Angel in Your Arms - Hot (1977) 11/16/21

When the Pop/R&B group Hot was recording its self-titled album, lead singer Gwen Owens thought it might be a good idea to include a "soul version of a "country" song--just for variety.

Producers Clayton Ivey and Terry Woodford agreed, and had just what she was looking for: a classic country-style "cheatin' song they had co-written with composer Tom Brasfield called "Angel in Your Arms."

The song was recorded and it was released as a single. Hot became a one-hit wonder, and "Angel in Your Arms" became a "Great Song of '77!"

The song reached #6 on the Hot 100 and #9 on the Easy Listening Chart. It was also a hit in Canada, where it peaked at #3, and New Zealand, where it reached #7.

And then, country artists lined up to cover it. In order: Vivian Bell, Lynn Anderson, Reba McEntire and Billie Jo Spears. NONE of them could make it a hit on the country chart!

But FINALLY, in 1985, Barbara Mandrell took a crack at it...and her version became the country hit it always should have been, reaching #8 on Billboard's Country Chart!

"Angel in Your Arms:" A "Great Song of 1977" by Hot, and 1985 by Barbara Mandrell!

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