Songwriter reignites feud over Robbie Williams’ hit song Angels almost 30 years after its release

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A songwriter is once again claiming to be the true author of Robbie Williams‘ famous song, Angels, reviving a decades-old dispute about its origins.

Okay, so I’ve been following this for ages, and it’s happening again! Ray Heffernan, this amazing Irish singer-songwriter – you might remember he actually sued Robbie Williams last year – just dropped another TikTok saying he wrote ‘Angels’ nearly 30 years ago! I seriously believe him, and it’s wild to see him keep bringing it up. I’m totally obsessed with finding out the truth!

Okay, so Robbie himself said he did record something with Ray, a demo, which is amazing enough! But then, and this is the important part, he totally revamped it with Guy Chambers. It wasn’t just a little tweak, he rewrote it! Honestly, knowing Robbie and Guy worked their magic on it is just… perfect. It’s still that original spark with Ray, but their Robbie and Guy brilliance took it to the next level, you know?

The singer also bought the rights to Angels from Ray for £7,500 before it was released in 1997.

Ray insists he was treated unfairly in the agreement and that he sold his rights based on misleading information.

As a big fan, I saw the online discussion flare up all over again after Robbie did an interview on Radio 2. He was talking about his first album, and it really got everyone going again – it was wild to watch!

@yestherayheffernan

Replying to @ellen.north5 #fairnessforsongwriters #Angels #pancaketuesday #throwback #pov

♬ original sound – Ray Heffernan

You know, Robbie always had a really clear vision for his music. He spent ages talking about the kind of album he wanted to create, but in the end, ‘Life Through A Lens’ was the one that actually came to life. It’s funny how things evolve, isn’t it? He’d describe it all, and then that album materialized – it’s brilliant.

I remember writing the album with Guy Chambers took less than two weeks.

Just because I released an album didn’t guarantee it would be a hit. It sold 33,000 copies in the first three months, which was lower than what my record label, EMI, had anticipated.

The singer continued, explaining that he was almost fired, but then he unexpectedly ended his association with the band, The Angels.

‘And it gave me the career that I’ve got today. I’m incredibly grateful for that song.’

Since then, Ray has been sharing videos on TikTok explaining the situation with his song, ‘Angels.’ He says he essentially gave up ownership of it when he was just 23 years old, and was only promised a thank you for his contribution.

He shared an old video from 1997 of Robbie Williams discussing how he quickly wrote his hit song ‘Angels,’ claiming it only took a couple of hours. Ray commented on the post, simply stating, ‘Body language never lies.’

In 2005, the song was named the best British song of the last 25 years at the Brit Awards. That same year, a survey also revealed it was the song most British people would choose to be played at their funeral.

Ray and Robbie first met in Dublin around Christmas 1996 while they were out socializing.

He played the song for the ex-Take That member at his mom’s house, and they then recorded an initial version of the track.

Last year, Ray shared with Ireland’s Sunday Independent that recording with Robbie Williams was only his second time ever being in a professional studio. Because of this, he was incredibly excited when the topic of releasing the song came up.

‘That’s what you’re supposed to do, right? Sell your songs to pop stars.

At first, they offered me £2,500 to give up my rights to the song. When I asked if I could be credited as a contributor, they increased the offer to £7,500. I agreed once they promised to include my name. Then, suddenly, the song became a hit!

Robbie has shared that he once recorded a demo with the songwriter before they wrote the hit song, which was inspired by a personal loss – the songwriter’s partner had a miscarriage.

He stated that he significantly revised the song Angels, working with Guy Chambers to create the memorable chorus, ‘And through it all, she offers me protection’.

The British singer, known for his recent biopic Better Man released in late 2024, also shared that he purchased the rights to a particular song to avoid potential legal issues before its release.

He has never confirmed co-authorship and has even branded Ray a ‘fantasist’.

The Daily Mail has contacted Robbie’s representatives for a comment. 

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2026-02-23 03:49