Wikipedia

Heaven on Earth (Belinda Carlisle album)

Heaven on Earth is the second solo studio album by American singer Belinda Carlisle. It was released on October 5, 1987, by MCA Records. Three singles reached the top 10 of the US Billboard Hot 100, including the number-one single and Carlisle's signature song "Heaven Is a Place on Earth". The album has been certified triple Platinum in the United Kingdom and Platinum in many countries, including the United States.

Heaven on Earth
Studio album by
Belinda Carlisle
ReleasedOctober 5, 1987
Recorded1987
Studio
  • Ocean Way (Hollywood)
  • American Recording (Calabasas, California)
  • Music Grinder (Hollywood)[a]
  • Hollywood Sound (Hollywood)[a]
  • Cherokee (Hollywood)[a]
GenrePop rock[1]
Length43:24
LabelMCA
ProducerRick Nowels
Belinda Carlisle chronology
Belinda
(1986) 		Heaven on Earth
(1987) 		Runaway Horses
(1989)
Singles from Heaven on Earth
  1. "Heaven Is a Place on Earth"
    Released: September 14, 1987 (US)[2]
  2. "I Get Weak"
    Released: January 1988 (US)
  3. "Circle in the Sand"
    Released: April 1988 (US)[3]
  4. "I Feel Free"
    Released: July 1988 (US)
  5. "World Without You"
    Released: August 1988 (UK)[4]
  6. "Love Never Dies"
    Released: November 1988 (UK)[5]

Singles

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The first single released, "Heaven Is a Place on Earth", reached the number one position throughout the world. The second song released was "I Get Weak", written by Diane Warren. "I Get Weak" reached the number two spot in the U.S. and garnered a top 10 placing in Canada and the U.K. The third single, "Circle in the Sand", reached the top 10 in many countries, among them U.K. (#4), U.S. (#7) and Canada (#5). From the fourth single on, the singles released from the album varied in different territories. The Cream cover "I Feel Free" was released only in the U.S., reaching #88 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was the final U.S. single from the album. In Europe, "World Without You" (another Diane Warren song) was released, where it reached the top 40. A fifth and final single in the U.K. was the ballad "Love Never Dies" which reached number #54.[6]

Amongst the songs Carlisle recorded, but did not include on the album, are "Waiting for a Star to Fall" and "Some Hearts", which would become big hits for Boy Meets Girl and Carrie Underwood, respectively.

Reissues

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In May 2009, Heaven on Earth was re-released as a remastered two disc special edition. This special edition includes several bonus remixes and a live DVD. The inclusion of the live DVD marked the first time the concert footage filmed in Philadelphia during the 1988 'Good Heavens' world tour was made available in DVD format. It had previously only been available on VHS.

Heaven On Earth was again re-released on August 26, 2013, in a 2CD+DVD casebook edition from Edsel Recording ( EDSG 80265 ) featuring the original album remastered, the single versions, remixes and B-sides. The DVD features the videos from the album and the concert footage filmed in Philadelphia during the 1988 'Good Heavens' world tour as well as an exclusive interview with Carlisle, discussing the album.[7]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [1]
The Daily VaultB−[8]
New Musical Express4/10[9]

In their review, Billboard stated that "The transmogrification from Go-Go to no-no is complete. "Heaven Is A Place On Earth" has caught the public's ear, but only "Circle In The Sand" has any of the exuberant character that propelled "Mad About You," the saving grace of Carlisle's solo debut. New, big-time label affiliation will help."[10]

Cashbox noted that "Carlisle bursts out of the box with her second solo LP. Here she attacks a variety of styles, from the haunting "Circle In The Sand" to an appropriately psychedelic remake of Cream's 'I Feel Free" to the prime pop of "Should I Let You In?" Established name should fly at retail, while slick grooves are radio-ready."[11]

AllMusic's Alex Henderson retrospectively gave the album four stars out of five, saying "while nothing here packs quite the punch that 'How Much More,' 'We Got the Beat,' and 'Turn to You' did, such memorable songs as 'Heaven Is a Place on Earth,' 'Should I Let You In?', and 'I Get Weak' show that the Angeleno still had plenty of spirit".[1]

Retrospectively, in 2020, Steve Harnell of Classic Pop noted that "everything about Heaven On Earth oozes confidence. The album is front-loaded with killer tracks but even lesser cuts mark Carlisle out as a force to be reckoned with...Key to the success of the new album were the songwriting chops of Rick Nowels whose gutsy pop-rockers wrung every last drop of emotion out of Carlisle, who was now making the most of her sexy vibrato." [12]

Track listing

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No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Heaven Is a Place on Earth"
4:05
2."Circle in the Sand"
  • Nowels
  • Shipley
4:26
3."I Feel Free"
4:49
4."Should I Let You In?"
4:15
5."World Without You"Diane Warren4:42
6."I Get Weak"Warren4:50
7."We Can Change"
  • Nowels
  • C. Caffey
3:45
8."Fool for Love"Robbie Seidman3:57
9."Nobody Owns Me"
  • C. Caffey
  • Holden
  • Clyde Lieberman
3:12
10."Love Never Dies"
  • C. Caffey
  • Tom Caffey
  • Nowels
5:16

Personnel

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Credits adapted from the liner notes of Heaven on Earth in 1987 and 2013.[13][14]

Musicians

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Production and Technical

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  • Rick Nowels – producer, arrangements
  • Steve MacMillan – recording, mixing (tracks 3, 4, 8, 10)
  • Stacy Baird – additional engineer
  • Robert Feist – additional engineer
  • Shelly Yakus – mixing (tracks 1, 2, 5–7, 9)
  • Charles Judge – mix assistant
  • Marc DeSisto – assistant engineer
  • Matthew Freeman – assistant engineer, production assistant
  • Clark Germain – assistant engineer
  • Rob Jacobs – assistant engineer
  • Ethan Jones – assistant engineer
  • Brian Scheuble – assistant engineer
  • Joe Schiff – assistant engineer
  • Bob Vogt – assistant engineer
  • Stephen Marcussen – mastering at Precision Lacquer (Hollywood, California)
  • Ellen Shipley – additional vocal production
  • Robert Feist – additional vocal production
  • Timothy McDaniel – production coordination
  • Nancy Del Los Santos – production assistance

Artwork

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  • Phillip Dixon – photography
  • Norman Moore – art direction, design

Charts

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Certifications

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Certifications for Heaven on Earth
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[38] 2× Platinum 200,000^
Hong Kong (IFPI Hong Kong)[39] Gold 10,000*
New Zealand (RMNZ)[40] Platinum 15,000^
Switzerland (IFPI Switzerland)[41] Gold 25,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[42] 3× Platinum 900,000^
United States (RIAA)[43] Platinum 1,000,000^

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c Additional recording

References

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  1. ^ a b c Henderson, Alex. Heaven on Earth at AllMusic
  2. ^ Strong, M. C. (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Edinburgh: Canongate Books Ltd. p. 329. ISBN 0-86241-385-0.
  3. ^ "Belinda Carlisle singles".
  4. ^ "Belinda Carlisle singles".
  5. ^ "Belinda Carlisle singles".
  6. ^ "Belinda Carlisle | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". www.officialcharts.com.
  7. ^ "She's Got The Beat: Belinda Carlisle's Deluxe 2-CD/1-DVD Reissues Due in August (UPDATED WITH TRACK LISTINGS)". June 4, 2013.
  8. ^ Ray, Benjamin. "Daily Vault review".
  9. ^ Brown, Len (9 January 1988). "Belinda Carlisle: Heaven on Earth". New Musical Express. p. 24.
  10. ^ "Album Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. No. 17 October 1987. p. 80. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  11. ^ "Music Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. No. 31 October 1987. p. 9. Retrieved October 31, 2024.
  12. ^ Harnell, Steve. "Belinda Carlisle: Album by Album". Classic Pop. Retrieved 18 November 2024.
  13. ^ Heaven on Earth (liner notes). Belinda Carlisle. MCA Records. 1987. MCAD-42080.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ Heaven on Earth (liner notes). Belinda Carlisle. Edsel Records. 2013. EDSG 8025.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  15. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 55. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  16. ^ "Hits of the World" (PDF). Billboard. Vol. 100, no. 14. April 2, 1988. p. 61. ISSN 0006-2510 – via World Radio History.
  17. ^ "Top RPM Albums: Issue 0943". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  18. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven on Earth" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  19. ^ "European Hot 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 7. February 13, 1988. p. 20. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  20. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  21. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven on Earth" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  22. ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Retrieved June 3, 2022. Select "Album" in the "Tipo" field, type "Belinda Carlisle" in the "Artista" field and press "cerca".
  23. ^ オリコンランキング情報サービス「you大樹」 (in Japanese). Oricon. Archived from the original on May 20, 2011. Retrieved September 8, 2007.
  24. ^ "Charts.nz – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven on Earth". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  25. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven on Earth". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  26. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven on Earth". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  27. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven on Earth". Hung Medien. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  28. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  29. ^ "Belinda Carlisle Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  30. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. February 6, 1988. p. 18. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  31. ^ "National Top 100 Albums 1988". australian-charts.com. Retrieved August 4, 2021.
  32. ^ "Top 100 Albums of '88" (PDF). RPM. Vol. 49, no. 10. December 24, 1988. p. 13. ISSN 0033-7064 – via World Radio History.
  33. ^ "1988 Year End Eurocharts – Top 100 Albums" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 6, no. 52/1. 1 January 1989. p. 31. OCLC 29800226 – via World Radio History.
  34. ^ "Topp 40 Album Vinter 1988" (in Norwegian). VG-lista. Archived from the original on October 16, 2017. Retrieved May 10, 2022.
  35. ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1988". hitparade.ch (in German). Retrieved August 8, 2021.
  36. ^ "Top 100 Albums – Year-End Chart 1988" (PDF). Music Week Awards. Music Week. March 4, 1989. p. 8. ISSN 0265-1548 – via World Radio History.
  37. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1988". Billboard. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  38. ^ "Canadian album certifications – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven on Earth". Music Canada. March 31, 1988.
  39. ^ "IFPIHK Gold Disc Award − 1990". IFPI Hong Kong.
  40. ^ "New Zealand album certifications – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven on Earth". Recorded Music NZ. September 4, 1988. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  41. ^ "The Official Swiss Charts and Music Community: Awards ('Heaven on Earth')". IFPI Switzerland. Hung Medien.
  42. ^ "British album certifications – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven on Earth". British Phonographic Industry. May 1, 1993. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  43. ^ "American album certifications – Belinda Carlisle – Heaven on Earth". Recording Industry Association of America. January 15, 1988.
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