Robbie Williams Angels Feud Reignites
Songwriter Ray Heffernan has reignited his 30-year feud with Robbie Williams over songwriting credits for the 1997 hit "Angels." Heffernan claims he co-wrote the original version but his contribution was never properly acknowledged, with the dispute nearly reaching court in the late 1990s.
- The official songwriting credits for "Angels" list only Robbie Williams and his producer Guy Chambers. Williams has claimed he and Chambers wrote the song together in just 25 minutes. - Ray Heffernan claims the song originated after his partner at the time had a miscarriage, inspiring the lyric, "I won't have a baby to love so I'll love an angel instead." He says he played an early version for Williams after a chance meeting in a Dublin pub in 1996. - To avoid a potential lawsuit before the song's release, Williams's team paid Heffernan to buy the rights. Heffernan states he was initially offered £2,500, which was increased to £7,500 after he requested a writing credit. - Williams has publicly called Heffernan a "fantasist" but has also acknowledged the payment, stating they "could have gone to court," and "so I gave him some money, and he went away." - Heffernan is now reportedly planning legal action using a new EU copyright law known as the "bestseller clause." This legislation allows creators to seek additional, fair remuneration if their original compensation is disproportionately low compared to the work's subsequent success. - As part of his new legal challenge, Heffernan is seeking approximately one-third of all future royalties from the song. - Pop manager Louis Walsh reportedly arranged the original studio time for Williams and Heffernan in Dublin and is believed to still possess the original demo cassette of their recording, which was titled "Loving Angels Instead." - "Angels" became Williams' best-selling single, and in 2005, it was voted the best song of the previous 25 years at the Brit Awards by the British public.
