Something Happened on the Way to Heaven

Last updated

"Something Happened on the Way to Heaven"
Something Happened on the Way to Heaven by Phil Collins UK single.png
Artwork for UK release
Single by Phil Collins
from the album ...But Seriously
B-side "I Wish It Would Rain Down"
Released16 April 1990 (1990-04-16) [1]
Length4:50
Label Atlantic, Virgin, WEA
Songwriter(s) Phil Collins, Daryl Stuermer
Producer(s) Phil Collins, Hugh Padgham
Phil Collins singles chronology
"I Wish It Would Rain Down"
(1990)		"Something Happened on the Way to Heaven"
(1990)		"That's Just the Way It Is"
(1990)
Music video
"Phil Collins - Something Happened On The Way To Heaven (Official Music Video)" on YouTube

"Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" is a song by English drummer Phil Collins, released in April 1990 from his fourth studio album, ...But Seriously (1989). The song peaked at No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 the week of October 6, 1990 and No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart. [2] [3] A live version also appears on the Serious Hits... Live! album. The song is often identified by the recurring hook of "How many times can I say 'I'm sorry'?", however, the title of the song is essentially the 2nd line of the 2nd verse.

Contents

The song was written by Phil Collins and longtime Genesis/Collins guitarist Daryl Stuermer and was produced by Collins and Hugh Padgham. It was also included on ...Hits . The song was originally written for the movie The War of the Roses . [4]

Artworks

The single's UK release featured comedian Tony Hancock on its front cover. [5] The different cover art for the international single release is a still from the 1946 film A Matter of Life and Death [6] (also titled in the US Stairway to Heaven [7] ) created by Powell and Pressburger,[ citation needed ] permitted for use by Rank Film Distributors. [7]

Music video

Directed by Jim Yukich, produced by Paul Flattery and written by both of them for FYI. A dog is napping in a meadow, dreaming of being in a silent movie in which it saves a woman tied to a set of railroad tracks from being run over by a train. The opening of the song is heard faintly in the distance, coming from the open back door of a concert hall, and the dog wakes up and ventures inside. Here, Collins and his band do a sound check and then perform the song as the dog explores the facility, eating from the band's buffet table, climbing among the catwalks, and sitting briefly at Collins' piano and drum kit. These sequences are intercut with shots from the dog's black-and-white perspective, including a brief dream in which it sits at a formal table loaded with food.

At two different times, the dog relieves itself onstage, first by defecating near backing singer Arnold McCuller — only discovered when he steps in the resulting mess — then later by urinating on bassist Leland Sklar's leg. The latter occurs near the end of the song, and the video ends after Collins smiles and wipes Sklar's shoe with a towel (Sklar did not perform on the actual studio recording, Nathan East is the actual performer). [8]

Critical reception

Upon its release as a single, Gary Crossing of Record Mirror noted the "pseudo Seventies Motown brass, the familiar Collins sticksmanship and the regular nauseating vocals". [9]

Formats and track listings

CD maxi

  1. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" – 4:37
  2. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (One World Remix) – 5:38
  3. "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (demo) – 5:19

7-inch single

  1. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (edit) – 4:37
  2. "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (demo) – 5:19

12-inch maxi

  1. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" – 4:37
  2. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (One World Remix) – 5:38
  3. "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (demo) – 5:19

Credits

Charts

Deborah Cox version

"Something Happened on the Way to Heaven"
Something Happened on the Way to Heaven by Deborah Cox.png
Banner of the US 12-inch retail single
Single by Deborah Cox
Released2003
Genre House
Songwriter(s) Phil Collins, Daryl Stuermer

In 2003, Canadian singer Deborah Cox recorded a R&B cover of the track, which was included on the Phil Collins tribute compilation Urban Renewal. It peaked at No. 95 on the Billboard Hot 100. A club/house remix was issued as a single, which reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Airplay chart in November 2003 and stayed at the top spot until February 2004. The track spent 11 weeks at No. 1—10 of them consecutively—making it the first single on the chart to accomplish this feat, which she would hold until 2009, when Lady Gaga broke that record with her single "Poker Face", which spent 15 weeks at the top.

Related Research Articles

<i>...But Seriously</i> 1989 album by Phil Collins

...But Seriously is the fourth solo studio album by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was released on 20 November 1989 in the United Kingdom by Virgin Records, and on 24 November 1989 in the United States by Atlantic Records. After Collins finished touring commitments with the rock band Genesis in 1987, the group entered a four-year hiatus, during which Collins starred in the feature film Buster (1988). By the spring of 1989, Collins had written material for a new solo album, which addressed more serious lyrical themes, like socio-economic and political issues, as opposed to his previous dance-oriented album, No Jacket Required (1985).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">You Can't Hurry Love</span> 1966 single by the Supremes

"You Can't Hurry Love" is a 1966 song originally recorded by the Supremes on the Motown label. It was released on July 25 of 1966 as the second single from their studio album The Supremes A' Go-Go (1966).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Another Day in Paradise</span> 1989 single by Phil Collins

"Another Day in Paradise" is a song written and recorded by English drummer and singer Phil Collins. Produced by Collins along with Hugh Padgham, it was released as the first single from his number-one album ...But Seriously (1989). As with his song for Genesis, "Man on the Corner", the track has as its subject the problem of homelessness and paradise; as such, the song was a substantial departure from the dance-pop music of his previous album, No Jacket Required (1985).

<i>Hits</i> (Phil Collins album) 1998 greatest hits album by Phil Collins

Hits, is the first greatest hits album by English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was released on 5 October 1998 in the UK, and one day later in the United States. The collection included fourteen top 40 hits, including seven American number one songs, spanning from the albums Face Value (1981) through Dance into the Light (1996). One new Collins recording, a cover of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors", also appeared on the collection and was a popular song on adult contemporary stations. Hits was also the first Phil Collins album to include four songs originally recorded for motion pictures as well as his popular duet with Philip Bailey, "Easy Lover".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One More Night (Phil Collins song)</span> 1985 single by Phil Collins

"One More Night" is the first single in the United States and second in the United Kingdom from Phil Collins' third studio album, the Diamond-certified No Jacket Required. "One More Night" was Phil Collins' second U.S. No. 1 single, following "Against All Odds", and was his fourth single to reach the top ten in the UK, peaking at No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart. In the U.S., the single entered the Billboard Hot 100 at number 50 on the chart dated 9 February 1985. It hit number one seven weeks later and remained on top for two weeks. In the UK, the single was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry. It was also his first No. 1 on the U.S. Adult contemporary chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Take Me Home (Phil Collins song)</span> 1985 single by Phil Collins

"Take Me Home" is a song written and performed by English drummer, singer and songwriter Phil Collins. It is the tenth and final track on Collins' third solo album, No Jacket Required. Collins co-produced the song with Hugh Padgham and released it as a single in the UK in July 1985 and the U.S. in March 1986. It did moderately well in the UK, peaking at No. 19. While it was not as successful as other singles from the album, such as "Sussudio" or "One More Night" in the US, it still reached the top 10, peaking at No. 7.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Invisible Touch (song)</span> 1986 single by Genesis

"Invisible Touch" is the title track and first single from the 1986 album of the same name by the English rock band Genesis. The song is a group composition which featured lyrics written by drummer and singer Phil Collins.

<i>Serious Hits... Live!</i> 1990 live album by Phil Collins

Serious Hits… Live! is the name of Phil Collins' 1990 live album, released on vinyl, cassette and CD. It is also the title of the 2003 DVD video release of his concert at Berlin's Waldbühne on 15 July 1990. The songs on the CD version are taken from various concerts during the Seriously, Live! World Tour. At the Brit Awards in 1992, the album brought Collins a nomination for British Male Artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">True Colors (Cyndi Lauper song)</span> 1986 single by Cyndi Lauper

"True Colors" is a song written by American songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly. It was both the title track and the first single released from American singer Cyndi Lauper's second studio album of the same name (1986). Released in mid-1986, the song would become a hit for Lauper, spending two weeks at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming her last single to occupy the top of the chart. It received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Easy Lover</span> 1984 single by Philip Bailey and Phil Collins

"Easy Lover" is a song performed by Philip Bailey of the band Earth, Wind & Fire and Phil Collins of the band Genesis, jointly written and composed by Bailey, Collins, and Nathan East. The song appears on Bailey's solo album, Chinese Wall. Collins has performed the song in his live concerts, and it appears on both his 1990 album, Serious Hits... Live!, and his 1998 compilation album, ...Hits. It is Bailey's only US Top 40 hit as a solo artist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Separate Lives</span> 1985 single by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin

"Separate Lives" is a 1985 song recorded by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin and featured on the soundtrack to the motion picture White Nights. It reached No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts as well as in Canada and Ireland. It reached No. 4 on the UK Singles Chart, and was certified silver by the British Phonographic Industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I Wish It Would Rain Down</span> 1990 single by Phil Collins

"I Wish It Would Rain Down" is a song by English musician Phil Collins from his fourth solo studio album, ...But Seriously (1989). The song was a chart success in early 1990, peaking at No. 7 on the UK Singles Chart, No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Canadian RPM 100 Singles chart; in the latter country, it was the most successful song of 1990. Collins felt that it was as close as he had ever got, at the time, to writing a blues song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sussudio</span> 1985 single by Phil Collins

"Sussudio" is a song by English singer-songwriter Phil Collins, released as a single in January 1985. The song is the first track on Collins' third solo studio album, No Jacket Required, released in February of the same year. The song entered frequent rotation on MTV in May; by 6 July both single and album reached No. 1 on their respective US Billboard charts. The song peaked at No. 12 in the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do You Remember? (Phil Collins song)</span> 1990 single by Phil Collins

"Do You Remember?" is a song by the English drummer and singer-songwriter Phil Collins. It was released in April 1990 as the fourth single from his fourth solo studio album ...But Seriously. It was produced by Collins and Hugh Padgham and features singer-songwriter Stephen Bishop on the track as a backing vocalist. The song had minor success in European countries but went to number one on both the Canadian and US Adult Contemporary charts. It also peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming his 14th and last top-ten hit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hang in Long Enough</span> 1990 single by Phil Collins

"Hang in Long Enough" is a song performed by Phil Collins and released as a single in 1990 from the album ...But Seriously. It was the sixth and final single from the album. The single reached No. 23 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, No. 34 on the UK Singles Chart, and No. 9 in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">That's Just the Way It Is</span> 1990 single by Phil Collins

"That's Just the Way It Is" is a song by English drummer Phil Collins, released as a single in July 1990 from his fourth solo studio album, ...But Seriously (1989). The track features David Crosby on background vocals. The song was only released as a single in Europe and Australasia, while "Do You Remember?" was instead released in the United States. The song reached number 26 in the UK Singles Chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dance into the Light (song)</span> 1996 single by Phil Collins

"Dance into the Light" is a 1996 song performed by English drummer, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor Phil Collins, released as the first single from his sixth studio album, Dance into the Light (1996). It reached number nine on the UK Singles Chart, but was a disappointment on the US Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 45. B-sides are songs "Take Me Down" and "It's Over". The song also peaked within the top 10 in Czech Republic, Hungary and Scotland. On the Eurochart Hot 100, it reached number 29 in October 1996. The track was the only song from Dance into the Light to be featured on his compilation album ...Hits in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">It's in Your Eyes</span> 1996 single by Phil Collins

"It's in Your Eyes" is a single performed by Phil Collins and released in 1996 as the second single from his album Dance into the Light.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Who Said I Would</span> 1991 single by Phil Collins

"Who Said I Would" is a song performed by Phil Collins that was originally recorded for his 1985 album No Jacket Required but was released in 1991 as a single from his live album Serious Hits... Live! in the United States and Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)</span> 1964 song performed by Marvin Gaye

"How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" is a song recorded by American soul singer Marvin Gaye from his fifth studio album of the same name (1965). It was written in 1964 by the Motown songwriting team of Holland–Dozier–Holland, and produced by Brian Holland and Lamont Dozier. The song title was inspired by one of the actor and comedian Jackie Gleason's signature phrases, "How Sweet It Is!"

References

  1. ↑ "New Singles". Music Week . 14 April 1990. p. 39.
  2. ↑ Phil Collins, Billboard Hot 100 – Billboard.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  3. ↑ Billboard Hot 100, Week of October 6, 1990 – Billboard.com. Retrieved April 28, 2023.
  4. ↑ Phil Collins (11 April 2024). Not Dead Yet. London, England: Century Books. p.  270. ISBN   978-1-780-89513-0.
  5. ↑ Hancock record collection - Page seven
  6. ↑ Gooder, Paula (2011). Heaven. Eugene, Oregon: Wipf and Stock Publishers. pp. xi. ISBN   978-1-61097-777-7.
  7. 1 2 Collins, Phil (1990). Something Happened on the Way to Heaven (cassette). Atlantic Records. Cat. #7 4-86140.
  8. ↑ Collins, Phil (17 May 2010). "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven - Official Music Video". YouTube . Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2016.
  9. ↑ Crossing, Gary (21 April 1990). "Singles". Record Mirror . p. 16. ISSN   0144-5804.
  10. ↑ "Phil Collins – Something Happened on the Way to Heaven". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  11. ↑ "Phil Collins – Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  12. ↑ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1307." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  13. ↑ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 1290." RPM . Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  14. ↑ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media . Vol. 7, no. 20. 19 May 1990. p. V. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  15. ↑ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN   951-31-2503-3.
  16. ↑ "Phil Collins – Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  17. ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Something Happened on the Way to Heaven". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  18. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 21, 1990" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  19. ↑ "Phil Collins – Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  20. ↑ "Phil Collins – Something Happened on the Way to Heaven". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  21. ↑ "Phil Collins: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 13 June 2021.
  22. ↑ "Phil Collins Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  23. ↑ "Phil Collins Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 19 April 2017.
  24. ↑ "Phil Collins Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  25. ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – Phil Collins – Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  26. ↑ "Jaaroverzichten 1990" (in Dutch). Ultratop . Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  27. ↑ "Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1990". RPM . Library and Archives Canada . Retrieved 22 March 2019.
  28. ↑ "Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks of 1990". RPM . Library and Archives Canada. 17 July 2013. Retrieved 23 April 2020.
  29. ↑ "Single top 100 over 1990" (PDF) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
  30. ↑ Nielsen Business Media, Inc (22 December 1990). "1990 The Year in Music & Video: Top Pop Singles". Billboard. Vol. 102, no. 51. p. YE-14.{{cite magazine}}: |last1= has generic name (help)
  31. ↑ "Adult Contemporary Songs – Year-End 1990". Billboard. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.