About The Song
It was written by the San Francisco songwriter Rick Nowels (who wrote and produced Stevie Nicks’ “I Can’t Wait”) and the New York-based Ellen Shipley. The initial idea came to Shipley at a Brooklyn gas station where she spotted a greeting card that said “Heaven On Earth.” When she and Nowels started working on a song for Belinda Carlisle, Shipley wrote that phrase on the blackboard as an idea. Nowels wrote in the words “Is A” to make it “Heaven Is A Place On Earth.”
Rick Nowels recalled in 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh, “We started brainstorming concepts. Ellen mentioned the title Heaven On Earth and I thought it was a good concept for Belinda. I started singing ‘Heaven is a place on earth,’ which I thought was a fresher title and before long we had finished the song.”
After a month of recording, Rick Nowels was very happy with the hook but was uncomfortable with the verse, so he asked Ellen back to Los Angeles to re-write the song. The new version was played to Belinda who loved it. Belinda said, “‘Heaven is a Place on Earth is a kind of hopeful song. I think it’s saying you can create your own piece of heaven on your own patch. It’s a song about peace of mind and it’s also partly a love song.”
This was the first single from Carlisle’s second solo album. After her group The Go-Go’s split in 1985, she remained signed to their label, I.R.S., and issued her self titled debut in 1986. The Go-Go’s had some squabbles that led to their breakup, but Carlisle remained close to her bandmate Charlotte Caffey, who worked on those first two solo albums as a songwriter and guitarist. The Go-Go’s other guitarist, Jane Wiedlin, had modest success early on with her solo career, but Carlisle had an instant hit with her first single, “Mad About You,” and became a superstar when “Heaven Is A Place On Earth” became a global smash, topping the charts in several countries, including the UK, US and Ireland.
Video
Lyric
🎵 Let’s sing along with the lyrics! 🎤
Ooh, baby, do you know what that’s worth?
Ooh heaven is a place on earth
They say in heaven love comes first
We’ll make heaven a place on earth
Ooh heaven is a place on earthWhen the night falls down
I wait for you
And you come around
And the world’s alive
With the sound of kids
On the street outsideWhen you walk into the room
You pull me close and we start to move
And we’re spinning with the stars above
And you lift me up in a wave of love…Ooh, baby, do you know what that’s worth?
Ooh heaven is a place on earth
They say in heaven love comes first
We’ll make heaven a place on earth
Ooh heaven is a place on earthWhen I feel alone
I reach for you
And you bring me home
When I’m lost at sea
I hear your voice
And it carries meIn this world we’re just beginning
To understand the miracle of living
Baby I was afraid before
But I’m not afraid anymoreOoh, baby, do you know what that’s worth?
Ooh heaven is a place on earth
They say in heaven love comes first
We’ll make heaven a place on earth
Ooh heaven is a place on earthIn this world we’re just beginning
To understand the miracle of living
Baby I was afraid before
But I’m not afraid anymoreOoh, baby, do you know what that’s worth?
Ooh heaven is a place on earth
They say in heaven love comes first
We’ll make heaven a place on earth
Ooh heaven is a place on earth