It was first recorded by the
Sonny Land Trio and released by them in 1957, and was a crossover hit that year for
Bobby Helms. "My Special Angel," which Bobby Helms recorded in July 1957, peaked at number seven on the
Billboard Hot 100 chart[1] and spent four weeks at number one on the US
Country music chart.[2] The single made the R&B chart as well, topping out at number eight.[3] Backing vocals were sung by the
Anita Kerr Singers.
In the United Kingdom, a version recorded by
Malcolm Vaughan spent 14 weeks on the charts, peaking at number three in 1957.[9]
The song was revived in
1968 by
the Vogues, with their version reaching number seven on the Hot 100 chart[10] and faring even better on the
Easy Listening chart, where it spent two weeks at number one in October 1968.
Other cover versions
The Four Preps on their album How To Succeed in Love (If You’re Really Trying) (1958).[11]
^Roberts, David (2005). British Hit Singles & Albums. London: Guinness World Records Ltd. p. 532.
ISBN1-904994-00-8.
^Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits: Eighth Edition. Record Research. p. 663.
^Adams, Greg.
"How To Succeed In Love - The Four Preps". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-04-06. The low-key instrumental setting spotlights the group's harmonies like never before on . . . "You Are My Special Angel."
