"Lips of an Angel" is a song by American rock band Hinder produced and co-written by Brian Howes. It was released as the second single from their album Extreme Behavior. It was their breakthrough hit, charting within the top ten on several US Billboard charts and reaching number one in the United States, Australia and New Zealand. It has sold 3.6 million copies in the US as of January 2015, making it one of the most downloaded rock songs.[2]
Jack Ingram released a cover of the song in 2006, which reached No. 16 on the Billboard country music charts.
Content
The lyrics deal with the singer describing his feelings when his favored girlfriend from his past calls late at night, somewhat pleasantly interrupting his current relationship. More than once, a reference to the call being secret is made, and the singer expresses concern of a fight ensuing as a result. The song concludes just as it began, with the singer questioning to why she is calling so late. However, at the end, it is less literal and more figurative, with the underlying meaning of "so late" not at night, but too late in life, perhaps adding an element of sadness to the song, as it ends with the plot unresolved. According to a radio interview done in Atlanta the lyrics are loosely based on an actual phone call incident that did happen.
Chart performance
The song experienced the most success in Australasia. On the chart date of February 4, 2007, the song debuted atop Australia's ARIA Singles Chart, replacing Evermore's "Light Surrounding You", keeping the peak position for seven weeks before being replaced by "Straight Lines" by Silverchair. On February 12, it reached the top spot on New Zealand's RIANZ Singles Chart and stayed there for one more week before being dethroned by "This Ain't a Scene, It's an Arms Race" by Fall Out Boy. In the United States, the song reached number one on the BillboardPop 100 and Mainstream Top 40 charts, and number three on the BillboardHot 100 and Mainstream Rock Tracks charts, in November 2006. It was also their only top-ten single on the Modern Rock Tracks (now Alternative Songs) chart, reaching number eight. Elsewhere, the song had limited chart success and remains Hinder's only hit in most countries in which it charted.
Country music artist Jack Ingram released a version of the song in December 2006. Ingram's version, the lead-off single to his 2007 album This Is It, reached a peak of number 16 on the BillboardHot Country Songs chart in April 2007. Ingram's version does not include the last stanza where the singer once again asks why she is calling so late.
Background
Regarding his cover of this song, Ingram gave an explanation in the liner notes of This Is It:
"I heard this song on the radio. I think it's a killer song. I thought we could give it another feel and do it justice. A good song is a good song. I'll let other people choose sides between what genre is what genre and who should stay inside which box. I think there are two kinds of music: good and bad. I try to stay on the right side. Besides, who hasn't felt this way at some point in their life? Don't lie."[23]
Music video
Premiering in early 2007, the music video for "Lips of an Angel" was directed by Shaun Silva and largely follows the narrative of the song's lyrics, focusing on a late night phone call between the raconteur (Austin Winkler) and his former lover (Emmanuelle Chriqui).
