by SMF· Published January 22, 2023· Updated January 25, 2023

The two main characters of The Judds’ “Guardian Angels”, “Elijah” and “Fannie”, were presumably the vocalist’s maternal great-grandparents and moreover individuals she never met personally. 

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Elijah was a small-time Kentucky farmer, and it was Fannie who held him down throughout the years. 

Wynonna is further introducing the pair as being her “guardian angels”. Or more realistically put, she derives strength from their example in times of need. For instance, it is Elijah who encourages the vocalist to keep forging ahead at times she may feel exhausted. And the humble Fannie reminds her that so long as you “do your best”, then you can take pride in your accomplishments.

So it’s as if the vocalist’s grandmother’s parents were, in the grand scheme of things, a simple yet tough and faithful lot. So even though Wynonna never interacted with them directly, she is still able to learn from the example they set.

“Guardian Angels'” Lyrics Summary

In times of need and desperation, Wynonna Judd derives the strength to carry on from the example set by her great-grandparents. This is why in her eyes, she sees them as her guardian angels.

Release of “Guardian Angels”

“Guardian Angels” serves as the third single to be released from The Judds’ fifth studio album, which goes by the title “River of Time”. The song officially came out as a single on the 31^st of March, 1990. Both RCA Nashville and Curb Records were behind this project.

Credits and Chart Performance

Naomi Judd joint forces with these two other writers for the composing of “Guardian Angels”:

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• John Barlow Jarvis
• Don Schlitz

Brent Maher produced this track. He also produced the entirety of “River of Time”.

FYI, Brent has written and produced many hits for The Judds. One such hit was their 1985 number 1 hit single, “Girls’ Night Out“.

This track was a top-20 hit on both US Billboard Hot Country Songs and Canada RPM Country Tracks charts.

“Guardian Angels” holds the distinction of being one of the biggest hits in The Judds’ discography. Owing to this, the duo regularly performed it live.

Author’s Personal Opinion

To me, the lyrics can be said to be an exercise in optimistic thinking. The words have the ability to encourage the listener to look at things at the brighter side. It is important to engage in positive thinking because it is an effective antidote for healing the emotional pains brought on by the likes of heartbreaks, disappointments, failures, etc.

I think inspiration comes from God and this can be made possible through optimistic thinking, as it draws positive energies to enhance your creativity, leading you to success.