The Edge of Heaven
"The Edge of Heaven" | ||||
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Single by Wham! | ||||
from the album The Final and Music from the Edge of Heaven | ||||
B-side |
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Released | 9 June 1986[1] | |||
Recorded | March 1986 | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 4:34 | |||
Label | Epic | |||
Songwriter(s) | George Michael | |||
Producer(s) | George Michael | |||
Wham! singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"The Edge of Heaven" on YouTube |
"The Edge of Heaven" is a song by English pop duo Wham!, released on Epic Records in 1986. It was written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo, and was promoted in advance as Wham!'s farewell single.
History
With the known desire of George Michael to move into a more adult market, Wham! had announced in early 1986 that Michael and his musical partner Andrew Ridgeley would go their separate ways after a farewell single, album and concert. The album was called The Final and the concert was held in front of 72,000 fans at London's Wembley Stadium on 28 June 1986.[3] Prior to the official release date of the single, the song had been performed during their 1985 "Whamamerica!" tour.[4]
The single, a five-minute tale of emotional and physical frustration within a relationship, featured a guest appearance by the duo's friend Elton John on piano. The song became Wham!'s fourth No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart[5] and their final US top-ten hit.
Michael has said the lyrics to the song were "deliberately and overtly sexual, especially the first verse". The reason for this, he says, was he thought no one would care "because no one listens to a Wham! lyric. It had got to that stage."[6]
Epic released a double record set in the UK, with an updated version of Wham!'s early signature song "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)" on the flip of disc one, and two new songs—"Battlestations" and a cover of the Was (Not Was) song "Where Did Your Heart Go?"—on the flip-side of the second disc. "Where Did Your Heart Go?" was later given an equal billing and reached the UK Top 40 as a result.
In the United States, "The Edge of Heaven" was backed with a live version of "Blue" from Wham!'s tour of China. "Where Did Your Heart Go?" was released separately as the fourth and final single from Music from the Edge of Heaven (the shortened American version of The Final), and charted at number 50.
Reception
Cash Box said that "The live-wire, uptempo track moves along at a "Wake Me Up Before You GoGo" pace."[7]
Music video
The official music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan and filmed at stage 1, Twickenham Film Studios on 5 June 1986.[8][9] It features a performance in front of a crowd and is filmed in black and white.[10][11] It features a brief early appearance by Danny John-Jules, emerging from the audience to dance alongside Michael onstage, as well as appearances by David Austin on guitar and Deon Estus on bass.
Track listing
All tracks are written by George Michael except where indicated
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Edge of Heaven" | 4:37 | |
2. | "Wham Rap '86" | G. Michael, A. Ridgeley | 6:33 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Edge of Heaven" | 4:37 |
2. | "Blue" (Live in China) | 5:18 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Edge of Heaven" | 4:37 | |
2. | "Wham Rap '86" | G. Michael, A. Ridgeley | 6:33 |
3. | "Battlestations" | 5:25 | |
4. | "Where Did Your Heart Go?" | D. Was, D. Was | 5:43 |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Battlestations" | 5:25 | |
2. | "Where Did Your Heart Go?" | D. Was, D. Was | 5:43 |
3. | "The Edge of Heaven" | 4:37 | |
4. | "Wham Rap '86" | G. Michael, A. Ridgeley | 6:33 |
Chart
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[41] The Edge of Heaven/Where Did Your Heart Go |
Silver | 519,894[40] |
References
- ^ "New Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 7 June 1986. p. 6. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ Berger, Arion (2004). "Wham!". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 868. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ "Tours Menu". Tours.yogsbackyard.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
- ^ Wham! - Whamamerica! setlist 1985
- ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 463. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Bare by George Michael and Tony Parsons, Penguin Books, 1991, page 170 ISBN 0-14-013235-X
- ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. 28 June 1986. p. 9. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
- ^ George Michael: the making of a superstar - Bruce Dessau. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1989
- ^ Wham! - The Edge of Heaven (Official Video), retrieved 1 May 2022
- ^ The Last Wham! Interview EVER - "Number One" by Debbi Voller, 28 June 1986
- ^ Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com - Wham! - "The edge of Heaven"". Music Video DataBase. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
- ^ David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ "Wham! – The Edge of Heaven" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ "Wham! – The Edge of Heaven" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0719." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
- ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
- ^ Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Wham!". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 280. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
- ^ "Wham! – The Edge of Heaven" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ "Wham! – The Edge of Heaven" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ "Top 3 in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 36. 13 September 1986. p. 18. OCLC 29800226. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Wham! Chart History". RÚV. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Edge of Heaven". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ "Classifiche". Musica e dischi (in Italian). Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Wham!".
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 28, 1986" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 31 December 2017.
- ^ "Wham! – The Edge of Heaven" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ "Wham! – The Edge of Heaven". VG-lista. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ "Wham! – The Edge of Heaven". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ "Wham! – The Edge of Heaven". Singles Top 100. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ "Wham! – The Edge of Heaven". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
- ^ "Wham! Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
- ^ "Wham! Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
- ^ "National Top 100 Singles for 1986". Kent Music Report. No. 650. December 1986. Retrieved 24 January 2023 – via Imgur.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1986". Ultratop. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0760." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
- ^ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts". GfK Entertainment (in German). offiziellecharts.de. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1986". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1986". dutchcharts.nl. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ "Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1986 – hitparade.ch". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
- ^ "George Michael on the charts". Music Week. Intent Media. 11 January 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ "British single certifications – Wham! – The Edge of Heaven". British Phonographic Industry.
External links
- 1985 songs
- 1986 singles
- Black-and-white music videos
- Columbia Records singles
- Dutch Top 40 number-one singles
- European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles
- Music videos directed by Andy Morahan
- Song recordings produced by George Michael
- Songs written by George Michael
- UK Singles Chart number-one singles
- Wham! songs