"Heaven" by Bryan Adams

#1 Alert!

Song#:  2292
Date:  04/20/1985
Debut:  52
Peak:  1 (2 weeks)
Weeks:  19
Genre:  Pop, Rock, Soundtrack



Pop Bits:  Adams got his first Pop Top 10 with "Run to You," the lead single from his fourth album Reckless. A follow-up single, "Somebody," just missed that same mark stalled at #11. However, this third single would turn things around in a big way. The ballad was a perfect fit for Pop and it became Adams' first #1 on that chart. It became his second single to chart at AC getting to #12. Rock radio was already familiar with the song (see below) and so this time around it stalled at #27. The hit would keep sales of the album brisk and the LP would remain in the Top 10 during the run of this song. An upcoming fourth single would finally push the album to #1 for a couple of weeks in August.

ReduxReview:  This song was not really among my favorites on the Reckless album, but I do think it is one of Adams' most effective ballads. It checks all the right boxes and sounds great. I just envision an arena of concert goers waiving lighters in the air when I hear this tune. I never really connected with it, but I do recognize that it is a well-done piece of work from Adams and Vallance.

ReduxRating:  6/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) Back in '83, Adams and his collaborator Jim Vallance were given the task to write a song for the upcoming romance film A Night in Heaven. Adams was on tour with Journey at the time and he and Vallance found inspiration via the #12 Journey hit "Faithfully" for their new tune "Heaven." They recorded the song (with Journey's Steve Smith on drums) and it found its way into the film and onto the associated soundtrack. The film ended up being a box office bomb and that certainly didn't help the soundtrack. At the time, Adams' contribution was not issued as a single, but it did get quite a bit of airplay at Rock radio where it peaked at #9. Later on when Adams was gathering songs for his Reckless album, the idea of putting the song on the LP was bantered about due to its earlier success at Rock. Initially Adams didn't think the tune fit in with the more rock-oriented feel of the album and elected to keep it off the LP. However, he ended up changing his mind at the last minute and included the song in the final track listing. That turned out to be a good idea as the song would become Adams' first #1 hit.  2) In 2001, this song was remade into a dance version by DJ Sammy (from Spain) and Yanou (a German DJ) with vocals by Dutch singer Do. It was highly successful reaching #1 in the UK and #8 in the US while hitting the Top 10 in several other countries. It would be the only chart hit in the US for any of the three performers, therefore they became one-hit wonders.

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