Rich first attracted attention as a staff writer at LaFace Records, where he wrote songs for recording artists including Boyz II Men, Johnny Gill, TLC, and Toni Braxton. Later, Rich mixed elements of jazz, rock and soul music into his own tracks.
The Tony Rich Project
Cover of the 1996 album WordsIn late 1995 Rich released the hit single, "Nobody Knows" which made it to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Under the moniker "The Tony Rich Project", he released his debut album Words in early 1996. Both the album and single went platinum and in 1997, Rich won a Grammy Award for the Best R&B Album. The song was covered by country music artist Kevin Sharp in 1997, also as his debut single. The song "Like a Woman" was also nominated for a Grammy Award.
The album was followed up in 1998 by Birdseye, which, while critically praised, failed to generate much commercial success. Rich seemingly disappeared from the music world for several years after this album's release.
In 2003, Rich returned with the album The Resurrected. Carrying a very different style, the album featured Rich rocking out on the guitar, as well as singing smooth ballads.
By 2006, Rich released a fourth album, Pictures. The album contains snapshots of a relationship, and is a return in style to his earlier works.
In 2008, he released his fifth album, Exist. Originally it was set for release on September 16, however it was pushed back to September 23, 2008. The album features download-only single, "Part The Waves".
If You're An Angel
Tony Rich Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Missin' your every touch
I smelly your perfume
My skin is warm
But it's cold in here
And every now and then
I find a strand of your hair
Remember when we cried, all night
And I saw god in your eyes
If you're an angel
Then let me fly with you
If I'm your baby
Then turn my gray skies to blue
I was so destined to have you
But sometimes I regret how deep I feel in love
'Cause I built my whole life around you
Now you're gone and my world is fallin' down
Remember when I tried to kiss you
And you said you had to leave
If you're an angel
Then let me fly with you
If I'm your baby
Then turn my gray skies to blue
There is no livin' without you here
There can be no heaven, too much to fear
What if I told you I would die
If you didn't come back in my life
If you're an angel
Then let me fly with you
If I'm your baby
Then turn my gray skies to blue
If you're an angel
Then let me fly with you
If I'm your baby
Then turn my gray skies to blue
The lyrics in Tony Rich's song "If You're An Angel" are about a man who is deeply in love with someone that he believed was an angel. The singer is in a state of heartbreak and longing, missing the person's touch and the smell of their perfume. In the lyrics, the singer admits to having built his entire life around this person, and now that they're gone, his world is falling apart. He goes on to express that life without them is unbearable and that he would do anything to have them back in his life, even die.
The lyrics capture the singer's desperation and yearning for this person to return to their life, and he implies that he would be able to find a sense of heaven if they were back. The lyrics repeatedly ask the angel to let him fly with them, showing how the singer believes salvation is only possible if the person he loves returns. Overall, the song portrays a love lost and the search for redemption.
Line by Line Meaning
Sittin' alone in my bedroom
I am in solitude in my room
Missin' your every touch
I am yearning for every touch of yours that I miss
I smelly your perfume
I can still sense the aroma of your perfume
My skin is warm
I feel warmth on my skin
But it's cold in here
Despite the warmth on my skin, the room still feels cold
And every now and then
From time to time
I find a strand of your hair
I come across a piece of your hair
Remember when we cried, all night
Recollection of a time when we cried all night
And I saw god in your eyes
I saw great love and divinity in your eyes
If you're an angel
Musing whether if you are an angel or not
Then let me fly with you
Requesting to be taken on a journey with you if you are indeed an angel
If I'm your baby
Contemplation of whether if I am yours or not
Then turn my gray skies to blue
If I am indeed yours, then please make my gloomy days brighter
I was so destined to have you
I always believed that I was meant to be with you
But sometimes I regret how deep I feel in love
Occasionally, I regret how much I love you because of the consequences it brings
'Cause I built my whole life around you
My life revolved around you
Now you're gone and my world is fallin' down
After you left, everything started falling apart
Remember when I tried to kiss you
Recollection of an attempt to kiss you
And you said you had to leave
You left immediately after I tried to kiss you
There is no livin' without you here
My life is incomplete without you by my side
There can be no heaven, too much to fear
I fear that heaven will not be complete without you
What if I told you I would die
Contemplation of the possibility of dying without you
If you didn't come back in my life
If you do not return to my life
If you're an angel
Reiteration of the possibility of you being an angel
Then let me fly with you
If you are indeed an angel, please take me on a journey with you
If I'm your baby
Wondering if I am really yours
Then turn my gray skies to blue
Request to make my life happier
If you're an angel
Reiteration of the possibility of you being an angel
Then let me fly with you
Requesting to be taken on a journey with you if you are indeed an angel
If I'm your baby
Reflecting on whether if I am yours or not
Then turn my gray skies to blue
Request to make my life happier
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: TONY RICH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind