Angels Brought Me Here - Chart Performance

Chart Performance

"Angels Brought Me Here" debuted on the Australian ARIA Singles Chart on 1 December 2003 at number-one, the first of 11 top ten and six number-one singles that Sebastian has achieved during his career. Sebastian is the only Australian male artist in Australian chart history to achieve six number-one singles, and is third overall for all Australian acts. Only Delta Goodrem and Kylie Minogue have achieved more. "Angels Brought Me Here" sold 128,679 copies in its first week, setting an Australian record at the time for the highest first week single sales by both a debut artist and an Australian artist. It also had the second highest first week single sales from any artist, behind Elton John's tribute to Princess Diana, "Candle in the Wind". Sebastian record was eclipsed in late 2004 by Anthony Callea's debut single "The Prayer". Sebastian still has the second highest one week sales for an Australian artist single. "Angels Brought Me Here" remained at the top spot for three consecutive weeks, dropping to number three in its fourth week. The single spent a total of five weeks in the top ten and twelve weeks in the top fifty. Despite being released near the end of 2003, the its strong sales placed "Angels Brought Me Here" at number-one on the End of Year Top 100 ARIA Singles Chart of 2003. It was certified four times platinum and evenually sold in excess of 303,000 copies. At the time this was the highest sales ever recorded for an Australian artist single, a record Sebastian held until 2011. At the ARIA Music Awards of 2004, Sebastian earned the award for 'Highest Selling Single', and was also nominated for 'Highest Selling Album' for Just as I Am. In 2011 the sales of "Angels Brought Me Here" were surpassed by Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know".

In January 2010 ARIA announced that "Angels Brought Me Here" was the highest selling single of the previous decade, with Anthony Callea's "The Prayer" ranked second. Sebastian reflected on his song's popularity, "I guess its success is due to it being a well-written pop ballad, coupled with the fact that it’s perfectly suited to my voice, and also my back-story... It doesn't take a genius to realise that the show was mostly responsible for the songs enormity but still, I’m glad I was the guy standing there at the end singing it". In a review for Sebastian's fifth number one single "Who's That Girl" in 2010 The Vine's Tim Byron said "Angels Brought Me Here" was "heavily associated with the climax of the show, and thus pre-packaged meanings and associations that other songs will not ... something of the joy of music, of its eternal mystery, gets leached out in the process". Byron felt there was considerable "controversy over whether to give ARIA awards to people like Guy Sebastian" due to concerns about the artist's credibility. Byron added "But it's hard to argue that Guy Sebastian's continued success, seven years later, has much to do with Australian Idol.....even his 'brand recognition' will have faded by now.....If he is still successful, it's more and more because of his musical talent."

"Angels Brought Me Here" was also released in New Zealand, and debuted at number-one on 1 December 2003 on the RIANZ Singles Chart, retaining the position for three weeks. It spent eleven non-consecutive weeks in the top ten and twenty-two weeks in the top forty and achieved platinum accreditation.