Heaven (Bryan Adams song)

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Not to be confused with Thought I'd Died and Gone to Heaven, a 1992 single by the same artist.

"Heaven"
Bryanadams - Heaven Cover.jpg
Single by Bryan Adams
from the album Reckless and A Night in Heaven soundtrack
B-side
  • "Heaven" (live) (North America)
  • "Diana" (UK)
Released9 April 1985 (US) [1]
RecordedJune 7–8, 1983
StudioThe Power Station, New York City
GenreRock
Length4:03
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Bryan Adams singles chronology
"Somebody"
(1985) 		"Heaven"
(1985) 		"Summer of '69"
(1985)
Audio sample
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"Heaven" is a song by the Canadian singer and songwriter Bryan Adams recorded in 1983, written by Adams and Jim Vallance. It first appeared on the A Night in Heaven soundtrack album the same year and was later included on Adams' album Reckless in 1984. It was released as the third single from Reckless and reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 in June 1985, over a year and a half after the song first appeared on record. The single was certified Gold in Canada in 1985.[2]

Heavily influenced by Journey's 1983 hit "Faithfully", the song was written while Adams served as the opening act on that band's Frontiers Tour, and features their drummer, Steve Smith.[3] It provided Adams with his first number one single and third top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The track placed number 24 on Billboard magazine's Top Pop Singles of 1985.[4]

Writing and recording[]

Adams had played over 100 dates with Journey during 1983, serving as the opening act on their Frontiers Tour. During that time, he and Jim Vallance co-wrote "Heaven", which was inspired by Journey's hit "Faithfully".[3] It was recorded at the Power Station in New York City on June 6 and 7, 1983.[5] Halfway through the recording session, drummer Mickey Curry – who had warned Adams about his limited availability that day – announced that he had to leave since he had committed in advance to a Hall & Oates session.[3] Since the recording session for "Heaven" was running behind schedule, Adams called Journey drummer Steve Smith, who happened to be in New York City at the time and he filled Curry's drumming position.[3] The song first appeared on the soundtrack to the 1983 film, A Night in Heaven, although it was not released as a single at that time.

Adams was unconvinced that "Heaven" was suitable for his next studio album, Reckless,[3] a feeling that was echoed by producer Jimmy Iovine, who was working with Adams at the time.[3] Iovine thought the song was too 'light' for the album and recommended that Adams not include it.[3] But at the last moment, Adams changed his mind.[3]

Reception and awards[]

For All Music Guide, Stewart Mason called the song "the power ballad that transcends the inherent cheesiness of the style to become a genuinely effective single."[6] Mason also praised the "solid melody" and "appropriately bombastic arrangement...over which Adams delivers his most effective vocal performance ever."[6]

In 1984, "Heaven" won the Procan Award (Performing Rights Organization of Canada) for Canadian radio airplay, in 1985, it won the BMI (Broadcast Music Inc.) Citation of Achievement for U.S. radio airplay and ten years later, it won a Socan Classics Award for more than 100,000 Canadian radio performances.[3]

Track listings[]

  • US 7-inch (A&M 2729)
  1. "Heaven"
  2. "Heaven" (live)
  • US 12-inch promo (A&M SP-17318)
  1. "Heaven"
  2. "Heaven" (live)/"Kids Wanna Rock" (live)
  • UK 7-inch (A&M AM256)
  1. "Heaven"
  2. "Diana"
  • UK 12-inch (A&M AMY256)
  1. "Heaven"/"Diana"
  2. "Heaven" (live)/"Fits Ya Good"

Live tracks recorded at the Hollywood Palladium on February 1, 1985.

Chart performance[]

"Heaven" first appeared on the A Night in Heaven soundtrack album in 1983 and received substantial airplay on album-oriented rock radio stations, reaching the number nine on Billboard's Top Tracks chart in February 1984. It was released as the third single from the album Reckless in April 1985 and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the highest-charting single from "Reckless". The song also re-entered the Top Rock Tracks chart at that time, peaking at number 27. "Heaven" also peaked at number 12 on the Adult Contemporary chart during its second run, becoming Adams' second single to reach that chart after "Straight from the Heart" in 1983, and his biggest AC hit until 1991.

In Canada, "Heaven" reached number 11 on the RPM Singles Chart.

The song was also released in Australia, Europe, and New Zealand in 1985. "Heaven" peaked at number 38 in the UK.[7] In several mainland European countries, "Heaven" was the first hit for Adams. "Heaven" reached the top 10 in Sweden and Norway and then the top 20 in Austria, Ireland, Switzerland, and Sweden, it was a moderate top hundred success in Germany where it peaked at number 62.[8][9][10][11][12] In Australia, it peaked at number 12.

Music video[]

There were two videos, one shot at the Stanley Industrial Alliance Stage in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and directed by Steve Barron.[13] That video includes appearances by Lysette Anthony and Garwin Sanford. The second video was shot in London, England, and features Adams singing the song in a live concert setting; behind him, stacked video monitors show his band playing along. Video monitors also occupy each seat of the otherwise empty theater. The video was nominated for an MTV Video Music Award for Best Cinematography.[14]

Personnel[]

  • Bryan Adams – piano, percussion, lead vocals
  • Keith Scott – guitar
  • Rob Sabino – keyboards
  • Dave Taylor – bass
  • Steve Smith – drums[15]

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[27] Gold 50,000^
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[28] Gold 45,000double-dagger
Italy (FIMI)[29] Gold 35,000double-dagger
United Kingdom (BPI)[30] Silver 200,000double-dagger

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.
double-dagger Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

DJ Sammy and Yanou version[]

"Heaven"
DJ Sammy & Yanou - Heaven Cover.jpg
Single by DJ Sammy and Yanou featuring Do
from the album Heaven
ReleasedNovember 21, 2001 (2001-11-21)
Recorded2001
GenreEurodance[31][32]
Length3:52
Label
Songwriter(s)
DJ Sammy singles chronology
"In 2 Eternity"
(1999) 		"Heaven"
(2001) 		"Sunlight"
(2001)
Yanou singles chronology
"Heaven"
(2001) 		"On & On"
(2003)
Do singles chronology
"Heaven"
(2001) 		"Love Is Killing Me"
(2004)

In 2001, Spanish DJ DJ Sammy and German DJ Yanou released a dance cover of "Heaven", with vocals by Dutch singer Do. It was released on 21 November 2001, as the second single from DJ Sammy's second studio album Heaven (2002).

Chart performance[]

The song reached number one on the UK Singles Chart and number eight on the US Billboard Hot 100. It re-entered the chart on the week of 17 November 2007. On 28 October 2009, over seven years after its release, the song was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000.[33] It has also been certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales of over 600,000.

Music video[]

The music video was directed by Oliver Bradford. It features Yanou, DJ Sammy and Do viewed briefly from a television. The video features two Asian girls, androgynous people and a black man. It featured a family of four. There is a second version, with extended scenes of a stationary Do singing and no scenes of Yanou.

Live performances[]

Do performed the song with Westlife live in 2002 in the UK, and also with Westlife at the TMF Awards in 2003. Do also performed the song several times together with Bryan Adams, in the Netherlands and Germany.

Charts[]

Certifications[]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[71] Platinum 70,000^
France (SNEP)[72] Gold 250,000*
United Kingdom (BPI)[73] Platinum 600,000^
United States (RIAA)[33] Gold 500,000*

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Do version[]

"Heaven (Unplugged)"
Do - Heaven (candelight mix).jpg
Single cover for the "Candlelight Mix"
Single by Do
from the album Do
B-side"On and On" (piano mix)
Released2003 (2003)
Recorded2002
Genre
Length4:04
LabelPatriott
Songwriter(s)
Do singles chronology
"Heaven (Unplugged)"
(2003) 		"Love Is Killing Me"
(2004)

Candlelight Mix[]

Because of the Eurodance version's popularity, a stripped-down, ballad-like "Candlelight Mix" version was made and sung by Do, and received airplay on adult contemporary radio stations as well as contemporary hit radio stations.

9/11 remix[]

An unauthorized remix of the "Candlelight Mix" was made by KKXX in Bakersfield, California to commemorate the first anniversary of the September 11 attacks, featuring a kindergarten-aged girl telling the story of her father's death in the attacks, interspersed with the original chorus. While the monologue is based on a true story, the girl was actually the daughter of a former KISS FM program director, who was reading off a script and did not know about the attacks at the time.[74]

References[]

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  5. ^ "Album notes for Anthology by Dave Marsh (CD booklet). A&M Records (A&M 5613)". October 18, 2005.
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