Rosalie "Rosie" Méndez Hamlin was born in Klamath Falls, Oregon, to a Mexican mother and an Anglo-American father. She spent part of her childhood between Anchorage, Alaska and California, before her family moved to National City, California. She started singing with a band at thirteen. She wrote the lyrics for "Angel Baby" as a poem for "my very first boyfriend" when she was 14 years old, still attending Mission Bay High School in San Diego, California. When she was 15, she and some friends rented the only recording studio they could find within 100 miles of San Diego located in San Marcos, California, to record the song. The studio was owned by an airplane mechanic who had taken part of his hangar to make it. The resulting record had a very simplistic sound, and, in fact, was eventually slightly damaged from excessive playing, so the group was unable to find a record label to distribute it. Finally, after taking the master to a department store, they convinced a manager to play it in the listening booth of the store's music department. The song received positive reactions from teenage listeners, and a scout from Highland Records offered the group a recording contract, under the condition that the company take possession of the master recording, and that David Ponce be named as the author of the song, as he was the eldest member of the group.
"Angel Baby" made its radio debut in November 1960, before the group had even received their contract. When the contract finally came, Hamlin found that she was ineligible to collect record royalties from the song because she was not listed as the songwriter. This led to the group's break-up, and although Hamlin secured the copyright to her music in 1961, decades of battles over royalties followed.
In 1961, "Angel Baby" was also released in Canada on the Zirkon label and in Australia and England on London Records. The British release slightly edited the intro.
After leaving Highland Records, Hamlin recorded a full-length album with guitarist Noah Tafolla for Brunswick Records and toured with the label's other artists.
Hamlin and Tafolla married and had two children together. Their son, Joey Tafolla, is well known Jag Panzer guitarist. In 1963, Hamlin retired from singing to spend time with her family.
She returned to record singles in 1969 and again in 1973, performing occasionally throughout the 1970s and 1980s and more regularly throughout the 1990s and 2000s.
In a 1969 interview with Life magazine, John Lennon named Hamlin as one of his favorite singers. As can be heard on circulating recordings, the Beatles mention the song "Give Me Love" during sessions on 01/24/69. Lennon and friends can be heard in a quickly busked version of "Angel Baby," taped at his birthday in 1971. Lennon recorded a studio version of "Angel Baby" for his 1975 Rock 'n' Roll album, but the track would go unissued until 1986's Menlove Avenue. Rosie and the Originals are referenced by Led Zeppelin in the liner notes from their 1973 album Houses of the Holy, following the printed lyrics of the song "D'yer Mak'er" (pronounced, "Jamaica"). The quote is "Whatever happened to Rosie and the Originals?" "Rosie" also shows up in the Led Zeppelin song "How Many More Times".
In 1995, Rosie & the Originals were portrayed in the film My Family, performing "Angel Baby." Hamlin's part was played by Jeanette Jurado, of the group Expose. In 1996, Linda Ronstadt recorded a version of "Angel Baby" for her album Dedicated to the One I Love.
In 1999, Ace Records released The Best of Rosie & the Originals, including all the Highland tracks as well as Brunswick recordings and unreleased tracks. The following year, the label released the album Angel Baby Revisited, with previously unreleased material.
In 2002, Hamlin performed "Angel Baby" on a PBS-TV program, Red White & Rock.
Rosalie Hamlin passed away on March 30, 2017.
Discography
Singles
"Angel Baby"/"Give Me Love" (Highland, 1960)
"Why Did You Leave Me"/"Angel from Above"(Highland, 1961)
"Lonely Blue Nights"/"We’ll Have a Chance" (Brunswick, 1961)
"Lonely Blue Nights"/"We’ll Have a Chance" (Highland, 1961) [9]
"My Darling Forever"/"The Time is Near" (Brunswick, 1961)
"Kinda Makes You Wonder"/"My One and Only Love" (Globe, 1962)
"You're No Good"/"You Don’t Understand" (Wax World, 1973)
Albums
Lonely Blue Nights (Brunswick, 1962)
The Best of Rosie & the Originals (Ace, 1999)
Angel Baby Revisited (Ace, 2000)
Angel Baby
Rosie & The Originals Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You're like an angel, too good to be true
But after all, I love you, I do
Angel baby, my angel baby
When you are near me, my heart skips a beat
I can hardly stand on my own two feet
Because I love you, I love you, I do
Oh, I love you, oh I do
No one could love you like I do
Ooh, ooh
Please, never leave me blue and alone
If you ever go, I'm sure you'll come back home
Because I love you, I love you, I do
Angel baby, my angel baby
It's just like heaven being with you, dear
I could never stay the way without you near
Because I love you, I love you, I do
Angel baby, my angel baby
Oh, I love you, oh, I do
No one could love you like I do
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
The lyrics of Rosie & The Originals' song "Angel Baby" describe the overwhelming feeling of being in love with someone who seems too good to be true. The singer compares their lover to an angel, expressing how being with them feels like heaven. The chorus repeats the phrase "I love you" to emphasize the depth of the singer's feelings. The bridge of the song speaks to the singer's fear of losing their lover, asking them to never leave and assuring them that they will always come back home. The song's lyrics highlight the all-consuming feeling of love and the desire to never lose the person who makes you feel that way.
The sentiment of longing and gushing fascination embedded within "Angel Baby" resonated with an entire generation upon its release in 1960. The song quickly climbed up the charts and ultimately peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100. "Angel Baby" has since been covered by countless artists, including John Lennon and Linda Ronstadt. The song's enduring popularity can be attributed to the timeless nature of its lyrics - the feeling of falling head over heels in love is a universal experience that will persist for generations to come.
Line by Line Meaning
It's just like heaven being here with you
Being with you feels like being in heaven
You're like an angel, too good to be true
You're so perfect that it's almost unbelievable
But after all, I love you, I do
Despite your perfection, I genuinely love you
Angel baby, my angel baby
You're like an angel to me
When you are near me, my heart skips a beat
Being close to you makes my heart race
I can hardly stand on my own two feet
You make me feel weak in the knees
Because I love you, I love you, I do
My love for you is true and unwavering
Angel baby, my angel baby
You're like an angel to me
Oh, I love you, oh I do
My love for you is deep and sincere
No one could love you like I do
My love for you is unique and unparalleled
Please, never leave me blue and alone
I never want to be sad and lonely without you
If you ever go, I'm sure you'll come back home
If you leave, I know you'll eventually return to me
Because I love you, I love you, I do
My love for you is true and unwavering
Angel baby, my angel baby
You're like an angel to me
It's just like heaven being here with you dear
Being with you feels like being in heaven, my dear
I could never stay the way without you near
I couldn't bear to be without you
Because I love you, I love you, I do
My love for you is true and unwavering
Angel baby, my angel baby
You're like an angel to me
Oh, I love you, oh, I do
My love for you is deep and sincere
No one could love you like I do
My love for you is unique and unparalleled
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Vocalizations
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Rosalie Hamlin
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@romostro
Say...
It's just like heaven being here with you
You're like an angel, too good to be true
But after all, I love you, I do
Angel baby, my angel baby
When you are near me, my heart skips a beat
I can hardly stand on my own two feet
Because I love you, I love you, I do
Angel baby, my angel baby
Oh, I love you, oh I do
No one could love you like I do
Please, never leave me blue and alone
If you ever go, I'm sure you'll come back home
Because I love you, I love you, I do
Angel baby, my angel baby
It's just like heaven being here with you dear
I could never stay the way without you near
Because I love you, I love you, I do
Angel baby, my angel baby
Oh, I love you, oh, I do
No one could love you like I do
@luishenriquez4995
Dam man this song kills me inside. My younger cousin at 18 died from a car accident. She just had her son. She loved this song so much. We even played it at her funeral. It has been over 5 years and i was in such a great mood after a good work out. I was in the grocery store getting groceries and i randomly hear this song. A man and his very young daughter were behind me and i asked him if he likes the song. He said he does but his daughter loves it. I told him it is a great song and walked away. As i was walking away tears came out. Im 29 and havent cried like that for years. Anyways im in my car writing this. I hope everyone on here who reads this has a good day and always remember to love your family. They might not be here tomorrow.
@violetthegreat9921
i hate how people never pay attention to these comments, everyone has a story about something and i think that amazing. Your story is beautiful and i wish the best of everything to you. And i bet your younger cousin is an amazing person i hope you have an amazing life, this is truely a beautiful comment(idk how to spell truely)
@luishenriquez4995
@@violetthegreat9921 thanks, i wish the same for you. And ima be real, your comment made me feel good. I hope you are having a good night out there!
@kenhenson1043
Sorry to hear this my man may your cousin R.I.P.
@MinkyUrungus
Thanks for sharing this. Bless you, man.
@zaramunir7385
Thank you for sharing this. I always felt a connection with this song i dunno why. hope u have a good day. This just proves that we are all connected in one way or the other, esp with music. Stay safe and blessed!
@yvonnewolfgram7522
My adorable Grandson was born Feb.13 as soon as I laid eyes on him I said "What an angel baby he is!" He's turning 13 this year and he is still "My angel baby" and always will be
Happy Birthday my Angel baby Grandma Loves you!
@bagel1612
Aw! ❤
@josecamacho3435
She’s the only Latina who made a song that hit the radio in the 50’s. Imagine what could have been if we were able to make more songs during that era. Thank goodness we at least have this masterpiece. 🤷🏻♥️🔥
@Charlie-zs7ht
I know crazy, excellent for her, I just found out the other night she was Mexican , May she Rest In Peace 🇲🇽