"Heaven" is a song by the American new wave band Talking Heads, released on their 1979 album Fear of Music. The song was performed live in their 1984 concert film Stop Making Sense, and a live recording from 1979 was included on the 2004 CD reissue of the band's live album The Name of This Band Is Talking Heads. The lyrics refer to heaven as a "place where nothing ever happens", where a party and a kiss repeat the exact same way endlessly. The song has been called "the calm after [the band's] unusual ominous storm" by Bill Janovitz of AllMusic,[2] as well as something "psychologists would certainly have a field day with" by author and The Guardian journalist Ian Gittins.[3]
| "Heaven" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Talking Heads | |
| from the album Fear of Music | |
| Released | August 3, 1979 |
| Genre | Country rock[1] |
| Length | 4:01 |
| Label | Sire |
| Songwriter(s) | David Byrne, Jerry Harrison |
| Producer(s) | Brian Eno, Talking Heads |
| Audio | |
| "Heaven (2005 Remaster)" on YouTube | |
Dave Bell, writing for quarterly UK magazine Ceasefire, argued that the song "epitomises pop as Samuel Beckett might write it: tedious, beautiful and desperate".[4]
Cover versions
editIn 1995 the song was covered by Iva Davies and Icehouse on The Berlin Tapes, the soundtrack album accompanying the ballet Berlin, for which Icehouse performed live on stage.
In 1996, the song was covered by Jimmy Scott on his album of the same name.[5][6][7]
The song was covered by Eric Burdon on his 2004 album My Secret Life[8][9] and in 1985 by Simply Red for their album Picture Book.[10][11]
A German-language cover of the song, "Der Weg in die Ferne", was recorded by Joachim Witt for his 1980 album Silberblick.[citation needed]
In 1986, Thomas Di Leva made a Swedish-language adaptation of the song, named "Himlen". It was recorded for his album Pussel,[12] and was also the B-Side of his single "Snurra bakåt!"[13]
Singer Q Lazzarus covered "Heaven" for the 1993 film Philadelphia. Her version has never been made available in its complete form.[citation needed]
The National contributed a cover of "Heaven" to the 2024 Talking Heads tribute album Everybody's Getting Involved: A Tribute to Talking Heads' Stop Making Sense.[14]
References
edit- ^ Janovitz, Bill. "Heaven by Talking Heads - Track Info - AllMusic". allmusic. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
- ^ Heaven - Talking Heads | AllMusic, retrieved 2024-09-25
- ^ Gittins, Ian (2004). Talking Heads - Once in a Lifetime: The Stories Behind Every Song. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 57. ISBN 9780634080333. Link
- ^ "Deserter's Songs: A Place Where Nothing Ever Happens". Ceasefire Magazine. Retrieved 5 January 2015.
- ^ "Heaven - Little Jimmy Scott | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ Terrell, Tom. "Jimmy Scott: Heaven". JazzTimes.
- ^ "Jimmy Scott - Heaven". Archived from the original on 2021-12-21 – via www.youtube.com.
- ^ "Heaven - Eric Burdon | Song Info | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ Heaven on YouTube
- ^ Heaven on YouTube
- ^ "Picture Book - Simply Red | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ "Pussel - Album by Di Leva". Spotify. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
- ^ "Di Leva – Snurra Bakåt! / Himlen (Heaven)". Discogs.
- ^ "Stream The New Talking Heads Covers Album Featuring Miley Cyrus, The National, Kevin Abstract, & More" – via www.stereogum.com.