"Show Me Heaven" is a song written by American singer and songwriter

Maria McKee Maria Luisa McKee (born August 17, 1964) is an American singer-songwriter. She is best known for her work with Lone Justice, her 1990 song " Show Me Heaven", and her song "If Love Is a Red Dress (Hang Me in Rags)" from soundtrack of the film ...

, Eric Rackin and

Jay Rifkin Jay Rifkin is an American record and film producer. Rifkin co-founded the company Media Ventures with Hans Zimmer, a childhood friend. As CEO of the company from 1988,Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...

film ''

Days of Thunder ''Days of Thunder'' is a 1990 American sports action drama film produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Tony Scott. The film stars Tom Cruise, Nicole Kidman, Robert Duvall, Randy Quaid, Cary Elwes, Caroline Williams, a ...

'', released in June 1990. Produced by

Peter Asher Peter Asher (born 22 June 1944) is an English guitarist, singer, manager and record producer. He came to prominence in the 1960s as a member of the pop music vocal duo Peter and Gordon before going on to a successful career as a manager and re ...

, the

power ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner. Balla ...

received favorable reviews from most music critics, reached number one on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks and became the sixth-highest-selling single of 1990 in the UK. Additionally, the song became a worldwide hit, topping the charts of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Norway and becoming a top-five hit in Australia, Ireland, Sweden, and Switzerland. It has since been covered by numerous other artists, including

Tina Arena Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena (born 1 November 1967) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, musical theatre actress and record producer. She is one of Australia's highest-selling artists and has sold over 10 million records worldwid ...

Background

"Show Me Heaven" originated as "Secret Fire", a track written by Eric Rackin and

Jay Rifkin Jay Rifkin is an American record and film producer. Rifkin co-founded the company Media Ventures with Hans Zimmer, a childhood friend. As CEO of the company from 1988, When Geffen contacted McKee in the hope she would record the song, the singer dismissed the idea, but the label insisted they send her the demo tape for consideration. On hearing the demo, McKee felt the lyrics were "appalling". She told

Simon Mayo Simon Andrew Hicks Mayo (born 21 September 1958) is an English radio presenter and author who worked for BBC Radio from 1982 until 2022. Mayo has presented across three BBC stations for extended periods. From 1986 to 2001 he worked for Radio ...

in 1991: "I liked the melody but I said I'd only do it if I could change the lyrics." McKee's demand was initially refused, but she was later given permission to rewrite the lyrics.

Critical reception

Scottish ''

Aberdeen Press and Journal ''The Press and Journal'' is a daily regional newspaper serving northern and Highland Scotland including the cities of Aberdeen and Inverness. Established in 1747, it is Scotland's oldest daily newspaper, and one of the longest-running newspape ...

'' described the song as "more heaven" from the former Lone Justice singer, complimenting her vocals as "superbly lazy, yet faultless". Jeffery Kennedy from ''

Bay Area Reporter The ''Bay Area Reporter'' is a free weekly LGBT newspaper serving the LGBT communities in the San Francisco Bay Area. It is one of the largest-circulation LGBT newspapers in the United States, and the country's oldest continuously published ne ...

'' felt it was a "blatant

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

hyperballad that perfectly showcased her gilded throat".

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' stated that it's a "delicate, well-sung ballad that could give the long-overlooked McKee her first bonafide hit." A reviewer from '' Cashbox'' viewed the singer as the "lost goddess of the pop airwaves", remarking her "heartachingly lovely jewel of a voice

hat A hat is a Headgear, head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorpor ...

can squeeze diamonds out of the coal-black grooves of a record."

Greg Sandow Greg Sandow (born June 3, 1943) is an American music critic and composer. Education Sandow is a graduate of Harvard University, with a bachelor's degree in government. He is also a graduate of Yale University, with a master's degree in compositi ...

from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' called the song "affecting". Tom Ewing of

Freaky Trigger ''Freaky Trigger'' is an Internet publication and e-zine that focuses on popular culture with topics varying from music to cinema. It was founded by the music critic Tom Ewing in 1999 and features Pete Baran and Mark Sinker as editors. From 2 ...

declared it as a "post-

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

", adding that McKee "can belt, but she's most comfortable away from the chorus, giving "Show Me Heaven" a more tender and dynamic performance." Dave Sholin from the ''

Gavin Report The ''Gavin Report'' was a San Francisco-based radio industry trade publication. The publication was founded by radio performer Bill Gavin in 1958. Its Top 40 listings were used for many years by programmers to decide content of programs. The ...

'' constated that "there aren't many singers on the planet who can outdo Maria's remarkable vocal range. It was her voice that first endeared me to her band Lone Justice. Now as a soloist, she puts all that special ability to the test on the heart-stopping love theme from the

Tom Cruise Thomas Cruise Mapother IV (born July 3, 1962) is an American actor and film producer. Regarded as a Cinema of the United States, Hollywood icon, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Tom Cruise, various accolades, includ ...

film, ''

''. A couple of listens won me over." David Giles from ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as ''Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music We ...

'' felt that McKee's "powerful voice endows a fairly ordinary MOR

soft rock Soft rock (also known as light rock or mellow rock) is a form of rock music that originated in the late 1960s in the United States and the United Kingdom which smoothed over the edges of singer-songwriter and pop rock, relying on simple, mel ...

song with a certain piquancy that lifts it well above the average soundtrack song." Gene Sandbloom from ''The Network Forty'' praised the singer's "tremendous voice and stage presence", naming the song "one of the most memorable

ballads A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and song of Great Britain and Ireland from the Late Middle Ages until the 19th century. They were widely used across Eur ...

of the year." He added, "Before you even get to the chorus, you know this is the kind of heart warming song that can't miss bringing in across the board demos come weekly music research time. If you missed the film, don't worry. If you didn't like McKee's past work, forget it. This is one of those magic moments when everything falls perfectly into place, and you'll realize it with one listen." Stuart Bailie from ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' named it "Single of the Week", viewing it as "a deal more sophisticated" than her debut as a solo artist the year before. Another editor, Mark Ramshaw, described it as "floaty". John Wirt from '' The News-Journal'' complimented it as a "stunning love song with bite." ''

Sunday Tribune The ''Sunday Tribune'' was an Irish Sunday broadsheet newspaper published by Tribune Newspapers plc. It was edited in its final years by Nóirín Hegarty, who changed both the tone and the physical format of the newspaper from broadsheet to ta ...

s reviewer praised it as a "

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

n voice of an angel".

Chart performance

"Show Me Heaven" spent four weeks at number one on the UK Singles Chart, ending the year as the country's sixth highest-selling single, and is McKee's only UK number-one as a performer (although the song " A Good Heart"—written by her—was a UK number-one for

Feargal Sharkey Seán Feargal Sharkey (born 13 August 1958) is a singer and environmentalist from Northern Ireland. He was the lead vocalist of punk band the Undertones in the 1970s and 1980s and a solo artist in the 1980s and 1990s. His 1985 solo single " ...

in November 1985). The

had even greater success in Norway, topping the Norwegian Singles Chart for 10 weeks. The track was also a number-one success in Belgium and the Netherlands. "Show Me Heaven" failed to enter the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 but did reach number 28 on the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart. In Canada, "Show Me Heaven" reached number 69 on the ''

RPM Revolutions per minute (abbreviated rpm, RPM, rev/min, r/min, or r⋅min−1) is a unit of rotational speed (or rotational frequency) for rotating machines. One revolution per minute is equivalent to hertz. Standards ISO 80000-3:2019 def ...

'' Top Singles chart and number 30 on the ''RPM'' Adult Contemporary chart. Elsewhere, the single reached number two in Ireland and Sweden, number three in Australia, number four in Switzerland, and the top 20 in Austria, Germany and New Zealand.

Track listings

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Tina Arena version

Australian singer

released her version of "Show Me Heaven" as the fifth single from her third studio album, ''

Don't Ask ''Don't Ask'' is the third studio album by Australian singer Tina Arena released by Columbia Records on 21 November 1994. Overview Arena co-wrote all of the songs on the original release of the album which was produced by David Tyson. The a ...

'' (1994), on November 20, 1995. Although it was not released in her home country, her version of the song reached number 29 in the United Kingdom, number 33 in New Zealand and number 78 in Germany. It also peaked at number three on the US ''

Bubbling Under Hot 100 Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (also known as Bubbling Under the Hot 100) is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The chart lists the top songs that have not yet charted on the main ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Chart ...

and number 52 on the Canadian ''

'' Adult Contemporary chart.

Critical reception

from ''

'' viewed Arena's version of "Show Me Heaven" as "a stirring rendition". He stated that "Arena has the voice and attitude to match the bombast of McKee's performance, but she wisely opts for a slow and stylish ascension to the song's requisite thunderclap climax. Actually, Arena sounds like a baby

Celine Dion Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born 30 March 1968) is a Canadian singer. Referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Power Ballads", Dion's powerful, technically skilled vocals and commercially successful works have had ...

throughout much of this fine single—which is not necessarily a bad thing." Daina Darzin from ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said it "suggests Arena is more like Australia’s answer to

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey ( ; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Songbird Supreme" by ''Guinness World Records'', Carey is known for her five-octave voc ...

. Her lush, gently crescendoing take on Maria McKee’s 1990 hit should impact

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...

stations like that giant spaceship in the previews of

Independence Day An independence day is an annual event memorialization, commemorating the anniversary of a nation's independence or Sovereign state, statehood, usually after ceasing to be a group or part of another nation or state, or after the end of a milit ...

James Masterton James Masterton (born 2 September 1973) is a British music critic and columnist, his work focusing on the UK Singles Chart having been an online fixture on various sites since the 1990s. Masterton is also a producer for talkSPORT, and has worke ...

for

Dotmusic ''Dotmusic'' was a music webzine that existed as a standalone website from 1 June 1995 to December 2003. Initially intended as the web complement to the UK music industry trade magazine ''Music Week'', the site was relaunched in December 1998 as a ...

felt that Arena's version "stays fairly faithful to the original, the powerful song suiting her voice quite well. Having said that it fails to add much to the song, a good though it is, the track is unlikely to emulate the feats of the original." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' described it as "soulful", noting that it "has a

Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...

style intro, but very soon Miss Arena makes it clear that her own voice is much warmer, a fact emphasised by the

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...

harmonies of the background singers."

Charts

Release history

Other cover versions

* In 1993,

Cheap Trick Cheap Trick is an American rock band formed in Rockford, Illinois in 1970 by guitarist Rick Nielsen, bassist Tom Petersson, lead vocalist Robin Zander and drummer Bun E. Carlos. Their work bridged elements of '60s pop rock, guitar pop, '70s har ...

lead singer

Robin Zander Robin Wayne Zander (born January 23, 1953) is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Cheap Trick, but is also a solo artist. Zander was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 as a ...

released a version of the song on his self-titled debut solo album. Zander's version was issued as a single and features McKee on backing vocals. *

Laura Branigan Laura Ann Branigan (July 3, 1952 – August 26, 2004) was an American singer. Her signature song, the platinum-certified 1982 single " Gloria", stayed on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for 36 weeks, then a record for a female artist, peaking a ...

recorded the song and featured it as one of two new tracks on her 1995 greatest hits album, '' The Best of Branigan''. * A dance version of "Show Me Heaven" by Chimira peaked at number 70 on the UK Singles Chart in 1997. * Another dance version of the song, by Saint (featuring Suzanna Dee), peaked at number 36 in 2003. * In 2017,

Ane Brun Ane Brun (; born Ane Brunvoll on 10 March 1976) is a Norwegian singer-songwriter and guitarist of Sami people, Sami origin who sings primarily in English. Since 2003, she has released eleven studio albums, six live albums, five compilations, o ...

released a version of the song on her all-covers album, Leave Me Breathless.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Show Me Heaven 1990 songs 1990 singles 1995 singles 1997 singles 2003 singles Maria McKee songs Tina Arena songs Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Number-one singles in the Netherlands Number-one singles in Norway UK singles chart number-one singles Ultratop 50 Singles (Flanders) number-one singles Epic Records singles Columbia Records singles Songs written by Maria McKee Songs written by Jay Rifkin Songs written for films Rock ballads 1990s ballads