Something Happened on the Way to Heaven
Encyclopedia
"Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" is a single performed by Phil Collins
and released in 1990, from the album ...But Seriously
. The song reached the #4 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts that same year. A live performance of the song also appears on the Serious Hits... Live! album. The song was written by Phil Collins and Daryl Stuermer
and was produced by Phil Collins and Hugh Padgham
. It was also included on ...Hits on which it is the track number eight. The cover art shown here is a still from the 1946 film A Matter of Life and Death by Powell and Pressburger
. The single's UK release featured a different cover, depicting comedian Tony Hancock
. The song was originally written for the movie War of the Roses.
7" single
12" maxi
recorded a R&B cover of the track, which was included on the Phil Collins tribute compilation Urban Renewal. A club/house
remix was issued as a single, which reached number one 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 number one, ten 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.
Phil Collins
Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
and released in 1990, from the album ...But Seriously
...But Seriously
-Instrumental contributions:*Phil Collins — keyboards, drums, percussion, tambourine, vocals*Nathan East — bass guitar*Daryl Stuermer — guitar*Dominic Miller — guitar*The Phoenix Horns:**Don Myrick — saxophone...
. The song reached the #4 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts that same year. A live performance of the song also appears on the Serious Hits... Live! album. The song was written by Phil Collins and Daryl Stuermer
Daryl Stuermer
Daryl Mark Stuermer is an American musician who plays guitar and bass for Genesis during live shows, and lead guitar for Phil Collins during most of his solo tours and albums.-Biography:...
and was produced by Phil Collins and Hugh Padgham
Hugh Padgham
Hugh Padgham is a British record producer. He has won many awards, including four Grammys, with Producer of the Year and Engineer of the Year. A 1992 poll in Mix magazine voted him one of the world's Top Ten Most Influential Producers....
. It was also included on ...Hits on which it is the track number eight. The cover art shown here is a still from the 1946 film A Matter of Life and Death by Powell and Pressburger
Powell and Pressburger
The British film-making partnership of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, also known as The Archers, made a series of influential films in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1981 they were recognized for their contributions to British cinema with the BAFTA Academy Fellowship Award, the most prestigious...
. The single's UK release featured a different cover, depicting comedian Tony Hancock
Tony Hancock
Anthony John "Tony" Hancock was an English actor and comedian.-Early life and career:Hancock was born in Southam Road, Hall Green, Birmingham, England, but from the age of three was brought up in Bournemouth, where his father, John Hancock, who ran the Railway Hotel in...
. The song was originally written for the movie War of the Roses.
Formats and track listings
CD maxi- "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" – 4:37
- "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (Remix) – 5:38
- "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (Demo) – 5:19
7" single
- "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (Edit) – 4:37
- "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (Demo) – 5:19
12" maxi
- "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" – 4:37
- "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (Remix) – 5:38
- "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (Demo) – 5:19
Credits
- Phil CollinsPhil CollinsPhilip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist....
(keyboards, drums, vocals) - Nathan EastNathan EastNathan Harrell East is a jazz, R&B and rock bass player and vocalist. East holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music from the University of California, San Diego...
(bass, backing vocals) - Daryl StuermerDaryl StuermerDaryl Mark Stuermer is an American musician who plays guitar and bass for Genesis during live shows, and lead guitar for Phil Collins during most of his solo tours and albums.-Biography:...
(guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s) - Dominic Müller (guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s) - The Phenix Horns
- Don MyrickDon MyrickDon Myrick was a saxophonist.He played alto, tenor and soprano sax and was a member of Earth Wind & Fire's original horn section, The Phenix Horns Esq. from 1975 through 1982. Previously, Myrick had been a member of the musical group The Pharaohs...
(saxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
) - Louis Satterfield (tromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
) - Michael HarrisMichael HarrisMichael Harris is an award-winning Canadian author, investigative journalist, and radio personality who hosts an afternoon radio talk show, "Michael Harris Live", on Ottawa-based CFRA, and was a columnist for The Ottawa Sun newspaper until March 2011.Born in Toronto, Ontario, to Audrey McDonald ...
(trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
) - Rhamlee Michael Davis (trumpet)
- Arranged by Tom Tom 84
- Alex Brown (backing vocals)
- Marva King (backing vocals)
- Lynn Fiddmont (backing vocals)
Charts
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Top 40 | 5 |
| French SNEP Singles Chart | 35 |
| German Singles Chart | 26 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 8 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 26 |
| UK Singles Chart | 15 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 4 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 34 |
| End of the year chart (1990) | Position |
|---|---|
| Dutch Top 40 | 65 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 58 |
Deborah Cox version
In 2003 Canadian singer Deborah CoxDeborah Cox
Deborah Cox is a Canadian R&B singer-songwriter and actress. Her 1998 song "Nobody's Supposed to Be Here" held the record for longest-running number one single on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks chart , a record held for nearly eight years. She has achieved ten number-one hits on...
recorded a R&B cover of the track, which was included on the Phil Collins tribute compilation Urban Renewal. A club/house
House music
House music is a genre of electronic dance music that originated in Chicago, Illinois, United States in the early 1980s. It was initially popularized in mid-1980s discothèques catering to the African-American, Latino American, and gay communities; first in Chicago circa 1984, then in other...
remix was issued as a single, which reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Airplay
Hot Dance Airplay
Dance/Mix Show Airplay is a monitored electronic dance music radio chart that is featured weekly in Billboard magazine. The chart came about as a result of the small but influential impact of electronic dance music on the radio in the United States and the stations that program it...
chart in November 2003 and stayed at the top spot until February 2004. The track spent 11 weeks at number one, ten of them consecutively, making it the first single on the chart to accomplish this feat, which she would hold until 2009, when Lady Gaga
Lady GaGa
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta , better known by her stage name Lady Gaga, is an American singer and songwriter. Born and raised in New York City, she primarily studied at the Convent of the Sacred Heart and briefly attended New York University's Tisch School of the Arts before withdrawing to...
broke that record with her single "Poker Face
Poker Face (Lady Gaga song)
"Poker Face" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga from her debut album, The Fame. Produced by RedOne, it was released as the album's second single in late 2008 for some markets and in early 2009 for the rest of the world...
", which spent 15 weeks at the top.