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.
"Heaven Is a Place on Earth" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Belinda Carlisle | ||||
from the album Heaven on Earth | ||||
B-side | "We Can Change" | |||
Released | September 14, 1987[1] | |||
Recorded | 1987 | |||
Studio | Ocean Way Studios, Los Angeles, California | |||
Genre | ||||
Length |
| |||
Label | MCA | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Rick Nowels | |||
Belinda Carlisle singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
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
- "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" – 4:06
- "We Can Change" – 3:45
- "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" (The Heavenly version) – 5:59
- "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" (a cappella version) – 3:49
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
Certifications}
|
References
- Strong, M. C. (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Edinburgh: Canongate Books Ltd. p. 329. ISBN 0-86241-385-0.
- "The 19 greatest key changes in music history". ShortList. October 1, 2017. Archived from the original on January 14, 2018. Retrieved January 13, 2018.
- 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.
- "Heaven Is a Place On Earth - Belinda Carlisle". Spot On Track. Archived from the original on March 16, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
- "Australian-charts.com – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is a Place on Earth". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
- "Austriancharts.at – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is a Place on Earth" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- "Ultratop.be – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is a Place on Earth" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- "Top Singles - Volume 47, No. 11, December 19, 1987". RPM. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
- "Adult Contemporary - Volume 47, No. 12, December 26, 1987". RPM. Archived from the original on October 23, 2012. Retrieved July 25, 2011.
- Danish Singles Chart 26 February 1988
- "Belinda Carlisle – Chart Search" Billboard European Hot 100 Singles for Belinda Carlisle. (subscription required)
- "Íslenski Listinn Topp 10 (12. febrúar 1988)" (PDF) (in Icelandic). Dagblaðið Vísir. Retrieved July 26, 2018. Cite magazine requires
|magazine=
(help) - "Irish Singles Chart – Search for song". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on August 24, 2013. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
- "Italian Singles Chart – Top Singles of 1988". Irish Recorded Music Association. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved July 4, 2011.
- "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 7, 1988" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40
- "Dutchcharts.nl – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is a Place on Earth" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- "Charts.nz – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is a Place on Earth". Top 40 Singles.
- "Norwegiancharts.com – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is a Place on Earth". VG-lista.
- "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
- Salaverri, Fernando (September 2005). Sólo éxitos: año a año, 1959–2002 (1st ed.). Spain: Fundación Autor-SGAE. ISBN 84-8048-639-2.
- "Swedishcharts.com – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is a Place on Earth". Singles Top 100.
- "Swisscharts.com – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is a Place on Earth". Swiss Singles Chart.
- "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- "Belinda Carlisle Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
- "Belinda Carlisle Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard.
- "Offiziellecharts.de – Carlisle,Belinda – Heaven Is a Place on Earth". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
- "Top 100 Singles of '87". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
- "1988 Australian Singles Chart". aria. Archived from the original on February 4, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- "Jaaroverzichten 1988". Ultratop. Retrieved October 21, 2019.
- "Top 100 Singles of '88" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 49 no. 10. December 24, 1988. p. 9. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
- "INFINITY CHARTS: German Top 20". ki.informatik.uni-wuerzburg.de. Archived from the original on February 2, 2014. Retrieved August 18, 2012.
- "Hit Parade Italia - Top Annuali Single: 1988". www.hitparadeitalia.it. Archived from the original on January 30, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
- "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1988". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved December 19, 2019.
- "1988 Dutch Singles Chart" (in Dutch). dutchcharts. Archived from the original on August 11, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- "Top Selling Singles of 1988 - The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Recorded Music NZ. Archived from the original on February 10, 2015. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
- "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1988". Archived from the original on April 4, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018.
- "1988 Swiss Singles Chart" (in German). swisscharts. Archived from the original on January 13, 2010. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- "End Of Year Chart - Top 50 Singles of 1988". mostynhouseschool.com. Archived from the original on September 28, 2013. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- "End Of Year Chart - Top 100 Singles of 1988". Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved August 19, 2012.
- "Canadian single certifications – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven Is A Place on Earth". Music Canada.
- "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.
- "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.