Heaven Is a Place on Earth



"Heaven Is a Place on Earth" is a song by American singer Belinda Carlisle, featured on her second studio album, Heaven on Earth (1987). Written by Rick Nowels and Ellen Shipley, the power ballad was released as the album's lead single in September 1987, and it hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on December 5, 1987, becoming Carlisle's only US chart-topper. 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.

The song reached number one in many other countries, among them Switzerland, Ireland, Sweden, South Africa and Norway. The song also reached number three in Germany and Canada, number two in Australia, and number six in Italy. It is widely considered to be Carlisle's signature song because of its success on the charts and its continued relevance today. The song was nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. It lost to Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)".

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.

Music video
The promotional video was directed by Academy Award-winning actress Diane Keaton and features an appearance of Carlisle's husband Morgan Mason. It also features children wearing black masks and a cape while each of them holds an illuminated plastic globe. Carlisle appeared wearing a strapless dress and later changed to a black off-the-shoulder blouse. The video was partially filmed at Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park in Valencia, California, on the Spin Out ride.

Production
Carlisle's backup vocalists on the track include songwriters Nowels and Shipley as well as Michelle Phillips of The Mamas & the Papas and songwriter Diane Warren. It also featured Thomas Dolby on keyboards.

Track listing

 * 1) "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" - 4:06
 * 2) "We Can Change" - 3:45
 * 3) "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" (Heavenly version) - 6:00
 * 4) "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" (A cappella version) - 3:49