Heaven (Niall Horan song) explained

Heaven
Cover:Niall Horan - Heaven.png
Border:yes
Type:single
Artist:Niall Horan
Album:The Show
Genre:Pop rock[1]
Length:3:06
Label:Capitol
Producer:
  • Little
  • Ryan
Prev Title:Everywhere
Prev Year:2021
Next Title:Meltdown
Next Year:2023

"Heaven" is a song by Irish singer-songwriter Niall Horan, released through Capitol Records as the lead single from his third studio album The Show on 17 February 2023.

Background

In an statement to Rolling Stone, Horan said, "There's so much pressure for people to hit certain milestones by a certain age – you get married at this age, buy a house at that age, have kids at some other age [...] But I've never conformed to those ideas, and so I wanted to write about how we all should just focus on enjoying our lives and doing what feels right, instead of worrying about what might be expected of us."[2]

Composition

The song was originally published in the key of F major and starts with F(add2)/Gm/F/F5/G7sus/Bbsus2 chord progression with six intro bars. The song begins with the lyric: "Strange light revolves around you, you float across the room. Your touch is made of something heaven can't hold a candle to.".[3]

Promotion

In January 2023, fans received candles that depicted partly cloudy skies. The QR code on the candles' packaging sent fans to an interactive website (heavenwontbethesame.com) that showed a virtual version of the candle.[4] Over the course of the week, the candle would slowly melt.[5] [6] When it finished melting, the outdoor setting from the song's music video appeared and there was new hidden content under a differently coloured shrub of flowers each day leading up to the song's release date. The content included a voice note from the song's writing process, along with behind-the-scenes photos from the photo shoot of Horan's third album and the set of the music video.

In February 2023, Horan performed the "Heaven" chorus acoustically whilst appearing on the The Late Late Show with James Corden.[7] He appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show and discussed writing the song at a writer's camp.[8] [9] Horan released an acoustic version of "Heaven" on 10 March 2023,[10] which had been preceded one week earlier by a video released to YouTube of the acoustic version. Horan appeared on The Jonathan Ross Show on 11 March 2023.[11] [12] On 17 March 2023, Horan performed the song at the White House's Saint Patrick's Day celebrations.[13] [14] [15] On 18 April 2023, Horan performed "Heaven" on BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge, in addition to a cover of Lizzy McAlpine's song "Ceilings".[16]

Music video

On 17 February 2023, Horan released a lyric video to "Heaven", which was produced by Katie Temkin.[17] On 24 February 2023, the official music video was released online. The video was directed by Dylan Knight.[18] Drummer Emilia Schmier features throughout.[19] The video shows Horan and Schmier playing in a room made out of red curtains; after the first chorus, Horan enters a door to a crowded party where young women dressed as nuns are seen amongst the crowd. The video alternates between the two settings. During the bridge of the song the room the party was in is empty and the walls pull away to reveal an outdoor setting with flowers and rolling hills.

Chart performance

One week after the single's release, "Heaven" debuted at number 4 on the Irish singles chart,[20] Horan's highest charting single in the country since 2017's "Slow Hands". In the United Kingdom, the single debuted at number 18, peaking one week later at number 16,[21] and went on to spend 12 weeks in the UK Top 40.[22] In the Netherlands Heaven debuted at number 26. And after 13 weeks it reached number 8. In Sweden, "Heaven" debuted at number 54 on that country's singles chart. In the United States, it debuted at number 63 on the Billboard Hot 100[23] and peaked at number 62.[24] In Australia, the single peaked at number 30 on the country's ARIA Chart.[25]

One week after the single's release, the UK's Official Charts Company reported "Heaven" peaked at number 2 on the Official Trending Chart.[26]

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2023)! scope="col"
Peak
position
Estonia Airplay (TopHit)[27] 4
Greece (IFPI)[28] 53
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)[29] 10
Latvia Airplay (LAIPA)[30] 4
Lebanon (Lebanese Top 20)[31] 7
Lithuania (AGATA)[32] 34
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[33] 34
Norway (VG-lista)[34] 20
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[35] 4
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[36] 90
San Marino (SMRRTV Top 50)[37] 20
Singapore (RIAS)[38] 23

Year-end charts

Chart (2023)! scope="col"
Position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[39] 62
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[40] 84
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[41] 36
Poland (Polish Airplay Top 100)[42] 51

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormat(s)VersionLabel
Various17 February 2023OriginalCapitol[43]
ItalyRadio airplayUniversal[44]
United States21 February 2023Contemporary hit radioCapitol[45]
27 February 2023Hot adult contemporary radio[46]
Various10 March 2023AcousticCapitol[47]
14 April 2023Original[48]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Niall Horan: "The last time I wrote an album I did less thinking". NME. Mylrea. Hannah. 8 April 2023. 2 May 2023.
  2. Niall Horan Enters His Certified Lover Boy Era on 'Heaven'. Rolling Stone. Paul. Larisha. 17 February 2023. 25 February 2023.
  3. Web site: Niall Horan 'Heaven' Sheet Music. 4 March 2023. 4 March 2023.
  4. Web site: Niall Horan Teases Third Album With 'Heaven'-ly Song Snippet, Mystery Boxes Sent to Fans . . 9 April 2023 . 24 January 2023.
  5. Web site: Niall Horan's Third Studio Album Is Finally Becoming A Reality . iHeartRadio . 11 April 2023 . 24 January 2023.
  6. Web site: Niall Horan Teases New Album & Single With Cryptic Site: 'Heaven Won't Be The Same' . . 9 April 2023 . January 24, 2023.
  7. Niall Horan Makes Existential Connection Between Katy Perry and New Single 'Heaven' on 'Corden'. Rolling Stone. Paul. Larisha. 17 February 2023. 25 February 2023.
  8. Web site: Hear more about the making of NiallOfficial's new single #Heaven, and the origins of his cardigan obsession. Twitter. 22 February 2023. 27 February 2023.
  9. Niall Horan Reveals He 'Constantly' Speaks to One Direction as Collaboration Rumors Swirl . . 22 February 2023 .
  10. Web site: Niall Horan - Heaven (Acoustic). Apple Music. 10 March 2023. 10 March 2023.
  11. Web site: The Jonathan Ross Show: Who is on ITV show this week including Maya Jama, Niall Horan & James Acaster. Edinburgh Evening News. Millar. Will. 10 March 2023. 20 March 2023.
  12. Web site: Niall Horan - Heaven [Live] The Jonathan Ross Show]. YouTube. 13 March 2023. 20 March 2023.
  13. Niall Horan Hangs Out With President Joe Biden at the White House for St. Patrick's Day. Billboard. Aniftos. Rania. March 17, 2023. March 20, 2023.
  14. Web site: Niall Horan Performs At White House As Part Of Joe Biden-Leo Varadkar St. Patrick's Day Celebration. Deadline. Johnson. Ted. March 17, 2023. March 20, 2023.
  15. Web site: Niall Horan's mother very proud after White House performance. RTÉ. Hussey. Sinéad. 18 March 2023. 20 March 2023.
  16. Niall Horan's Soothing Rendition of Lizzy McAlpine's 'Ceilings' Will Ease All Your Troubles. Billboard. Aniftos. Rania. 19 April 2023. 22 April 2023.
  17. Web site: Niall Horan - Heaven (lyric video). YouTube. 17 February 2023. 25 February 2023.
  18. Niall Horan Gets a Dose of Reality in 'Heaven' Music Video: Watch. Billboard. Bowenbank. Starr. 24 February 2023. 25 February 2023.
  19. Niall Horan Journeys Toward Some Kind of 'Heaven' in New Music Video. Rolling Stone. Blistein. Jon. 24 February 2023. 25 February 2023.
  20. Web site: Top 100 Singles, Week Ending 24 February 2023. Official Charts Company. 25 February 2023.
  21. Web site: Official Singles Chart Top 100 03 March 2023 - 09 March 2023. Official Charts Company. 3 March 2023. 3 March 2023.
  22. Web site: Niall Horan Chart History. Official Charts. 6 October 2016 . 12 May 2023.
  23. billboardcharts. 1630285666536792064. @NiallOfficial's "Heaven" debuts at No. 63 on this week's #Hot100.. 27 February 2023. 28 February 2023.
  24. Niall Horan Billboard Hot 100 Chart History. Billboard. 7 March 2023.
  25. Web site: ARIA Top 50 Singles Chart. Australian Recording Industry Association. 6 March 2023. 3 March 2023.
  26. Web site: Pink's TRUSTFALL tops Official Trending Chart as Niall Horan and Mae Stephens make big gains. Official Charts. Smith. Carl. 28 February 2023. 1 March 2022.
  27. Web site: Top Radio Hits Estonia Weekly Chart: Jun 22, 2023. TopHit. 5 May 2024.
  28. Web site: IFPI Charts . 2023-03-08 . www.ifpi.gr.
  29. Web site: Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of March 8, 2023. Billboard Japan. ja. 8 March 2023.
  30. Web site: Latvijas radio stacijās spēlētākās dziesmas TOP 17. nedēļa. lv. LAIPA. May 29, 2023. May 2, 2023.
  31. Web site: OLT20 - Combined Chart - Week of Sunday April 30th, 2023. The Official Lebanese Top 20. 30 April 2023.
  32. Web site: 2023 9-os savaitės klausomiausi (Top 100). AGATA. lt. 3 March 2023. 3 March 2023.
  33. Web site: NZ Top 40 Singles Chart. Recorded Music NZ. 6 March 2023. 4 March 2023.
  34. Web site: Singel 2023 uke 09. VG-lista. 3 March 2023.
  35. Web site: OLiS – oficjalna lista airplay. OLiS. Polish. 24 April 2023. Select week 15.04.2023–21.04.2023..
  36. Web site: OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży – single w streamie. OLiS. Polish. 11 May 2023. Select week 28.04.2023–04.05.2023..
  37. Web site: Top 50 – Radio San Marino RTV – 23/04/2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230423115213/https://www.sanmarinortv.sm/radio/radio-san-marino/top-50-ascoltare . 2023-04-23 . it . . 23 April 2023 . 21 July 2024.
  38. Web site: RIAS Top Charts Week 9 (24 Feb - 2 Mar 2023). RIAS. 7 March 2023. 7 March 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230307081706/https://www.rias.org.sg/rias-top-charts/.
  39. Web site: Jaaroverzichten 2023. Ultratop. nl. 7 January 2024.
  40. Canadian Hot 100 – Year-End 2023. Billboard. 22 November 2023.
  41. Web site: Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 2023. Dutch Top 40. nl. 1 January 2024. 31 December 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231231221518/https://www.top40.nl/bijzondere-lijsten/top-100-jaaroverzichten/2023.
  42. Web site: Podsumowanie roczne – OLiA. OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. pl. 28 March 2024.
  43. Web site: Heaven . live . https://archive.today/20230217060943/https://open.spotify.com/album/6IbldUF7xzRJuUDEApUCS3 . 17 February 2023 . 26 February 2023 . Spotify.
  44. Bellone . Dario . NIALL HORAN "Heaven" (Radio Date: 17/02/2023) . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230226175618/https://radiodate.it/radio-date/niall-horan-heaven-234702-17-02-2023-radiodate/ . 26 February 2023 . 26 February 2023 . radiodate.it . Radio Airplay Italia . it.
  45. Web site: Top 40/M Future Releases . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20230220180830/https://www.allaccess.com/top40-mainstream/future-releases . 20 February 2023 . 26 February 2023 . All Access.
  46. Web site: Hot/Modern/AC Future Releases . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20230224145312/https://www.allaccess.com/hot-modern-ac/future-releases . 24 February 2023 . 26 February 2023 . All Access.
  47. Web site: Heaven (Acoustic) - Single by Niall Horan . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230310054303/https://music.apple.com/ie/album/heaven-acoustic-single/1675172738 . 10 March 2023 . 10 March 2023 . Apple Music (IRE).
  48. "Heaven" release formats:
    1. Web site: Niall Horan Heaven CD Single. 19 April 2023. Niall Horan Official Store (UK). https://web.archive.org/web/20230418233438/https://shopuk.niallhoran.com/products/heaven-cd-single. 18 April 2023. live.
      Web site: Heaven - CD Single. 14 April 2023 . 19 April 2023. Universal Music Spain. es. https://web.archive.org/web/20230418232925/https://universalmusiconline.es/products/heaven-cd-single. 18 April 2023. live.
      Web site: CD Single Esclusivo Heaven di Niall Horan. 19 April 2023. Universal Music Shop. Universal Music Italia. it. https://web.archive.org/web/20230419000624/https://shop.universalmusic.it/products/niall-horan-heaven-cd-single-esclusivo. 19 April 2023. live.
    2. Web site: Niall Horan Heaven 7" Single. 19 April 2023. Niall Horan Official Store (UK). https://web.archive.org/web/20230418233441/https://shopuk.niallhoran.com/products/heaven-7-single. 18 April 2023. live.
      Web site: Heaven – 7" Single. 14 April 2023 . 19 April 2023. Universal Music Spain. es. https://web.archive.org/web/20230418232832/https://universalmusiconline.es/collections/niall-horan/products/heaven-7-picture-disc. 18 April 2023. live.
      Web site: Vinile 7" Single Esclusivo Heaven di Niall Horan. 19 April 2023. Universal Music Shop. Universal Music Italia. it. https://web.archive.org/web/20230419000619/https://shop.universalmusic.it/products/niall-horan-heaven-vinile-7-single-esclusivo. 19 April 2023. live.

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