Cowboys and Angels (George Michael song)

"Cowboys and Angels" is a song written and performed by English singer-songwriter George Michael, released on Epic Records in March 1991 as the fifth single from his second solo album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (1990). The song became the first single released by Michael to miss the top 40 of the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number 45. The album was released in the UK on 3 September and in the US on 11 September; each single had finished lower than its predecessor and "Cowboys and Angels" continued the pattern, although the other four had all reached the threshold of the top 40. It was also Michael's longest single to date, at 7 minutes 14 seconds. The saxophone solo is by Andy Hamilton and the song is notable for being written in waltz time.

In a 2004 interview with Adam Mattera for UK magazine Attitude, Michael revealed the song was about a short-lived love triangle where he was in love with a man while a female friend was in love with him, but none knew of the others' feelings: "She was in love with me because she couldn't get me, and I was in love with him because I couldn't get him... It's a very personal lyric, but it's about the ridiculousness of wanting what you can't have."