Underwood, the winner of Idol, released her version as a single on June 14, 2005. It debuted at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 and on the Canadian Singles Chart, where it remained for one and seven weeks, respectively. The other A-side of the single is a cover of the Martina McBride song "Independence Day". Bice's version was released the following week, on June 21, and peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and Canadian Singles Chart. This version's A-side is a cover of the song "Vehicle" by the Ides of March.
The song gave Underwood the Billboard Music Awards for "Top-Selling Country Single of the Year" and "Top-Selling Hot 100 Song of the Year" (Bice's version was also nominated in this category). It also helped Underwood win the award for "Country Single Sales Artist of the Year". Underwood later included "Inside Your Heaven" on the North American edition of her debut studio album, Some Hearts (2005).[1]
Critical reception
Chuck Taylor of Billboard magazine reviewed the two renditions of "Inside Your Heaven" on the June 18, 2005 issue. Calling the overall song "difficult" and "dauntingly shallow," he preferred Bo Bice's more meaningful version over Carrie Underwood's, saying of the latter, "'Inside Your Heaven' leaves [Underwood] little room but to shriek across so many octaves that even Celine Dion would leave this song in tatters".[2] Reviewing Underwood's album Some Hearts on AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine labeled "Inside Your Heaven" as the worst song on the album, writing that the country pop formula used throughout the album does not work for this track, calling it "sappy and transparent" with a weak arrangement.[1]
Commercial performance
Carrie Underwood version
Underwood's version of "Inside Your Heaven" was released on June 14, 2005.[3][4] On July 2, 2005, the song debuted atop the US BillboardHot 100 as the "Hot Shot Debut", interrupting the 14-week reign of Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together" for this issue alone.[5][6] The following week, the song dropped to number three,[7] and it spent a total of 12 weeks on the listing,[8] making its final appearance at number 98 on September 17, 2005.[9] "Inside Your Heaven" gave Underwood the distinction of becoming the first country musician to debut at number one and the only solo country artist to obtain a number-one single during the 2000s decade.[10] "Inside Your Heaven" also debuted at number one on the BillboardPop 100 chart, losing the position the following week to Bice's version.[11] The track additionally appeared on the BillboardAdult Contemporary and Hot Country Songs charts, reaching number 12 and number 52, respectively.[12][13] It was the 71st-best-selling hit and the 23rd-most-successful adult contemporary song of 2005 in the US.[14]
In Canada, the song charted alongside "Independence Day", immediately topping the Canadian Singles Chart and staying there for seven weeks, until August 20, 2005.[15][16] It spent 35 weeks on the listing.[17] The RIAA awarded the song two Gold certifications: one for shipping over 500,000 physical units in July 2005 and one for selling over 500,000 digital copies in November 2005.[18]Music Canada awarded the single a double-platinum certification, denoting shipments exceeding 20,000 units.[19] As of June 2009, the song has sold 362,000 digital copies and 459,000 physical copies in the US alone.[20]
Bo Bice version
Bice released his rendition of the song of June 21, 2005, a week after Underwood's.[21] In effect, it first appeared on the Billboard Hot 100 the week after Underwood's version had done the same, at number two, on July 9, 2005, becoming that week's "Hot Shot Debut" as well.[7] It quickly fell down the chart afterwards, remaining in the top 100 for seven issues and spending its last week at number 89 on August 20.[22][23] On the Pop 100, "Inside Your Heaven" succeeded Underwood's version at the top spot on the July 9 issue.[11]
The same day, on the Canadian Singles Chart, Bice's version entered at its peak of number two with "Vehicle".[24] It spent six weeks at that position before losing its place on August 20,[15] going on to log 29 weeks on the ranking.[25] In July, it earned a gold certification from the RIAA for shipping over 500,000 physical copies in the US.[26] Meanwhile, in Canada during the same month, it sold over 10,000 units, allowing it to receive a platinum disc from Music Canada.[27] As of June 2009, Bice's version has shipped over 349,000 physical units and sold over 52,000 digital copies.[20]
Aftermath
Following her win on American Idol, Underwood officially signed with Arista Records and embarked on the American Idols Live! Tour 2005 with the other top-10 finalists of the fourth season, including Bice.[4] She has since become one of the competition's most successful alumni, selling more than 70 million records worldwide, earning numerous awards, and accruing a net worth of $200 million as of May 2020.[28] Bice has since released three albums, founded his own record label, and fronted American band Blood, Sweat and Tears during their tours.[29][30]
^Inside Your Heaven (US 7-inch single vinyl disc). Carrie Underwood. Arista Records, 19 Recordings Limited, S Records. 2005. 82876-70859-7-S.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^Inside Your Heaven (US 7-inch single vinyl disc). Bo Bice. RCA Records, BMG Music Entertainment, 19 Recordings Limited, S Records. 2005. 82876-69495-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
