"Designing Heaven" is synthpop trio Heaven 17's first single

Single (music)

In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...

 from the 1996 album Bigger Than America

Bigger Than America (album)

Bigger Than America is the sixth album by the English synthpop group Heaven 17, released in 1996. The album did not chart in the UK.The album peaked at number one on Germany Alphabeat Redaktionscharts' Rock/Pop/Alternative Charts in November 1996...

. It was written by all three members. The single was released and peaked at #128 in the UK although it didn't peak in the top 100. This was the first single consisting of new material from the group since 1988, with a promo video produced to accompany the single.

Allmusic wrote "The single "Designing Heaven" is as contemporary as anything Erasure

Erasure

Erasure are an English synthpop duo, consisting of songwriter and keyboardist Vince Clarke and singer Andy Bell. Erasure entered the music scene in 1985 with their debut single "Who Needs Love Like That"...

, the Pet Shop Boys

Pet Shop Boys

Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....

, or The Human League

The Human League

The Human League are an English electronic New Wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. They achieved popularity after a key change in line-up in the early 1980s and have continued recording and performing with moderate commercial success throughout the 1980s up to the present day.The only constant...

 have done recently."

The DJ Dance Chart compiled exclusively for 'DJ Magazine' from a sample of over 500 British DJ returns ranked this single at #92.

Formats

12" Single

1. "Designing Heaven (Starck Mix)" - 8:33
2. "Designing Heaven (Le Courbosier Mix)" - 4:43
3. "Designing Heaven (Rodgers Mix)" - 7:00
4. "Designing Heaven (Mies Van Der Rohe Mix)" - 5:43

12" Promo Single

1. "Designing Heaven (Hysterix Pure Pumpin' Mix)" - 6:55
2. "Designing Heaven (Moroder's Subterranean Mix)" - 5:45

2x 12" Promo Single (Germany only)

1. "Designing Heaven (Motiv-8's Vocal 12")" - 7:05
2. "Designing Heaven (Gregorio's 12" [Varispeed 130BPM])" - 6:07
3. "Designing Heaven (Moroder's Extended Mix)" - 6:45
4. "Designing Heaven (Motiv-8's Vocal Dub)" - 4:42
5. "Designing Heaven (Gregorio's 12")" - 6:23
6. "Designing Heaven (Moroder's Subterranean Mix)" - 5:45
7. "Designing Heaven (Trans European Heaven Mix)" - 4:50
8. "Designing Heaven (Motiv-8 Extended Instrumental)" - 7:25
9. "Designing Heaven (Motiv-8's Radio Edit)" - 3:54

CD Single #1

1. "Designing Heaven (Radio Mix)" - 4:12
2. "Designing Heaven (Lloyd-Wright Mix - Motiv 8's Radio Mix)" - 4:10
3. "Designing Heaven (Le Corbusier Mix - Motiv 8's Dub 12)" - 4:42
4. "Designing Heaven (Trans European Heaven)" - 4:52
5. "Designing Heaven (Den Hemmel Designen)" - 4:27

CD Single #2

1. "Designing Heaven (Meis Van Der Rohe Mix - Giorgio Moroder's Subteranean 12")" - 5:43
2. "Designing Heaven (Stark Mix - Gregorio's 12")" - 8:33
3. "Designing Heaven (Venturi Mix - Giorgio Moroder's Vocal 12")" - 6:46
4. "Designing Heaven (Rodgers Mix - James Reynold's Vocal 12")" - 7:00

CD Promo Single (UK only)

1. "Designing Heaven (Radio Edit)" - 4:10

CD Promo Single (Germany only)

1. "Designing Heaven (Pump Up Mix Edit)"

Chart performance

Chart (1996)	Peak position	Total weeks
UK Singles Chart	128	2

Critical reception

A review by China stated "Its a bit of a mixed bag to say the least. It starts off with lots of la la las then goes into the verses where Gregory sings over some fairly minimal modern synth fx. Glenn's voice sounds more delicate than in the 80s and it really does interplay beautifully with the fx. The lyrics are typical H17 political comment, smack up to date and very good with it. However, in spite of a very convincing start the chorus is a real downer, very weak indeed. A synthpop chorus by numbers with none of the reassurance of their old hits. Imagine the chorus to Temptation with all the oomph taken out. Thats why it got the 'dated' comment in Melody Maker I reckon. Not having heard the album I hesitate to say this, but maybe they've more work to do on the new sound."

David Richards for the Lexicon Issue 2 wrote "Try to get by the first single, "Designing Heaven". Maybe one day it will be considered a classic like "Let Me Go" or "Penthouse and Pavement", but it's doubtful. The song lacks energy or a good melody, seemingly constructed with out a real master plan. There is also a German CD single for "Designing Heaven" with mixes by Altern-8 and Georgio Moroder. Non of the remixes set the song on fire, but seem serviceable enough for clubs."

Personnel

• Remixers - Chris Cox, Giorgio Moroder
  Giorgio Moroder
  Hansjörg "Giorgio" Moroder is an Italian record producer, songwriter and performer based in Los Angeles. When in Munich in the 1970s, he started his own record label called Oasis Records, which several years later became a subdivision of Casablanca Records...
  
  , Gregorio, Motiv 8, James Reynolds, Hysterix