Girish Mahajan (Editor)

Heaven Is a Place on Earth

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B-side
  
"We Can Change"

Genre
  
Pop rock power pop

Released
  
September 18, 1987

Label
  
MCA Records

Format
  
CD 7" single 12" single

Length
  
4:06 (album version) 3:54 (promo 7" edit) 6:00 (heavenly version)

"Heaven Is a Place on Earth" is a song by American singer Belinda Carlisle, featured on her second studio album, Heaven on Earth (1987). Written by Rick Nowels and Ellen Shipley, the song was released as the album's lead single in September 1987, and it hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on December 5, 1987, becoming Carlisle's only US chart-topper. A month later it hit number one in the United Kingdom, where it held the top spot of the UK Singles Chart for two weeks.

Contents

The song reached number one in many other countries, among them Switzerland, Ireland, Sweden, South Africa and Norway. The song also reached number three in Germany and Canada, number two in Australia, and number six in Italy. It is widely considered to be Carlisle's signature song because of its success on the charts and its continued relevance today. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. It lost to Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)".

Composition

The song is performed in the key of E major with a tempo of 123 beats per minute in common time. Carlisle's vocals span from E3 to D♯5. In the final chorus of the song, the key is transposed to F♯ major.

Music video

The promotional video was directed by Academy Award-winning actress Diane Keaton and features an appearance of Carlisle's husband Morgan Mason. It also features children wearing black masks and a cape while each of them holds an illuminated plastic globe. Carlisle appeared wearing a strapless dress and later changed to a black off-the-shoulder blouse. The video was partially filmed at Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park in Valencia, California, on the Spin Out ride.

Production

Carlisle's backup vocalists on the track include songwriters Nowels and Shipley as well as Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas and songwriter Diane Warren. It also featured Thomas Dolby on keyboards.

Track listing

  1. "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" - 4:06
  2. "We Can Change" - 3:45
  3. "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" (Heavenly version) - 6:00
  4. "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" (A cappella version) - 3:49

The song was featured in the Black Mirror episode "San Junipero", which first aired in October 2016.

Cover versions

  • Bessy Argyraki Greek singer in 1988 covered the song in Greek titled I nichta krivi mistika (The night hides secrets)
  • The Shadows did an instrumental of the song in 1989 on Steppin' to the Shadows.
  • The Chipettes covered the song for their 1988 album The Chipmunks and The Chipettes: Born to Rock.
  • Numerous dance versions of the song have been released by different artists including Nicki French. Soda Club's dance cover reached #13 on the UK Singles Chart.
  • Gregorian recorded a cover on their album Masters of Chant Chapter IV
  • Italian folk metal band Elvenking covered the song on their 2008 album Two Tragedy Poets (...and a Caravan of Weird Figures).
  • In 2008, American actress/singer Ashley Tisdale covered this song as a promotion for Degree Girl antiperspirant.
  • Teen pop girl group Clique Girlz covered it for their album Incredible.

    • References

    Heaven Is a Place on Earth Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA