Heaven Is a Halfpipe explained

Heaven Is a Halfpipe
Cover:	OPM heaven is a halfpipe.jpg
Type:	single
Artist:	OPM
Album:	Menace to Sobriety
B-Side:	"Space People" "Group Therapy"
Length:	4:18
Label:	Atlantic
Producer:	Josh Deutsch Craig Kallman
Next Title:	El Capitan
Next Year:	2001

"Heaven Is a Halfpipe" (also known as "Heaven Is a Halfpipe (If I Die)") is a song by American rock band OPM. It was included on their debut studio album, Menace to Sobriety (2000), and was released on June 27, 2000, as its lead single.

The song peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and was a top-40 hit in several other nations, including the United Kingdom, where it reached number four on the UK Singles Chart. It was the 33rd-best-selling single of 2001 in the UK, earning a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales and streams of over 400,000. The song was re-recorded in 2012 for the Heaven Can Wait EP.

Content

"Heaven Is a Halfpipe" is about a man who loves skateboarding, getting high and being free. He imagines Heaven being like a half-pipe, where he does not have to worry about the police ruining his good time ("'Cause right now on Earth I can't do jack / without the man upon my back"). The trick skills of professional skateboarders Christian Hosoi and Mike McGill are mentioned during the bridge ("Like Christian Hosoi way back in '87" / "We'll be busting Christ airs until we get to heaven" / "With all your rules, you gots to chill" / "I'm gonna twist out like Mike McGill" / "I'm gonna twist out cos I got the skills").^[1]

Music video

The music video features OPM doing skateboarding tricks on a large half-pipe and flying around. At the end of the video, they perform to a crowd. One man in the audience also wears a white T-shirt that says "FREE CHRISTIAN HOSOI", in reference to Hosoi's arrest in January 2000 for attempting to transport nearly 1.5 lb of crystal methamphetamine from Los Angeles to Honolulu.^[2]

Track listings

UK CD and cassette single; Australian CD single^{[3] [4] [5]}

1. "Heaven Is a Halfpipe" (album version) – 4:18
2. "Space People" – 3:45
3. "Group Therapy" – 2:21

German CD single^[6]

1. "Heaven Is a Halfpipe" (clean album version) – 4:18
2. "Space People" – 3:45

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (2000–2001)	Peak position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)^[7]	16
US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)^[8]	18

Year-end charts

Chart (2001)	Position
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)^[10]	52
Germany (Official German Charts)^[11]	100
Ireland (IRMA)^[12]	47
UK Singles (OCC)^[13]	33

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)
United States	June 27, 2000	Alternative radio	Atlantic	^[14]
Australia	October 2000	CD		^[15]
United Kingdom	July 2, 2001			^[16]

Notes and References

1. News: 'If I Die Before I Wake': We Spoke to OPM About 15 Years of "Heaven is a Halfpipe". Joshi. Tara. October 15, 2015. VICE. September 20, 2022.
2. Web site: Christian Hosoi Sentenced – 2001. 50-50.com. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20090613002505/http://www.50-50.com/absorb/articles/2001/hosoi_sentenced.shtml. June 13, 2009.
3. Heaven Is a Halfpipe. OPM. 2001. UK CD single liner notes. Atlantic Records. AT0107CD, 7567-84976-2.
4. Heaven Is a Halfpipe. OPM. 2000. UK cassette single sleeve. Atlantic Records. AT0107C, 7567-84976-4.
5. Heaven Is a Halfpipe. OPM. 2000. Australian CD single liner notes. Atlantic Records. 7567849762.
6. Heaven Is a Halfpipe. OPM. 2001. German CD single liner notes. Atlantic Records. 7567-85156-2.
7. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 19. 30. 11. July 21, 2001. August 24, 2020.
8. Alternative Airplay. Billboard. September 2, 2000. subscription. August 5, 2023.
9. Most Played Modern Rock Songs of 2000. Airplay Monitor. 8. 51. 38. December 22, 2000.
10. Web site: Jahreshitparade Singles 2001. de. August 24, 2020.
11. Web site: Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 2001. GfK Entertainment. de. May 24, 2018.
12. Web site: Ireland – Top Singles for 2001. Allcharts. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20120505011812/http://allcharts.org/music/years/ireland-singles-2001.htm. May 5, 2012. December 16, 2018.
13. Web site: The Official UK Singles Chart 2001. UKChartsPlus. May 24, 2018.
14. Alternative: Going for Adds. Radio & Records. 1356. 114. June 23, 2000. May 27, 2021.
15. Web site: Singles. ARIA. 2. January 1, 2001. dead. https://webarchive.nla.gov.au/awa/20020220130000/http://pandora.nla.gov.au/pan/23790/20020221-0000/www.aria.com.au/issue566.PDF. February 20, 2002. December 22, 2020.
16. New Releases – For Week Starting July 2, 2001: Singles. Music Week. 23. June 30, 2001. August 14, 2021.