Highway to Heaven (song) explained

Highway to Heaven
Cover:	NCT 127 - Highway to Heaven.png
Caption:	English version cover
Type:	single
Artist:	NCT 127
Ep:	We Are Superhuman
Genre:	Pop
Length:	3:20
Label:	SM
Producer:	Sean Machum Gaelen Whittemore Social House
Chronology:	NCT 127
Prev Title:	So Am I
Prev Year:	2019
Next Title:	Kick It
Next Year:	2020

"Highway to Heaven" is a song by South Korean boy band NCT 127, the Seoul-based sub-unit of South Korean boy band NCT. It was released on May 14, 2019, by SM Entertainment, as a pre-release single 10 days before the release of the group's fourth EP, We Are Superhuman.

Background and release

The song was released as a pre-release single on May 14, 2019, alongside its music video.^[1]

The English version of "Highway to Heaven" was released on July 18.^[2]

Composition

According to Billboard's Tamar Herman, "Highway to Heaven" is a synth-pop ballad.^[3]

The song was written by Sean Machum, Michael Foster, Charles Anderson, Wilbart "Vedo" McCoy III, Richard Garcia, Gaelen Whittemore, danke (lalala Studio), Cho Mi-yang, Min Yeon-jae and January 8, and produced by Bochum, Whittemore and Social House, who produced Ariana Grande's "Thank U, Next" and "7 Rings".^[4]

English version

The English version was released as a single on July 18 and on July 19, 2019, in South Korea.

Credits

Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.^[5]

Studio

• SM SSAM Studio (Seoul) – recording
• Golden Bell Tree Sound (Seoul) – digital editing
• SM Big Shot Studio (Seoul) – engineered for mix
• SM Yellow Tail Studio (Seoul) – mixing
• Sterling Sound (New York) – mastering

Personnel

• SM Entertainment – executive producer
• Lee Soo-man – producer
• NCT 127 – vocals
  • Doyoung – background vocals
• danke (lalala Studio) – Korean lyrics
• Cho Mi-yang – Korean lyrics
• January 8th – Korean lyrics
• Min Yeon-jae – Korean lyrics
• Michael Foster (Social House) – producer, English lyrics, composition, arrangement
• Charles Anderson (Social House) – producer, English lyrics, composition, arrangement
• Gaelen Whittemore – producer, composition, arrangement
• Sean Machum – producer, composition, arrangement
• Wilbart "Vedo" McCoy III – English lyrics, composition
• Richard Garcia – arrangement
• Yoo Young-jin – arrangement, music and sound supervisor
• Deez – vocal directing
• Noh Min-ji – recording
• Hong Seong-jun – digital editing
• Lee Min-kyu – engineered for mix
• Koo Jong-pil – mixing
• Joe LaPorta – mastering

Accolades

Year-end lists!Critic/Publication!List!Rank!Ref.

Billboard	The 25 Best K-pop Songs of 2019	16	^[7]
MTV	The Best K-pop B-sides of 2019	3	^[8]
Refinery29	The 20 best K-pop songs of 2019	4	^[9]

Release history

Region	Date	Format	Version	Label
South Korea	May 14, 2019		Korean
Various
United States	July 18, 2019		English
Various
South Korea	July 19, 2019
United States	August 6, 2019	Contemporary hit radio^[10]		Caroline

Notes and References

1. Web site: NCT 127, 새 미니앨범 컴백 카운트다운 돌입..14일 낮 12시 음원 선공개 . Korean . NCT 127 Announces Comeback Schedule for New Mini-Album . May 13, 2019 . . May 14, 2019 . May 23, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210523113552/https://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=112&aid=0003163525 . live .
2. News: Herman. Tamar. 2019-06-03. NCT 127 Tease Upcoming English Version of 'Highway to Heaven'. Billboard. 2019-06-12. 2019-06-13. https://web.archive.org/web/20190613203859/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/international/8514405/nct-127-tease-english-version-highway-to-heaven. live.
3. News: Herman. Tamar. 2019-05-14. NCT 127 Release Captivating Music Video for 'Highway to Heaven'. Billboard. 2019-06-12. 2019-05-21. https://web.archive.org/web/20190521191818/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/k-town/8511474/nct-127-highway-to-heaven-video. live.
4. Web site: Highway to Heaven by NCT 127 on Melon. May 24, 2019. Melon. May 30, 2019.
5. We Are Superhuman. NCT 127. photobook. South Korea. SM Entertainment, Dreamus.
6. NCT 127 Chart History (World Digital Songs). Billboard. . August 28, 2019. December 4, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181204130748/https://www.billboard.com/music/nct-127/chart-history/world-digital-song-sales. live.
7. The 25 Best K-pop Songs of 2019: Critics' Picks . December 29, 2019 . Billboard. https://web.archive.org/web/20191230021303/https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/international/8547126/the-25-best-k-pop-songs-of-2019-critics-picks. December 30, 2019. live. December 30, 2019.
8. Web site: The Best K-pop B-sides of 2019, From Twice to BTS . MTV. Bell. Crystal. December 27, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191227051006/http://www.mtv.com/news/3150475/best-k-pop-b-sides-2019-bts-twice-list/. December 27, 2019. dead. December 27, 2019.
9. Web site: The 20 best K-pop songs of 2019 . . December 20, 2019 . December 21, 2019 . January 7, 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200107160331/https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/12/8836113/best-k-pop-songs-2019 . live .
10. Web site: Top 40/M Future Releases. All Access. July 22, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190722090723/https://www.allaccess.com/top40-mainstream/future-releases. July 22, 2019.