Something Happened on the Way to Heaven

"Something Happened on the Way to Heaven"
Single by Phil Collins
from the album ...But Seriously
B-side "I Wish It Would Rain Down"
Released 16 April 1990 (UK)
19 July 1990 (US)
Format 7", 12" single, CD maxi, Cassette
Genre Pop rock
Length 4:50
Label Atlantic, Virgin, WEA
Writer(s) Phil Collins, Daryl Stuermer
Producer(s) Phil Collins, Hugh Padgham
Phil Collins singles chronology
"I Wish It Would Rain Down"
(1990)		 "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven"
(1990)		 "That's Just the Way It Is"
(1990)

"Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" is a single performed by Phil Collins and released in 1990, from the album ...But Seriously. The song reached the #4 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 charts that same year. A live performance of the song also appears on the Serious Hits... Live! album. The song was written by Phil Collins and Daryl Stuermer and was produced by Phil Collins and Hugh Padgham. It was also included on ...Hits on which it is the track number eight. The cover art shown here is a still from the 1946 film A Matter of Life and Death by Powell and Pressburger. The single's UK release featured a different cover, depicting comedian Tony Hancock.[1] The song was originally written for the movie War of the Roses.

Lyrics

The only time the title of the song is used is the second line of the third verse. The song is often identified by the recurring hook of "How many times can I say 'I'm sorry'?".

Formats and track listings

CD maxi
  1. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" – 4:37
  2. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (Remix) – 5:38
  3. "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (Demo) – 5:19
7" single
  1. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (Edit) – 4:37
  2. "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (Demo) – 5:19
12" maxi
  1. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" – 4:37
  2. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (Remix) – 5:38
  3. "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (Demo) – 5:19

Credits

Charts

Chart (1990) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[2] 58
Dutch Top 40[3] 5
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[4] 9
French SNEP Singles Chart[5] 35
German Singles Chart[6] 26
Irish Singles Chart[7] 8
Italy (FIMI)[8] 20
Swiss Singles Chart[5] 26
UK Singles Chart[9] 15
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[10] 4
U.S. Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks 2
U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks[10] 34
Year-end chart (1990) Position
Dutch Top 40[3] 65
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[11] 58

Deborah Cox version

In 2003, Canadian singer Deborah Cox recorded a R&B cover of the track, which was included on the Phil Collins tribute compilation Urban Renewal. A club/house remix was issued as a single, which reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Airplay chart in November 2003 and stayed at the top spot until February 2004. The track spent 11 weeks at number one, ten of them consecutively, making it the first single on the chart to accomplish this feat, which she would hold until 2009, when Lady Gaga broke that record with her single "Poker Face", which spent 15 weeks at the top.

Preceded by
"Baby Boy" by Beyoncé featuring Sean Paul
"Gia" by Despina Vandi		 U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Airplay number-one single (Deborah Cox version)
22 November 2003 – 24 January 2004
7 February 2004 		Succeeded by
"Gia" by Despina Vandi
Hey Ya! by Outkast

References

  1. ↑ "Hancock record collection" at www.railwaycuttings.co.uk; retrieved 24 August 2010
  2. ↑ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988-2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  3. 1 2 "Single top 100 over 1990" (pdf) (in Dutch). Top40. Retrieved 12 April 2010.
  4. ↑ Nyman, Jake (2005). Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
  5. 1 2 ""Something Happened on the Way to Heaven", in various singles charts". Lescharts. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  6. ↑ "German Singles Chart". charts-surfer.de. Archived from the original on 8 January 2009. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  7. ↑ "Irish Single Chart". irishcharts.ie. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  8. ↑ "Hit Parade Italia - Indice per Interprete: C". Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved 6 July 2012.
  9. ↑ "UK Singles Chart". chartstats.com. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  10. 1 2 "Billboard". allmusic. Retrieved 12 January 2009.
  11. ↑ "Billboard Top 100 - 1990". Retrieved 15 September 2009.
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