"Angel of Harlem" is a song by U2 on their 1988 album Rattle and Hum, and was released as its second single in December 1988.

The song was written during 1987's Joshua Tree Tour in "a time of experimentation" and immersion by U2 in "the various facets of American roots music".  U2 lead singer Bono 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 crossed Triborough Bridge and saw the Manhattan skyline. The limo driver was black, and he had the radio tuned to WBLS, 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'".

Holiday grew up in Baltimore in the '20s as Eleanora Fagan. She was exposed to the richness of the local jazz scene from the start. Her transition from observer into active participant came by way of after-hours nightclubs, where she sang along to the tunes of established greats such as Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong.

It wasn't until she moved to Harlem as a teenager in 1928, with her legendary voice that people began taking real notice. Re-christened as Billie Holiday, with a nickname of "Lady Day." She hopped from club to club in Harlem, enveloping smoke drenched rooms and transcending patrons for short periods of time with the intensity of her performance, when she was spotted by John Hammond who guided her to her first recording as part of Benny Goodman's group.

She dealt with racism, drug problems, and bad relationships for most of her life, and her sadness was often revealed in her songs. She died of cirrhosis of the liver in 1959 at age 44.

U2 recorded "Angel of Harlem" at Sun Studios in Memphis while the band was touring the US in 1987. It features the Memphis Horns, who recorded on many of the blues and soul classics recorded there.

The record was produced by "Cowboy" Jack Clement, who worked with Sam Phillips at Sun Studios in the '50s before moving to Nashville and working with a variety of Country singers. When U2 asked him to work on this album, he had never even heard of them, but fortunately some of his friends were familiar with U2 and made it clear to Clement that working with them would be a good career move. By using Clement, U2 was able to recreate the famous Sun Studios' sound they were looking for.

Various Sources