

Willie Nelson w/ The Highwaymen – Aberdeen, Scotland in 1992:

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Alison Krauss:

Allison Moorer:

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Lyrics

If you had not have fallen
Then I would not have found you
Angel flying too close to the ground
And I patched up your broken wing and hung around a while
Trying to keep your spirits up and your fever down

I knew someday that you would fly away
For love’s the greatest healer to be found
So leave me if you need to, I will still remember
Angel flying too close to the ground

Fly on, fly on past, the speed of sound
I’d rather see you up than see you down
So leave me if you need to, I will still remember
Angel flying too close to the ground.

So leave me if you need to, I will still remember
Angel flying too close to the ground.

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Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan covered the song during a recording sessions for his 1983 album Infidels. The song appeared as the B-side to four different international single releases in support of the album.

The recording session in question was the 17th Infidels recording session produced by Mark Knopfler and Bob Dylan @  Studio A, Power Station, New York City, New York on May 2, 1983. He tried it 12 times, and the last take was released as a B-side on different singles promoting Infidels.

Here are two takes:

take two starts @ 4:08

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• Bob Dylan posts @ borntolisten.com
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• MusicThisDay.com
• Music lists @ MusicThisDay.com
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• Karl Erik’s expectingrain.com
• Olof’s “Still On The Road“

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