Genre Pop rock Label Atlantic, Virgin, WEA | Length 4:50 | |
B-side "I Wish It Would Rain Down" Released 16 April 1990 (UK)
19 July 1990 (US) Format 7", 12" single, CD maxi, Cassette | ||
"Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" is a song performed by Phil Collins and released in 1990, from the album ...But Seriously. The song reached the #4 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts that same year. A live performance of the song also appears on the Serious Hits... Live! album. The song was written by Phil Collins and Daryl Stuermer and was produced by Phil Collins and Hugh Padgham. It was also included on ...Hits on which it is the track number eight. The cover art shown here is a still from the 1946 film A Matter of Life and Death by Powell and Pressburger. The single's UK release featured a different cover, depicting comedian Tony Hancock. The song was originally written for the movie War of the Roses.
Contents
Lyrics
The only time the title of the song is used is the second line of the third verse. The song is often identified by the recurring hook of "How many times can I say 'I'm sorry'?".
Formats and track listings
- "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" – 4:37
- "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (Remix) – 5:38
- "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (Demo) – 5:19
- "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (Edit) – 4:37
- "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (Demo) – 5:19
- "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" – 4:37
- "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (Remix) – 5:38
- "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (Demo) – 5:19
Credits
Deborah Cox version
In 2003, Canadian singer Deborah Cox recorded a R&B cover of the track, which was included on the Phil Collins tribute compilation Urban Renewal. A club/house remix was issued as a single, which reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Airplay chart in November 2003 and stayed at the top spot until February 2004. The track spent 11 weeks at number one, ten of them consecutively, making it the first single on the chart to accomplish this feat, which she would hold until 2009, when Lady Gaga broke that record with her single "Poker Face", which spent 15 weeks at the top.