Heaven for Everyone

Background and writing

Some reports have Roger Taylor writing the song in 1986 as part of Queen's A Kind of Magic album sessions, after their work on Highlander was complete. If he did, the song was not used, or was left incomplete when the album was finished. When Taylor started working on the material for the album Shove It, he recruited Freddie Mercury to record the backing vocals on the song. Two versions were recorded, one with Mercury doing only backing vocals to Taylor's lead vocals, and another with Mercury singing the lead vocals. The backing track of each was re-recorded as well, instead of the two lead vocals being recorded over the same instrumental backing. The Taylor-vocal version is about twenty seconds longer than the Mercury-vocal version.

The Cross versions also feature a spoken intro by Taylor, as well as a spoken refrain in the middle. The refrain in the Taylor vocal has an extra lyric not sung in the Mercury-vocal version (though it appears in the printed lyrics). Both versions end with Taylor saying "And that. Is the end. Of this section." It's unclear if he means 'section' as that half of the album, or the serious-issues section of the album (this song being the only serious song on the album).

The UK edition of the album Shove It featured Mercury's vocal version, while the UK single featured Taylor's vocal version. In the US, the album featured Taylor's vocal version and neither were released as a single.

Personnel

The Original Cross version

Queen version

1988 The Cross single releases

20 March

1. "Heaven for Everyone" (Roger Taylor vocals)
2. "Love on a Tightrope"

1. "Heaven for Everyone" (Roger Taylor vocals)
2. "Love on a Tightrope"
3. "Contact"

After Freddie Mercury's death, as Queen prepared to complete their posthumous album, Made in Heaven, this song was selected to be re-done by the band as a Queen song. The lead vocal Mercury recorded in 1987 was given a new backing track and new backing vocals. A significant difference between The Cross versions and the Queen version is that there's no spoken introduction, refrain or "end" as done by Taylor on the original. Queen has offered no explanation as to why these elements were dropped.

It was the first UK single (Cat. # QUEEN21) off the new album on 23 October 1995, two weeks before the album's release. A planned two-part single, the same song with different B-side tracks was issued 30 October 1995, one week before the album's release. For the single releases, a single version was prepared, editing some instrumental portions of the song (almost a full minute's worth).

1995 Queen single releases

1. "Heaven for Everyone" (Single Version)
2. "It's a Beautiful Day"
3. "Heaven for Everyone" (Album Version)

1. "Heaven for Everyone" (Single Version)
2. "Keep Yourself Alive"
3. "The Seven Seas of Rhye"
4. "Killer Queen"

1. "Heaven for Everyone" (Single Version)
2. "It's a Beautiful Day" (Single Version)

1. "Heaven for Everyone" (Single Version)
2. "Soul Brother" (recorded in 1981)

1. "Heaven for Everyone" (Single Version)

Music video

A music video to commemorate Freddie Mercury was directed by David Mallet and released in 1995. It shows footage from the films A Trip to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la Lune, 1902), The Impossible Voyage (Le Voyage à travers l'impossible, 1904) and The Eclipse (L'éclipse du soleil en pleine lune, 1907) by Georges Méliès.

The music video for The Cross version involved Taylor singing the song on a beach-like setting, while elderly people walked past the band and climbed up ladders to reach heaven.