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 Platinum in several countries, including the United States, and triple Platinum in the United Kingdom

Singles The first single released, "Heaven Is a Place on Earth", reached the number one position throughout the world. The second single released was "I Get Weak", written by Diane Warren. "I Get Weak" reached the number two spot in the US and garnered a top 10 placing in Canada and the UK. The third single, "Circle in the Sand", reached the top 10 in many countries, among them the UK (number four), the US (number seven) and Canada (number five). 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 US, reaching number 88 on the Billboard Hot 100. This was the final US single from the album. In Europe, "World Without You", another Diane Warren composition, was released, where it reached the top 40. A fifth and final single in the UK was the ballad "Love Never Dies", which reached number 54.

Reissues In May 2009, Heaven on Earth was reissued as a remastered two-disc special edition with several bonus remixes and a DVD. The DVD's concert footage previously was available only on VHS.

Heaven on Earth was reissued on August 26, 2013, in a 2CD+DVD casebook edition from Edsel Records (EDSG 8025) with the original album remastered, single versions, remixes and B-sides. The DVD features the videos from the album, concert footage filmed in Philadelphia during the 1988 "Good Heavens" world tour, and an exclusive interview with Carlisle, discussing the album.

Critical reception

Reviewing Heaven on Earth, Cashbox commented, "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." Billboard, however, was unimpressed: "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."

Retrospectively, Steve Harnell of Classic Pop wrote, "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." AllMusic's Alex Henderson found that "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."

Track listing

Personnel Credits adapted from the liner notes of Heaven on Earth in 1987 and 2013.

Musicians

Belinda Carlisle – vocals, air guitars Charles Judge – keyboards, acoustic piano, drum programming Rick Nowels – keyboards, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, drum programming, backing vocals Rhett Lawrence – Fairlight CMI Thomas Dolby – additional keyboards Dann Huff – electric guitars John McCurry – electric guitars George Black – additional guitars Michael Landau – additional guitars Tim Pierce – additional guitars Brian Setzer – additional guitars John Pierce – bass Kenny Aronoff – drums Curly Smith – drums Jimmy Bralower – percussion Paulinho da Costa – percussion David Kemper – percussion Beth Anderson – backing vocals Charlotte Caffey – backing vocals Donna Davidson – backing vocals Donna De Lory – backing vocals Edie Lehmann – backing vocals Chynna Phillips – backing vocals Michelle Phillips – backing vocals Ellen Shipley – backing vocals Amy Sky – backing vocals Carnie Wilson – backing vocals

Production and Technical

Rick Nowels – producer, arrangements Steve MacMillan – recording, mixing Stacy Baird – additional engineer Robert Feist – additional engineer Shelly Yakus – mixing 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 Phillip Dixon – photography Norman Moore – art direction, design

Charts

Weekly charts + Weekly chart performance for Heaven on Earth Chart (1988) Peakposition Australian Albums (Australian Music Report) 13 European Albums (Music & Media) 10 Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) 11 Italian Albums (Musica e dischi) Select "Album" in the "Tipo" field, type "Belinda Carlisle" in the "Artista" field and press "cerca". 18 Japanese Albums (Oricon) 21 US Cash Box Top 100 Albums19

Year-end chart + Year-end chart performance for Heaven on Earth Chart (1988) Position Australian Albums (Australian Music Report) 94 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM) 38 European Albums (Music & Media) 25 Norwegian Winter Period Albums (VG-lista) 4 Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) 20 UK Albums (Gallup) 20 US Billboard 200 17

Certifications

Notes

References