''Better Than Heaven'' is the debut studio album by American singer

Stacey Q Stacey Lynn Swain (born November 30, 1958), known by her stage name Stacey Q, is an American pop singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. Her best-known single, " Two of Hearts", released in 1986, reached number one in Canada, number three on t ...

, released on October 17, 1986, by

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

. Produced by Jon St. James, ''Better Than Heaven'' is predominantly a

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

album with elements of

Hi-NRG Hi-NRG (pronounced "high energy") is a genre of uptempo disco or electronic dance music (EDM) that originated during the late 1970s and early 1980s. As a music genre, typified by its fast tempo, staccato hi-hat rhythms (and the four-on-the-flo ...

, freestyle and new wave music. She collaborated with the same line-up of musicians with whom she had previously performed in the band SSQ. They later continued to work on her other solo albums, '' Hard Machine'' (1988) and '' Nights Like This'' (1989). Released during the rise of popularity of the lead single, " Two of Hearts", ''Better Than Heaven'' received generally positive reviews from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

and peaked at number 59 on the ''Billboard'' 200. Three singles from the album were released. "Two of Hearts" peaked at number three on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and also did well on the

Hot Dance Club Songs The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set list ...

, landing at number four. It became one of the highest-selling singles of

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. ** Spain and Portugal en ...

, selling over one million copies. The second single, " We Connect", was also successful in charts, peaking at number 35 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and number 14 on the Hot Dance Club Songs. Stacey Q performed both songs on the television series '' The Facts of Life'' where she guest starred as Cinnamon, an aspiring singer. On 16 September 2022, "Better Than Heaven" was re-released with bonus remixes and extra tracks through Cherry Pop Records. __TOC__

Track listing

Credits and personnel

SSQ

* Stacey Q * Skip Hahn * Karl Moet * Rich West * Jon St. James

Production

* Frank Del Rio - associate producer (track 7) * William J. Walker - associate producer (track 1) * Jeff C. Fishman - associate producer (track 1) * Willie Wilcox - associate producer (track 2), additional synth programming * Keith Cowen - production coordinator * Kirk Henry - production assistance * Nancy Wendland - production assistance * Keith Zajic - production assistance * Gary Mraz - additional synth programming * Dave Sitz - additional synth programming * Dave Guccione - additional synth programming * Aaron Rapoport - photography * Danny Mendellin - hair & make-up * Ed Jensen - hair & make-up * Charlotte McGinnes - hair & make-up * Tish & Gina - band stylists * Jodi Rovin - design * Barry Diament - CD mastering

Track listing

Credits and personnel

SSQ

Production

Charts and certifications

References

External links