"Heaven for Everyone" | ||||
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Single by The Cross | ||||
from the album Shove It | ||||
B-side | "Love on a Tightrope" "Contact" (12" single only) |
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Released | 1988 | |||
Format | 7" single, 12" single, CD single | |||
Recorded | 1987–1988 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 5:08 | |||
Label | Parlophone | |||
Writer(s) | Roger Taylor | |||
Producer(s) | Roger Taylor, David Richards | |||
The Cross singles chronology | ||||
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"Heaven for Everyone" | ||||
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Single by Queen | ||||
from the album Made in Heaven | ||||
B-side | "It's a Beautiful Day" | |||
Released | 23 October 1995 | |||
Format | 7" single, CD single | |||
Recorded | 1987–1995 | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 5:36 (album version) 4:37 (single version) |
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Label |
Parlophone (Europe) Hollywood (North America) |
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Writer(s) | Roger Taylor | |||
Producer(s) | Queen | |||
Queen singles chronology | ||||
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"Heaven for Everyone" is a song written by Roger Taylor. It appeared originally in his band's, The Cross, album Shove It, with Freddie Mercury as a guest vocalist, and it is the album's fourth track. It was reworked with Queen's music and appeared in the 1995 album Made in Heaven, where it was the seventh track and released as the first single. The song reached number two on the UK Singles Chart. The music video contains footage of Georges Méliès seminal 1902 silent film A Trip to the Moon.
Some reports have Roger Taylor writing the song in 1986 as part of Queen's A Kind of Magic album sessions, after their work on Highlander was complete. If he did, the song was not used, or was left incomplete when the album was finished. When Taylor started working on the material for the album Shove It, he recruited Freddie Mercury to record the backing vocals on the song. Two versions were recorded, one with Mercury doing only backing vocals to Taylor's lead vocals, and another with Mercury singing the lead vocals. The backing track of each was re-recorded as well, instead of the two lead vocals being recorded over the same instrumental backing. The Taylor-vocal version is about twenty seconds longer than the Mercury-vocal version.
The Cross versions also feature a spoken intro by Taylor, as well as a spoken refrain in the middle. The refrain in the Taylor vocal has an extra lyric not sung in the Mercury-vocal version (though it appears in the printed lyrics). Both versions end with Taylor saying "And that. Is the end. Of this section." It's unclear if he means 'section' as that half of the album, or the serious-issues section of the album (this song being the only serious song on the album).
The UK edition of the album Shove It featured Mercury's vocal version, while the UK single featured Taylor's vocal version. In the US, the album featured Taylor's vocal version and neither were released as a single.