No Angel (It's All in Your Mind)

After band member Jessica Wahls' pregnancy break from the group after the end of the Four Seasons Tour, the remaining four members of the No Angels began intensifying work on their then-untitled third studio album. Encouraged to exercise more self-control on the longplayer after their critically acclaimed contribution to predecessor Now... Us!, the band took over responsibility in composing, recording and selecting songs to guarantee a more personal theme on the album — a step that challenged criticism and growing scepticism among the band's label Cheyenne Records and recording company Polydor.[1]"No Angel (It's All in Your Mind)" was written by Pete Kirtley and Tim Hawes from British production team Jiant along with songwriter Liz Winstanley.[2] Production was overseen by Perky Park and Nik Hafemann for Cheyenne Records.[2] Thomas Blug played the guitar, while mixing was handled by Park.[2] All vocals were recorded at the Weryton Studios in Munich, with Hafemann also serving as vocal producer and arranger.[2]

Selected as the album's leading single by the group's records company, physical singles of "No Angel (It's All in Your Mind)" were released on April 22, 2003 by Cheyenne Records.[2] The maxi single includes several remixes of the song, including a video mix and rock version, as well as two versions of the band's rendition of Dutch rock band Shocking Blue's 1969 song "Venus", written by Robbie van Leeuwen and produced by Thorsten Brötzmann.[2]

"No Angel (It's All in Your Mind)" peaked and debuted at number one in Germany.[3] It was their fourth number one single in Germany. Despite this, it fell six places in its second week to number seven. It lasted one more week in the top ten at number eight, before falling eleven places to number nineteen in its fourth week. It managed to last nine weeks in the top 75 meaning it spent the least time in the German singles chart alongside "Someday" out of any No Angels song from the years of 2001-2003.[3] In Austria, the song reached number ten, making it their sixth and final top ten single.[4] It lasted four weeks in the top twenty, and spent eleven weeks on the Austrian singles chart. In Switzerland, the song had a peak position of number forty-six.[4] As of September 2010, "No Angel (It's All in Your Mind)" is their third lowest charting single of all time in Switzerland after "Disappear" and "All Cried Out." It spent seven weeks on the Swiss singles chart. On Billboard's European Hot 100 Singles, the song peaked and debuted at number seven.[5]

Visuals in the music video for "No Angel" were inspired by Andy Warhol and his Silver Clouds works (pictured).

The video was directed and produced by German music video director Marcus Sternberg for Marcus Sternberg Filmproduktion.[6] Thomas Wedekind served as his assistant, with Rüdiger Schwarz acting as camera and boom operator.[6] Martin Lieckfeld was hired as lightning technician, while Volker Rehm was consulted as production designer.[6] Visuals in the video were inspired by Andy Warhol and his Silver Clouds works.

Filming took place in a warehouse-type building. Throughout the video, the No Angels are being filmed by topless men, with the exception of Nadja Benaissa who is filming a topless man. Each of the No Angels have their own scene in the music video: Sandy Mölling's is in a narrow hall with lights at either side of her, Vanessa Petruo in a tin foil covered room with a dangling light bulb, Ludmilla Diakovska's against a grey brick wall, and Benaissa's on a chair with one of the men dancing behind her. During the instrumental break, the quartet is seen throwing silver, inflatable cushions. Towards the end of the video, the No Angels are lined up in black clothes with microphones in front of them, and finish off with a basic dance routine.

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Pure.[2]

• Number-one hits of 2003 (Germany)

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics