Heaven Is a Place on Earth

"Heaven Is a Place on Earth" is a song recorded by American singer Belinda Carlisle for her second studio album Heaven on Earth (1987). Written by Rick Nowels and Ellen Shipley, the song was released as the lead single from the Heaven on Earth album on September 14, 1987, and it hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on December 5, 1987, becoming Carlisle's only US chart-topper, to date. 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.

For the Japanese anime movie, see Hayate the Combat Butler! Heaven Is a Place on Earth.

"Heaven Is a Place on Earth"
Single by Belinda Carlisle
from the album Heaven on Earth
B-side"We Can Change"
ReleasedSeptember 14, 1987[1]
Recorded1987
StudioOcean Way Studios, Los Angeles, California
Genre
Length
  • 4:06 (album version)
  • 3:53 (radio edit/7-inch)
  • 5:59 (The Heavenly Version/12-inch)
LabelMCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Rick Nowels
Belinda Carlisle singles chronology
"Since You've Gone"
(1986)		 "Heaven Is a Place on Earth"
(1987)		 "I Get Weak"
(1988)
Music video
"Heaven Is A Place On Earth" on YouTube

The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1988 but lost to Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)". In 2017, ShortList's Dave Fawbert listed the song as containing "one of the greatest key changes in music history".[2]

In 2015, Carlisle re-recorded the song as an acoustic ballad. This version appeared on her album Wilder Shores (2017), which combines acoustic tracks with world beats and traditional Sikh chants.

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.[3][4]

Production

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

Chart performance

"Heaven Is a Place on Earth" reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number seven on the Adult Contemporary chart. It was also a number-one hit in the United Kingdom, topping the UK Singles Chart for two weeks.

The single also reached number one in many other countries, among them Switzerland, Ireland, Sweden, South Africa and Norway. It also reached number three in Germany and Canada, number two in Australia, and number six in Italy. It reached Gold status in Canada and the United Kingdom.

Music video

The promotional music video for the song was directed by Academy Award-winning actress Diane Keaton and features an appearance by Carlisle's husband Morgan Mason. It also features children wearing black masks and capes, and holding illuminated plastic globes. Carlisle appears wearing a strapless dress and later changes to a black off-the-shoulder blouse. The video was partially filmed at Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park in Valencia, California (now Santa Clarita, California), on the now-defunct Spin Out ride.

Track listing
  1. "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" – 4:06
  2. "We Can Change" – 3:45
  3. "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" (The Heavenly version) – 5:59
  4. "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" (a cappella version) – 3:49

Charts and certifications

See also

References
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  3. Shipley, Ellen. "Belinda Carlisle "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" Sheet Music in A Major (transposable) - Download & Print". Musicnotes.com. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  4. "Heaven Is a Place On Earth - Belinda Carlisle". Spot On Track. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
  5. "Australian-charts.com – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is a Place on Earth". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  6. "Austriancharts.at – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is a Place on Earth" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
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  8. "Top Singles - Volume 47, No. 11, December 19, 1987". RPM. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
  9. "Adult Contemporary - Volume 47, No. 12, December 26, 1987". RPM. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
  10. Danish Singles Chart 26 February 1988
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  19. "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
  20. Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
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  22. "Swisscharts.com – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is a Place on Earth". Swiss Singles Chart.
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  41. "Canadian single certifications – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is A Place on Earth". Music Canada.
  42. "British single certifications – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is A Place on Earth". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Heaven Is A Place on Earth in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  43. "Official Charts Flashback: Belinda Carlisle - Heaven Is A Place On Earth". Officialcharts.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2018. Retrieved May 29, 2018.
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