Pop music is weird. Sometimes you put three of the biggest stars on the planet on a single track, throw tens of millions of dollars at a movie tie-in, and wait for the world to explode. Then, it just... kinda fizzles. That is basically the story of "Don't Call Me Angel," the 2019 lead single for the Charlie’s Angels reboot. When Ariana Grande, Miley Cyrus, and Lana Del Rey teamed up, the internet lost its mind for about forty-eight hours. People were ready for a "Lady Marmalade" moment. What they got was something a lot more complicated.
You’ve probably heard the hook. Don't call me angel in the morning or any other time of day, really. It was a fierce, high-budget attempt to reclaim a trope that has been around since the 70s. But looking back, the song serves as a fascinating case study in how "star power" doesn't always translate to a "cultural moment." It wasn't a flop by any standard metric—it debuted at number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100—but it didn't have the staying power everyone expected.
The Chemistry Problem: Three Different Worlds
Mixing Ariana, Miley, and Lana is like trying to mix espresso, whiskey, and a very expensive red wine. They’re all great, but do they belong in the same glass?
Ariana Grande was at the absolute peak of her Thank U, Next era. She brought the polished, trap-pop production that defined 2019. Then you have Miley Cyrus, who was in the middle of her gritty, rock-influenced phase. She brings the muscle. And then there's Lana Del Rey. Lana is a vibe. She doesn't do "fast." She doesn't do "pop choreography." When her bridge kicks in, the entire song slows down into a dark, moody dreamscape that feels like it belongs in a completely different ZIP code.
Critics at the time, including those from Pitchfork and Rolling Stone, pointed out this exact friction. The song feels like three separate songs stitched together. Miley is aggressive and punchy. Ariana is airy and melodic. Lana is... well, she's Lana. For some fans, this was the best part. For the general public, it made the song a bit hard to dance to at a club or sing along to in the car. It was less of a unified anthem and more of a relay race where the runners were all going at different speeds.
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Don't Call Me Angel in the Morning: The Meaning Behind the Lyrics
The core message of the song is pretty straightforward. It’s an anthem of independence. The lyrics are a direct response to the "Angel" moniker used by the character Charlie in the franchise. By saying don't call me angel in the morning, the trio is rejecting the idea of being a submissive or "perfect" woman who answers to a disembodied male voice.
Miley’s verse is particularly biting. She talks about "making my own money" and "writing my own checks." It’s very 2019 "girl boss" energy. Ariana handles the melodic lifting, reinforcing that she’s not just a pretty face. But the real curveball is the bridge. Lana Del Rey’s contribution shifts the perspective entirely. She sings about being "tethered" and "not being from this world." It adds a layer of melancholy that the rest of the track doesn't really know what to do with.
- The Hook: A repetitive, catchy earworm designed for TikTok (even though TikTok was still finding its footing in the music industry back then).
- The Production: Max Martin and Ilya Salmanzadeh, the architects of modern pop, handled the beats. It’s expensive-sounding.
- The Message: Anti-pet names, pro-agency.
Elizabeth Banks, who directed the 2019 Charlie’s Angels, wanted the film to be a feminist manifesto. The song was supposed to be the flag-bearer for that movement. Honestly, the song might have actually been more successful than the movie itself, which struggled at the box office against heavy hitters.
Why the Music Video Actually Worked
If the song felt disjointed, the music video tried to fix it with sheer spectacle. Directed by Hannah Lux Davis—Ariana's go-to director—it’s a feast of black leather, Victoria’s Secret-style wings, and a lot of slow-motion walking.
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One of the most memorable moments is Miley Cyrus in a boxing ring. She's literally beating the hell out of a guy tied to a chair. It’s visceral. It’s a huge departure from her "Malibu" days and signaled her transition into the rock-heavy Plastic Hearts era. Ariana, meanwhile, is the master of the "pretty but dangerous" aesthetic, lounging in a mansion while plotting a heist.
Lana's segment is the standout. She’s in a room throwing knives. It’s classic Lana—vintage, dangerous, and slightly detached. This visual helped bridge the sonic gap. Seeing them together in the final frame, wings on, looking into the camera, gave the "Angel" brand a modern update that felt necessary, even if the movie didn't quite land the jump.
The Legacy of a "Failed" Supergroup
We don't really see these kinds of massive collaborations as often anymore. Why? Because they are a nightmare to coordinate. Getting three different labels (Republic, RCA, and Interscope/Polydor) to agree on anything is a feat of engineering.
When people talk about don't call me angel in the morning today, it's usually with a sense of "Oh yeah, I forgot that happened." It didn't become a timeless classic like "Independent Women Part I" by Destiny’s Child. It didn't have the infectious, campy joy of the 2000s era. It felt a bit more like a corporate product.
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However, it was a pivotal moment for the artists involved. For Ariana, it solidified her role as a curator and executive producer (she oversaw the whole soundtrack). For Miley, it was a chance to show off her vocal grit. For Lana, it was a rare foray into the mainstream pop machine that proved she could play the game without losing her soul.
How to Appreciate the Track Today
If you go back and listen to it now, away from the hype of the movie, it’s actually a pretty solid pop song. It’s weird. It’s clunky in spots. But it has personality.
If you're looking to dive deeper into the "Angel" lore or just want to build a playlist that captures that specific late-2010s energy, here is how you should approach it. Don't look at it as a sequel to the 2000s soundtracks. Look at it as a experimental pop fragment.
- Listen for the production nuances. The way the bass drops during Miley’s verse is genuinely top-tier.
- Watch the video for the fashion. The costume design by Heidi Bivens (who later did Euphoria) is actually incredible.
- Compare the bridge. Listen to Lana's part as a standalone piece of art. It’s essentially a mini-Lana song dropped into the middle of a pop rave.
The reality is that don't call me angel in the morning was a victim of its own expectations. We wanted a world-shaking event. We got a decent pop song with a cool video. In an era of disposable digital content, maybe that’s enough.
Actionable Insights for Music Lovers
To get the most out of this specific era of pop, you should check out the full Charlie’s Angels (2019) soundtrack. Ariana Grande didn't just sing on it; she executive produced it. It features tracks from Normani, Nicki Minaj, and even Chaka Khan. It’s a much more cohesive experience than the lead single suggests. If you're a fan of vocal production, pay attention to the layering in Ariana’s harmonies—it’s a masterclass in modern pop engineering. Finally, if you're looking for that "independent" energy, pair this track with Miley’s "Midnight Sky" to see how her sound evolved immediately after this collaboration.