Heaven (The Psychedelic Furs song)
Encyclopedia
"Heaven" is a 1984 song by English
band The Psychedelic Furs from their fourth studio album, Mirror Moves
. Written by bassist
Tim Butler
and lead vocalist Richard Butler
, the song reached the top 30 of the charts in the United Kingdom
and peaked at number 41 in New Zealand
.
in April 1984, peaked at number 29, and spent five weeks on the chart.
The song reached number 41 in New Zealand.
Allmusic writer Bill Janovitz called it a "gorgeous pop song", and praised Richard Butler for being "remarkably expressive in his phrasing and in his extraordinary voice."
Janovitz credited producer Keith Forsey
for striking a balance of pop music
and punk rock
influences on the track.
"Heaven" was covered
by Buffalo Tom
on their 1990 album Birdbrain
,
Annie Lennox
on the Japanese edition of her 1995 album Medusa
,
Face to Face
on their 2001 album Standards & Practices
,
Alkaline Trio
on the 2004 compilation album
Another Year on the Streets, Vol. 3,
and Nouvelle Vague
on their 3 album, released in 2009.
12" Vinyl
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
band The Psychedelic Furs from their fourth studio album, Mirror Moves
Mirror Moves
Mirror Moves is the fourth studio album by the English rock band The Psychedelic Furs, recorded and released in 1984. Vince Ely had left the group, leaving three original Furs and Keith Forsey taking on production and drum duties...
. Written by bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
Tim Butler
Tim Butler
Tim Butler is an English songwriter and musician. He is the bass player, and co-founder of the Psychedelic Furs. He is also the youngest of three brothers....
and lead vocalist Richard Butler
Richard Butler (singer)
Richard Lofthouse Butler is the lead singer of the Psychedelic Furs. He is also the founder and vocalist for the disbanded Love Spit Love.-Musical career:...
, the song reached the top 30 of the charts in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and peaked at number 41 in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
.
Release and reception
Released in 1984, "Heaven" entered the UK Singles ChartUK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
in April 1984, peaked at number 29, and spent five weeks on the chart.
The song reached number 41 in New Zealand.
Allmusic writer Bill Janovitz called it a "gorgeous pop song", and praised Richard Butler for being "remarkably expressive in his phrasing and in his extraordinary voice."
Janovitz credited producer Keith Forsey
Keith Forsey
Keith Forsey is an English soundtrack composer, drummer, songwriter and record producer.-Biography:Forsey's first recordings were as the younger member of the group The Spectrum, better known for the end title theme for Gerry Anderson's Captain Scarlet, but hit makers across Europe in their own...
for striking a balance of pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
influences on the track.
"Heaven" was covered
Cover version
In popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
by Buffalo Tom
Buffalo Tom
Buffalo Tom is an alternative rock band from Boston, Massachusetts, formed in 1986. Its principal members are guitarist Bill Janovitz, bassist Chris Colbourn, and drummer Tom Maginnis. The band's name is derived from the band Buffalo Springfield and the first name of the drummer.-Career:Dinosaur Jr...
on their 1990 album Birdbrain
Birdbrain (album)
Birdbrain is the second album by Buffalo Tom, released in 1990. Dinosaur Jr mastermind J Mascis once again assisted with production, alongside Sean Slade...
,
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox
Annie Lennox, OBE , born Ann Lennox, is a Scottish singer-songwriter, political activist and philanthropist. After achieving minor success in the late 1970s with The Tourists, with fellow musician David A...
on the Japanese edition of her 1995 album Medusa
Medusa (Annie Lennox album)
Medusa is the second solo album by the Scottish singer Annie Lennox, released in March 1995. It consists solely of cover songs, all originally recorded by male artists. It entered the UK album chart at No. 1 and peaked in the US at number 11, spending 60 weeks on the Billboard 200 chart. It has...
,
Face to Face
Face to Face (punk band)
Face to Face is an American pop punk band from Victorville, California formed in 1991 by frontman Trever Keith. Originally known as "Zero Tolerance", Keith had been the only constant member of the band during their years of touring and recording albums. The group was initially signed by Dr. Strange...
on their 2001 album Standards & Practices
Standards & Practices (album)
Standards and Practices is a cover album by the American punk rock band Face to Face. It was released in 1999 under the label Lady Luck, Face To Face's imprint through Vagrant Records. It was re-released two years later on Vagrant Records...
,
Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio
Alkaline Trio is an American punk rock band that formed in McHenry, Illinois, in 1996. The band's line-up consists of Matt Skiba , Dan Andriano , and Derek Grant...
on the 2004 compilation album
Compilation album
A compilation album is an album featuring tracks from one or more performers, often culled from a variety of sources The tracks are usually collected according to a common characteristic, such as popularity, genre, source or subject matter...
Another Year on the Streets, Vol. 3,
and Nouvelle Vague
Nouvelle Vague (band)
Nouvelle Vague is a French musical collective led by musicians Marc Collin and Olivier Libaux. Their name is a play on words, meaning "new wave" in French, and "bossa nova" in Portuguese...
on their 3 album, released in 2009.
Track listing
7" Vinyl- "Heaven" - 3:27
- "Heartbeat" (remix) - 5:10
12" Vinyl
- "Heaven" (full version) - 4:25
- "Heartbeat" (New York remix) - 8:09
Chart performance
| Chart (1984) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
29 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
41 |