"Heaven"
Single by Warrant
from the album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich
B-side"In the Sticks"[1]
ReleasedJuly 1989
Recorded1988
GenreGlam metal[2][3]
Length3:57
LabelColumbia
Songwriter(s)Jani Lane
Producer(s)Beau Hill
Warrant singles chronology
"Down Boys"
(1989) 		"Heaven"
(1989) 		"Big Talk"
(1989)

Heaven is a power ballad[4] by American glam metal band Warrant. It was released in July 1989,[5] as the second single from Warrant's debut album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich. The song is Warrant's most commercially successful single, spending two weeks at number two on the Billboard Hot 100, and number three on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.[6] The track's commercial success has led it to becoming one of the best known songs by the band.

Background

"Heaven" took Warrant's record company by surprise. Indeed, once the widespread appeal of the song became apparent, the band was instructed to re-record the track to lend it a "bigger radio sound". The first 250,000 copies of the record featured the original version while later pressings featured a new version.[7] The song had previously been recorded by Jani Lane and Steven Sweet's old band Plain Jane.

Music video

The music video starred Scottish model Tracy Allan. It was filmed during a live concert at Sandstone Amphitheater in Kansas City, Kansas and at other locations around the Kansas City Metro area as well as New York City.

Alternate versions

"Heaven" was re-visited by the band in 1999 on their Greatest & Latest album and was released as promo and later iTunes singles.[8] The song was also released on several mixed compilation albums. In 2004, Jani Lane re-recorded an acoustic version of "Heaven" which appeared on the "VH1 Classic Metal Mania: Stripped" compilations.[9]

Chart positions

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[19] Gold 500,000^
Canada (Music Canada)[20] Gold 50,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. ^ "Warrant - Heaven (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved December 29, 2016.
  2. ^ Bowar, Chad. "Best 20 Hair Metal Ballads of the '80s and '90s". LiveAbout. Retrieved August 25, 2019.
  3. ^ "Every Rose Has Its Thorn: A Tribute to the Syrupy-Sweet Sounds of '80s Hair-Metal Ballads". SPIN. Retrieved 2021-06-11.
  4. ^ February 2015, Classic Rock14 (14 February 2015). "The 40 Greatest Power Ballads Playlist". Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved 24 April 2021.((cite web)): CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 884. ISBN 9780862415419.
  6. ^ "Warrant - Charts & Awards - Billboard Singles". Allmusic (Macrovision Corporation). Retrieved December 6, 2009.
  7. ^ "Rockdetector : Resources and Information". 1.rockdetector.com. Archived from the original on 1 December 2005. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  8. ^ "Warrant digital singles". 7Digital. Archived from the original on 2013-05-07. Retrieved 2022-01-13.
  9. ^ "Lack Jemmon - Cherry Pie". Ghetto Funk. October 22, 2015. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
    - "Poison, Scorpians, Queensryche Featured On Compilation Of Biggest Hard Rock Ballads Of All Time". Blabbermouth. 2004. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  10. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 297.
  11. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 6574." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Warrant – Heaven". VG-lista. Retrieved 14 August 2021.
  13. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  14. ^ "Warrant Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  15. ^ "Warrant Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
  16. ^ "Top Singles - Volume 51, No. 8, December 23, 1989". RPM. December 23, 1999. Archived from the original on October 21, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  17. ^ "1989 The Year in Music: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 101, no. 51. December 23, 1989. p. Y-22.
  18. ^ "Longbored Surfer - 1989". Longboredsurfer.com. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  19. ^ "American single certifications – Warrant – Heaven". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  20. ^ "Canadian single certifications – Warrant – Heaven". Music Canada. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
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