Heaven Must Have Sent You

"Heaven Must Have Sent You"
Single by The Elgins
from the album Darling Baby
B-side"Stay in My Lonely Arms"
ReleasedOctober 1966
GenreSoul[1]
LabelV.I.P. (Motown)
V.I.P. 23067
Tamla Motown (UK)
TMG 583, TMG 771 (Reissue)
Songwriter(s)Holland–Dozier–Holland
Producer(s)Holland–Dozier–Holland
The Elgins singles chronology
"Darling Baby"
(1965) 		"Heaven Must Have Sent You"
(1966) 		"It's Been a Long, Long Time"
(1967)

"Heaven Must Have Sent You" is a song written by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier, and Eddie Holland when at Motown, and first recorded by The Elgins in 1966. It was also a 1979 disco hit single by Bonnie Pointer.

The Elgins version

The version by the Elgins, released on the Motown subsidiary V.I.P. Records label in 1966, reached No. 9 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 50 on the US Billboard Hot 100. Popular on the Northern soul scene in the UK, it was reissued in by Tamla Motown in 1971, and reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart.[2][3][4] The Elgins' backing vocals were augmented by The Andantes.

Charts

Chart (1966) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100[5] 50
US Billboard R&B 9
US Cash Box Top 100 65
Chart (1971) Peak
position
UK (OCC) 3

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[6] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Bonnie Pointer version

"Heaven Must Have Sent You"
Single by Bonnie Pointer
from the album Bonnie Pointer
B-side"Heaven Must Have Sent You" (LP Version)
ReleasedJune 1979[7]
Recorded1978
GenreDisco
Length5:12
3:22 (7" version)
7:12 (12" version)
LabelMotown
Songwriter(s)Holland–Dozier–Holland
Producer(s)

"Heaven Must Have Sent You" was one of two remakes of Motown hits recorded by Bonnie Pointer for her 1978 self-titled solo debut album which was released by Motown. Pointer would state: "I wanted to cut that tune and the other old Motown tune: 'When I'm Gone', simply because I've always dug them."[8] Pointer has stated that she suggested to Berry Gordy that he have her remake "Heaven Must Have Sent You" as a disco track after Pointer had heard the Village People hit "Y.M.C.A." and realized that "Heaven Must Have Sent You" would work well with an arrangement similar to that of "Y.M.C.A".[9]

Set to a 12/8 shuffle beat, Pointer's disco version of "Heaven Must Have Sent You" features violins in the background throughout the track; the ringing of rhythmic tubular bells is heard during the intro, giving way to a funky bass guitar heard as a refrain throughout the song. The bass guitar part can be heard three times between the verses, and the bells are heard again in the instrumental interlude played mid-song. During the track's outro, Pointer sings "It's heaven, it's heaven, I'll love you more and more each day..." in a lower register with a raspy tone, reminiscent of Louis Armstrong. Pointer had spontaneously "channeled" Armstrong while recording her vocal for the album version of "Heaven Must Have Sent You" and the result was considered sufficiently catchy to be brought forward to the disco version of the song.

The album version, which is more faithful to The Elgins' original, clocked at 5 minutes and 14 seconds and features both Pointer scatting and a funky banjo solo by Earl Scruggs in the middle. The 12 inch was issued with an edit of the original album version as B-side.

The disco version of Pointer's "Heaven Must Have Sent You" became a hit over the summer and early fall of 1979 peaking at No. 11 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 10 on Cash Box[10] that October.[11] She also scored a minor hit on the Adult Contemporary chart at No. 43. It was also a hit in other countries such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and specially in Mexico, where it topped the charts in 1979.

The special four-on-the-floor re-recorded Motown Disco 12" Single mix of "Heaven Must Have Sent You" includes a much longer instrumental interlude with extra percussion and string solos towards the middle of the song. It was Side 1, while the album version was Side 2.

Chart history

See also

References

  1. ^ Marsh, Dave (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Plume. p. 497. ISBN 0-452-26305-0.
  2. ^ David Nowell (May 1, 2012). The Story of Northern Soul. Anova Books. pp. 40–. ISBN 978-1-907554-72-8.
  3. ^ Whitburn, Joel (1996). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-1995. Record Research. p. 133.
  4. ^ Betts, Graham (2004). Complete UK Hit Singles 1952-2004 (1st ed.). London: Collins. p. 254. ISBN 0-00-717931-6.
  5. ^ a b Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  6. ^ "British single certifications – Elgins – Heaven Must Have Sent You". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  7. ^ Smith, Ronald (2001). Chicago Top 40 Charts 1970-1979. iUniverse. p. 93. ISBN 1462080936.
  8. ^ "Bonnie Pointer September 1979 Interview: Pointer view". SoulMusic.com. Archived from the original on April 14, 2016. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  9. ^ "The Free Spirit of Bonnie Pointer". Alan Mercer's Profile AmproFile.blogspot.ca. Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  10. ^ a b "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, October 13, 1979". Tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2015. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  11. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2003). Top Pop Singles 1955-2002 (1st ed.). Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. p. 553. ISBN 0-89820-155-1.
  12. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 235. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  13. ^ "Bonnie Pointer – Heaven Must Have Sent You" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved November 29, 2020.
  14. ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
  15. ^ "Billboard "Hits of the World"". November 10, 1979. p. 68. Retrieved December 10, 2022.
  16. ^ "Top 100 Singles (1979)". RPM. July 17, 2013. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
  17. ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1979/Top 100 Songs of 1979". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved August 15, 2019.
  18. ^ "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 29, 1979". Tropicalglen.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2019.