"Heaven's on Fire" is a song by the American rock band Kiss. Written by vocalist/guitarist

Paul Stanley Paul Stanley (born Stanley Bert Eisen; January 20, 1952) is an American musician who is the co-founder, frontman, rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of the hard rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's most popula ...

and songwriter Desmond Child, it was the first single released from the group's 1984 album '' Animalize''.

Background

Released as a single internationally in 1984, "Heaven's on Fire" charted in several countries, even though it failed to reach the top ten in any of the countries where it was released as a single. It did reach #11 on '' Billboard'''s Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks and #49 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. In addition, the song is one of only a select few from the bands' non-makeup era that has been performed live after the band returned to wearing makeup. A video for the single was filmed and played on MTV, and was directed by David Lewis and produced by John Weaver.KISS Video Information
/ref> It marked the only official promotional performance of the band with lead guitarist Mark St. John before he left the group due to problems in his hands caused by a painful, but temporary, form of arthritis called

reactive arthritis Reactive arthritis, also known as Reiter's syndrome, is a form of inflammatory arthritis that develops in response to an infection in another part of the body (cross-reactivity). Coming into contact with bacteria and developing an infection can t ...

. St. John would be replaced shortly afterwards by Bruce Kulick. A live version of the song was recorded at Cobo Hall on December 8, 1984, as part of the ''Kiss: Animalize Live Uncensored'' video, and was later released on the '' Hear 'n Aid'' album. It is one of only three live tracks with longtime drummer Eric Carr that Kiss has ever officially released. The other two are "Talk To Me" and "New York Groove".

Personnel

Kiss *

– lead vocals, rhythm guitar * Gene Simmons –

bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

* Eric Carr – drums, backing vocals * Mark St. John –

lead guitar Lead guitar (also known as solo guitar) is a musical part for a guitar in which the guitarist plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs and chords within a song structure. The lead is the featu ...

Additional musician * Desmond Child – backing vocals

References

External links

The KISS FAQ – DISCOGRAPHY – Hear 'N Aid
(1985) {{authority control Kiss (band) songs 1984 singles Songs written by Desmond Child Songs written by Paul Stanley 1984 songs Mercury Records singles