The way I see it, I think the song is about her.
It could all be very metaphorical.
"Her father sold her to the trade when she was just a child
She was seventeen and never ever learned to smile" - this could be about how she went into the entertainment business when she was very young and how every time she smiled it was purely for the press and to keep a good reputation, and never really smiled honestly. The whole suicide thing could be about her turning to "the dark side" and changing her image.
"Her name was Angel" - she was the perfect girl, she was keeping her "good girl" image.
"She needed an angel to love
And no one sent her an angel
She needed an angel to love her
But no one sent her an angel" - everybody started liking her because she became famous, and not for who she is, and she started to see that nobody is honest with her and everybody is just trying to use her for something they want.
And as for the "devil's advocate" - that's obvious here, people just start talking bad about people that have the kind of image and style she has. Of course there are people who like her like that, but I'm guessing that's about the people who turned on her as she changed, because they didn't approve of who she is becoming, and the "you don't know the half of it" is to all those people, how they have no idea what she's been through and why she is the way she is.
At least that's how I see it, could be wrong, though.
The way I see it, I think the song is about her. It could all be very metaphorical. "Her father sold her to the trade when she was just a child She was seventeen and never ever learned to smile" - this could be about how she went into the entertainment business when she was very young and how every time she smiled it was purely for the press and to keep a good reputation, and never really smiled honestly. The whole suicide thing could be about her turning to "the dark side" and changing her image. "Her name was Angel" - she was the perfect girl, she was keeping her "good girl" image. "She needed an angel to love And no one sent her an angel She needed an angel to love her But no one sent her an angel" - everybody started liking her because she became famous, and not for who she is, and she started to see that nobody is honest with her and everybody is just trying to use her for something they want. And as for the "devil's advocate" - that's obvious here, people just start talking bad about people that have the kind of image and style she has. Of course there are people who like her like that, but I'm guessing that's about the people who turned on her as she changed, because they didn't approve of who she is becoming, and the "you don't know the half of it" is to all those people, how they have no idea what she's been through and why she is the way she is. At least that's how I see it, could be wrong, though.