"Fallen Angel" is a song by American

glam metal Glam metal (also known as hair metal or pop metal) is a subgenre of heavy metal music, heavy metal that features pop music, pop-influenced Hook (music), hooks and guitar riffs, upbeat arena rock, rock anthems, and slow Sentimental ballad#Powe ...

band

Poison A poison is any chemical substance that is harmful or lethal to living organisms. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figurati ...

, released in 1988 as the second single from the band's second studio album '' Open Up and Say... Ahh!''. The

B-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph record, vinyl records and Compact cassette, cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a Single (music), single usually ...

of the

seven-inch In music, a single is a type of release of a song recording of fewer tracks than an album ( LP), typically one or two tracks. A single can be released for sale to the public in a variety of physical or digital formats. Singles may be standal ...

was "Bad to Be Good". "Fallen Angel" reached No. 12 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 32 on the

Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent a cross between classic rock, active rock and alternativ ...

chart and has since gone gold in the US. This made it the only single from the album not to reach the top ten. It also charted at number 21 on the Australian charts and number 59 on the UK Singles chart.

Background

The song is about a young girl who grew up in a small town in Ohio and goes to Los Angeles to try to make it as an actress. While there, she abandons her old life. This theme is a reference to the history of the band Poison itself:

Bret Michaels Bret Michael Sychak (born March 15, 1963), known professionally as Bret Michaels, is an American singer and musician. He is the frontman of rock band Poison, which has sold over 65 million albums worldwide and 30 million records in the United St ...

Bobby Dall Robert Harry Kuykendall, also known as Bobby Dall (born November 2, 1963), is an American musician best known as the bassist for the rock band Poison. Dall had ambitions of studying law, but ultimately turned to music instead. He began playing ...

and

Rikki Rockett Richard Allan Ream (born August 8, 1961), known professionally as Rikki Rockett, is an American musician, best known as the drummer for the band Poison. The band has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide and 15 million records in the Unite ...

all left their native Pennsylvania for Los Angeles in their quest for fame. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that "once again the boys bash and thrash their way through a good tune about the small-town girl gone bad in the big city." "Fallen Angel", along with "

Talk Dirty to Me "Talk Dirty to Me" is a single from American glam metal band Poison. Released on February 18, 1987, it was the second single from their debut album '' Look What the Cat Dragged In''. The song peaked at No. 9 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becomi ...

", "

I Won't Forget You "I Won't Forget You" is a power ballad by the American glam metal band Poison (American band), Poison, originally from the album ''Look What the Cat Dragged In''. Released as a single in 1987 on the Enigma label of Capitol Records, the song peak ...

" and " Ride the Wind", was the subject of a lawsuit in 2011 by members of the defunct band Kid Rocker, who claimed that the songs were based on Kid Rocker songs played to Poison guitarist

C.C. DeVille Bruce Anthony Johannesson (born May 14, 1962), known professionally as C.C. DeVille, is an American musician, best known as the guitarist of the rock band Poison. The band has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, including 15 million in ...

before he was a member of Poison. On April 8, 2013, a California federal judge said that the plaintiffs waited too long to file their lawsuit, stating, "It is totally implausible that plaintiff did not discover the alleged infringement until 2011." The judge ruled that the plaintiffs could only sue for damages dating back three years from the date of the lawsuit (following a three-year statute of limitations), and no more.

Music video

The music video to "Fallen Angel" mostly follows the lyrics to the song, and was in heavy rotation on

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

. In the video, a young blonde (portrayed by model Susie Hatton, then Michaels' girlfriend) tells her family, at dinner, that she is leaving for California at the end of the week, a statement that surprises and silences them. She arrives in Los Angeles with a suitcase in tow, eventually catching the attention of a sleazy manager (played by Anthony James). She becomes a success as a lingerie model, but feels like she is selling out her morals for fame. She begins dating her manager, but when he starts getting friendly with other ladies at a club, she leaves. He tries to get her back, but the girl gives him a kick in the groin and walks off. She is back on the streets, but is picked up by

on a

Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson, Inc. (H-D, or simply Harley) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depression along with i ...

Softail A softail (shortened form of ''soft tail'') motorcycle intentionally looks like vintage motorcycles with a rigid hard-tail frame that has a triangle of steel tubes at the rear axle, as on a bicycle frame, but on a Softail these tubes are a ...

Hollywood Boulevard Hollywood Boulevard is a major east–west street in Los Angeles, California. It runs through the Hollywood, East Hollywood, Little Armenia, Thai Town, and Los Feliz districts. Its western terminus is at Sunset Plaza Drive in the Hollyw ...

and rides off into an unknown future. As her story ends, another girl, played by Michelle Davis, arrives on the bus hoping to find fame and fortune... Rikki Rockett's white tee-shirt was blurred in several scenes, as it contained the Vision Street Wear logo, a popular brand with skate-boarders; Rikki was an avid skate-boarder. Two other logos, one being on a store window and another being a bus logo were also blurred as well perhaps for product brand issues.

Reception

"Fallen Angel" is widely regarded as one of Poison's best songs. In 2017, ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' and ''

OC Weekly ''OC Weekly'' was a free alternative weekly paper distributed in Orange County and Long Beach, California. It was founded in September 1995 by Will Swaim, who acted as editor and publisher until 2007. The paper was distributed at coffee shops, ...

'' each ranked the song number seven on their lists of the 10 greatest Poison songs.

Albums

"Fallen Angel" is included on the following albums: * '' Open Up and Say... Ahh!'' * ''

Swallow This Live ''Swallow This Live'' is the first live album by American glam metal band Poison. It was released in 1991 by Capitol Records. ''Swallow This Live'' peaked at No. 51 on the Billboard 200, No. 42 on the Cash Box albums chart, and was certified Go ...

'' (live version) * '' Poison's Greatest Hits: 1986–1996'' * '' Power to the People'' (live version) * ''Show Me Your Hits'' – (Alternate version) * '' The Best of Poison: 20 Years of Rock'' * ''Open Up and Say... Ahh! – 20th Anniversary Edition'' * '' Live, Raw & Uncut'' (live version)

Charts

References

{{authority control 1988 songs 1988 singles Poison (American band) songs Songs written by Bobby Dall Songs written by Bret Michaels Songs written by Rikki Rockett Songs written by C.C. DeVille Song recordings produced by Tom Werman Enigma Records singles Capitol Records singles