Song · Belinda Carlisle
“Heaven is a Place on Earth” by Belinda Carlisle
From the album Runaway Horses (1989)
“Heaven is a Place on Earth” by Belinda Carlisle appears on 2 radio countdowns from 2 stations between 2006 and 2026. It was first released in 1989 on the album Runaway Horses. Its best result is #413 on the WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #6,715 alternative song of all time.
Belinda Carlisle's signature song came from the pens of Rick Nowels and Ellen Shipley, with Nowels producing, and "Heaven Is a Place on Earth" did what nothing else she recorded managed: it went all the way to number one on the Billboard Hot 100, her first and only American chart-topper. Britain followed suit weeks after, keeping it at the top there for a fortnight, and Australia took it to number two.
It's gleaming, wide-open pop rock, and the key change is the moment everybody waits for: ShortList's Dave Fawbert counted it among the greatest in music history. It picked up a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, though Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)" took the prize, and years later Carlisle recut it as an acoustic ballad for Wilder Shores.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 420 | Virgin Radio | Virgin Radio Top 500 Songs of All-Time (December 2006) | 500 |
| 2026 | 413 | WFPK | WFPK Top 500 Songs of the '80s | 498 |
Also listed as: Heaven Is a Place on Earth.
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