"City of Angels" Soundtrack Lyrics

"City of Angels" Soundtrack Description

Questions & Answers

Is there an official soundtrack album for City of Angels?

Yes—two. A multi-artist songs album (City of Angels: Music from the Motion Picture, Warner Bros., released March 31, 1998) and a separate Gabriel Yared original score album. (Wikipedia, Apple Music)

Which original songs were written for the film?

Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” and Alanis Morissette’s “Uninvited” were written for the soundtrack and became major radio hits. (Wikipedia)

Did the soundtrack chart well?

Very. The songs album hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in June 1998 and is RIAA 5× Platinum in the U.S. (Billboard/Wikipedia)

Who composed the score?

Gabriel Yared composed the score; key cues like “An Angel Falls,” “The Unfeeling Kiss,” and “Spreading Wings” appear on the album. (Discogs/FilmMusic.com)

What song underscores the funeral sequence?

Peter Gabriel’s “I Grieve” accompanies the rain-soaked funeral scene. (SoundtrackInfo)

What music closes the film over the ocean epilogue?

Gabriel Yared’s “Spreading Wings” plays under the closing ocean sequence and into the end. (SoundtrackInfo)

Overview

How do you score an angel deciding to be human? City of Angels splits the answer in two: a blockbuster songs compilation that caught late-’90s radio lightning—Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris,” Alanis Morissette’s “Uninvited,” Sarah McLachlan’s “Angel”—and an intimate, lyrical score by Gabriel Yared that breathes like coastal fog. The result: one of the era’s biggest-selling soundtrack albums, and a score that quietly does the film’s soul work. (Wikipedia, Apple Music, Discogs)

In theatres you hear Yared doing the heavy lifting—solo strings, translucent woodwinds, weightless choir—while the songs take ownership of the film’s public memory. Peter Gabriel’s “I Grieve” lends gravitas to a pivotal loss; Yared’s “Spreading Wings” carries the final ocean epiphany. Meanwhile the album’s sequencing plays like a mixtape of adulthood: desire, doubt, surrender.

Additional Info

• Songs album: City of Angels: Music from the Motion Picture — released March 31, 1998 (Warner Bros.).
• Score album: Gabriel Yared’s City of Angels (Original Score) with cues including “An Angel Falls,” “The Unfeeling Kiss,” “Spreading Wings.”
• Chart/Certs: Billboard 200 No. 1 (June 13, 1998); U.S. RIAA 5× Platinum; international No. 1s in multiple territories. (Billboard/Wikipedia)
• Awards halo: “Uninvited” won two Grammys (Best Female Rock Vocal Performance & Best Rock Song, 1999). (GRAMMY)
• Music supervision/production: Danny Bramson credited as soundtrack producer/music supervisor on the album. (Wikipedia)

Notes & Trivia

• The soundtrack finished as the 7th highest-selling U.S. album of 1998—rare for a film compilation in the alt-rock era. (Wikipedia)
• “Iris” was written specifically for the film; it later appeared on Goo Goo Dolls’ Dizzy Up the Girl and became their signature song. (Wikipedia)
• “Uninvited” leaked to radio in early March 1998, prompting Warner to service the entire soundtrack to radio ahead of stores. (Wikipedia)
• Yared’s cue titles telegraph the drama: “An Angel Falls,” “The Unfeeling Kiss,” “Spreading Wings.” (Album notes via Discogs/FilmMusic.com)
• The album places legacy cuts (Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker, Eric Clapton) alongside brand-new originals—a ’90s CD-era power move. (Apple Music/Discogs)

Genres & Themes

Adult-contemporary balladry — “Iris,” “Angel,” “Uninvited”: yearning as decision, chorus as confession.

Roots & blues color — Hendrix, Hooker, Clapton add a gritty human register to a metaphysical story.

Translucent orchestral score — Yared’s strings and choir paint altitude and hesitation; woodwinds = the almost-touch.

Tracks & Scenes

“Iris” — Goo Goo Dolls
Scene: Plays over a late-film emotional swell and into the public’s memory attached to Seth & Maggie’s love; prominently used in marketing and album cycle.
Why it matters: Written for the film, “Iris” became a cultural shorthand for impossible choice and intimacy. (Wikipedia; songs album listing on Apple Music)

“Uninvited” — Alanis Morissette
Scene: Featured on the soundtrack and used in the film’s promotion; a moody piano-led surge that mirrors desire meeting boundary.
Why it matters: A brand-new Morissette track that seized radio; it later won two Grammys and helped catapult the album. (Wikipedia; GRAMMY)

“Angel” — Sarah McLachlan
Scene: Used on the songs album and promotional tie-ins to amplify the film’s elegiac tone.
Why it matters: Its tender spiral matches the movie’s grief-and-grace axis; the word “angel” becomes text and subtext. (Apple Music track list)

“I Grieve” — Peter Gabriel
Scene: Rain-drenched funeral sequence (diegetic world drops away; non-diegetic song leads).
Why it matters: Gabriel’s meditation turns a plot event into ritual, later evolving into the 2002 studio version. (SoundtrackInfo; Apple Music)

“If God Will Send His Angels” — U2
Scene: Album cut associated with the film’s spiritual inquiry; appears on the soundtrack and promotional videos intercut with movie footage.
Why it matters: Title and tone dovetail with the premise; U2’s single mix anchors the compilation’s opening. (U2Songs; Apple Music)

“Feelin’ Love” — Paula Cole
Scene: Sensual interior beat underscoring romantic momentum.
Why it matters: A body-temperature counterweight to the story’s metaphysics. (Apple Music)

“An Angel Falls” — Gabriel Yared (score)
Scene: Early establishing passages of Seth observing humans; strings/choir trace high-above perspective.
Why it matters: Names the story in music—distance giving way to descent. (Discogs/FilmMusic.com)

“The Unfeeling Kiss” — Gabriel Yared (score)
Scene: Hospital and rooftop beats where touch is almost but not yet.
Why it matters: Yared writes restraint; the harmony never fully lands—until choice forces it. (Discogs/FilmMusic.com)

“Spreading Wings” — Gabriel Yared (score)
Scene: Ocean epilogue and end—Seth embraces the world he chose (non-diegetic, rolling strings).
Why it matters: A release cue; the film exhales here. (SoundtrackInfo; Wikipedia track list)

Music–Story Links

The compilation externalizes what the characters can’t say—“Uninvited” names the voltage; “Iris” dignifies the risk; “I Grieve” holds the loss without blinking. Yared’s score lives closer to breath and bones: light textures for angelic remove, low strings for human weight. When Seth steps into mortality, the songs recede and Yared carries the final images—because choice, once made, is quiet.

How It Was Made

Albums & credits: The songs album (Warner Bros.) gathers U2, Alanis Morissette, Goo Goo Dolls, Sarah McLachlan, Peter Gabriel, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, John Lee Hooker, Jude—produced/executive-produced in part by Rob Cavallo and overseen by music supervisor Danny Bramson. The score album features Gabriel Yared’s original cues. (Wikipedia; Apple Music; Discogs; FilmMusic.com)

Reception & Quotes

Critically and commercially, the soundtrack became an event unto itself while the score earned quiet admirers for its restraint.

“Written for the soundtrack… ‘Iris’ became [Goo Goo Dolls’] signature song.” Wikipedia

“Soundtrack hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200… 5× Platinum in the U.S.” Billboard/Wikipedia

“‘Uninvited’ won two GRAMMY Awards in 1999.” GRAMMY / Rhino

Availability: The songs album and many score selections stream widely (Apple Music, Spotify). Discogs documents original 1998 pressings.

Technical Info

• Title: City of Angels — Music from the Motion Picture / Original Score
• Year: 1998
• Type: Movie
• Label: Warner Bros. Records (songs album); various for score issue
• Key Songs (album picks): “Iris” (Goo Goo Dolls); “Uninvited” (Alanis Morissette); “Angel” (Sarah McLachlan); “I Grieve” (Peter Gabriel); “If God Will Send His Angels” (U2); “Feelin’ Love” (Paula Cole); legacy cuts by Hendrix, Hooker, Clapton
• Score Composer: Gabriel Yared — cues incl. “An Angel Falls,” “The Unfeeling Kiss,” “Spreading Wings”
• Chart & Certs: Billboard 200 No. 1 (June 13, 1998); RIAA 5× Platinum (U.S.)

Canonical Entities & Relations

Sources: Wikipedia, Billboard, GRAMMY, Apple Music, Discogs, FilmMusic.com, SoundtrackInfo, IMDb.

October, 28th 2025