SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAWcs5H-qgQ
The song is a true story and was written by Sheehan after meeting a girl called Angel, whilst volunteering at a Crisis homeless shelter. The song became the highest selling debut single on the UK singles charts in the first half of 2011. He told The Sun July 15, 2011: “I wrote that song last year in a student flat in Guildford. I recorded it for less than £200 and made the video for under £20. In two weeks we’d sold 200,000 copies. I’ve made a song about a homeless prostitute who has been able to get on A-list radio.”
When Sheeran made a video to accompany the original recording of this song in 2010, it cost him only £20 to make. Young photographer Ruskin Kyle shot the clip on location in Angel, London. in north London, and Camden, in the northwest. The video stars actresses Selina MacDonald, as “Angel,” and Katy Brady, as her housemate.
Sheeran told the story of the song to Q magazine: “I played at a Christmas gig for the homeless charity Crisis. I met this homeless there and her story inspired me to write a song. I wrote a tune about a similar situation, not entirely based on her, because I didn’t want to pinch someone else’s story.”
Sheeran told Q magazine: “After it got into the charts I got lots of messages from parents saying that something similar had happened to their daughters. When I wrote it I never thought that it would connect with so many people, but it’s great it has.”
Ed wrote this song after going to a charity event for the homeless that his friend organised.
They had banners with the rules hanging up everywhere. The banners said Angel’s rules and they said things like ‘No drugs’ or ‘No swearing’. This girl was walking around bossing everyone around and telling them off for breaking the rules and Ed went up to his mate and asked who she was and his mate told him that they call her Angel. He told ed about her life story; how she was a heroin addict and how she took up prostitution to support her addiction.
Ed wrote this song about how she is addicted to an ‘A CLass’ drug, homeless and how she struggles to live.
I think it’s a very touching song that reminds us of how lucky we all are.
The Story Behind 