Written as a homage to Billie Holiday, it was released with two different B-sides; one was an original U2 song called "A Room at the Heartbreak Hotel", while the other was a live version of Rattle and Hum's "Love Rescue Me".

The lyrical content of the song refers to various New York City-area landmarks, including John F. Kennedy International Airport, WBLS radio, and Harlem.

It also refers to jazz-related history including John Coltrane and A Love Supreme, Birdland club, Miles Davis and Billie Holiday ("Lady Day").

[3] U2 lead singer Bono has said that the writing of the song was inspired by U2's initial trip to New York City: "'We landed in JFK and we were picked up in a limousine.

[3] The in-studio performance of "Angel of Harlem" that was included in the Rattle and Hum movie dates from a recording session at Sun Studio in Memphis, Tennessee, during the later stages of the third leg of the Joshua Tree Tour.