Heaven (Jay Z song)

"Heaven" is a song recorded by American rapper Jay-Z from his twelfth studio album Magna Carta Holy Grail (2013) featuring American recording artist Justin Timberlake. The song was written by Jay-Z, The-Dream, members of R.E.M., Adrian Younge, Timbaland, and Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon while the production was handled by the latter two. During the song, Jay-Z touches on subjects of religious allegory and an interrogation of organized religion. The song has since peaked at number 10 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles.

Background

On "Heaven", Jay-Z questions the meaning of religion and once again shoots down rumors that he is part of the secret organization Illuminati. He explained the song in a promotional video for Samsung saying,

The song indulges in religious allegory, and is one of the few songs on Magna Carta Holy Grail that touch upon existential and spiritual themes. Throughout the song he ponders faith, superstition and free thinking.

The songs features Jay-Z rapping a lyric of rock band, R.E.M.'s 1991 single "Losing My Religion". Following the album's release, former frontman of R.E.M. Michael Stipe told NME that he's "thrilled" and it was a "great honor", that Jay-Z included the lyrics in one of his songs.

Heaven (Los Lonely Boys song)

"Heaven" is the title of a popular song from 2004 by the American Tejano/Chicano rock band Los Lonely Boys. The song was written by brothers Henry, Jojo and Ringo Garza, who comprise the foundation of the band, and it appears on their multi-platinum self-titled album.

Reception

Released as a single in mid-2004, "Heaven" reached the Top 40 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at 16 in August. Later that year, the song began a sixteen week run at number 1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart in October. It was also a minor hit at country radio, where it peaked at number 46.

AllMusic reviewer Thom Jurek describes the song as "infectious" and draws comparisons to the music of Freddie King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Los Lobos. He states that "Heaven" is "a single in the old sense of the word: killer hook, easy groove, a slippery but unmistakable bridge with a beautiful vocal to boot -- all coming in under four minutes."

Awards

The success of "Heaven" led to two Grammy Award nominations and one win for the band at the 47th Grammy Awards, held in early 2005. The song won in the category Best Pop Performance by a Duo group, while Los Lonely Boys were nominated in the category Best New Artist, losing out to Maroon 5.

Heaven (BeBe & CeCe Winans album)

Heaven is the third album released by brother and sister duo BeBe & CeCe Winans and their second released on Capitol Records. It was number one on the Billboard Top Gospel Albums chart.

Smooth jazz musician Lonnie Liston Smith covered the title song from his 1990 album, Love Goddess

Destiny's Child singer Michelle Williams, featuring fellow singer Carl Thomas also covered the title song in the closing track from her 2002 solo debut, Heart to Yours.

Track listing

Charts

Singles

References

Nirvana

Nirvāṇa (/nɪərˈvɑːnə, -ˈvænə, nər-/;Sanskrit: निर्वाण nirvāṇa  [nirʋaːɳə]; Pali: निब्बान nibbāna ; Prakrit: णिव्वाण ṇivvāṇa ) literally means "blown out", as in a candle. It is most commonly associated with Buddhism.

In the Buddhist context, nirvana refers to the imperturbable stillness of mind after the fires of desire, aversion, and delusion have been finally extinguished. In Hindu philosophy, it is the union with Brahman, the divine ground of existence, and the experience of blissful egolessness.

In Indian religions, the attainment of nirvana is moksha, liberation from samsara, the repeating cycle of birth, life and death.

Etymology

The word nirvāṇa is from the verbal root √vā “blow” in the form of past participle vāna “blown”, prefixed with the preverb nis meaning “out”. Hence the original meaning of the word is “blown out, extinguished”. Sandhi changes the spelling: the v of vāna causes nis to become nir, and then the r of nir causes retroflexion of the following n: nis+vāna > nirvāṇa. The term is used in the sense of “dead” in the Mahābhārata (i.e. “life extinguished”). [Monier-Williams Sanskrit English Dictionary sv nirvāṇa]

Ailee

Amy Lee (Korean name: Lee Yejin; Hangul: 이예진; Hanja: 李藝眞, born May 30, 1989), better known by her stage name Ailee (Hangul: 에일리), is a Korean-American singer. She is signed under YMC Entertainment in South Korea and Warner Music in Japan. Dubbed the "Korean Beyonce", Ailee has been acclaimed by both those in the music industry and the general public with the "highest expectations for her debut", boasting of a charisma that takes over the stage as well as top vocal and sensational rap skills.

Ailee grew up in New Jersey, United States, and began her singing career as a YouTuber. Before her K-pop debut, Ailee was signed under Muzo Entertainment in America. After moving to South Korea in 2010, she passed an audition and became an artist for YMC Entertainment. After being recognized for her singing on Singer and Trainee, she also started acting in the KBS drama series Dream High 2 before her official debut. She has currently released three extended plays and one studio album.

Ailee has received the Best New Artist Award at the MelOn Music Awards, Golden Disk Awards, Gaon Chart K-Pop Awards and the Seoul Music Awards. She has also received Best Newcomer and three Best Female Vocal Performance at the Mnet Asian Music Awards for "U&I" , "Singing Got Better" and "Mind Your Own Business". For her work in Fated to Love You's OST, "Goodbye My Love", Ailee won Best Original Soundtrack at the 7th Korea Drama Awards.

Heaven (Must Be There)

"Heaven (Must Be There)" (sometimes shortened to just "Heaven") is a song by Eurogliders from their album This Island. The song was released as a 7" vinyl and a 12" in May 1984.

The single brought the band to fame, especially in Australia, where the single peaked at No. 2 on Kent Music Report Singles Chart in 1984. It was also a major hit in New Zealand, peaking at No. 6, and a more modest hit in North America, hitting No. 47 in Canada, and No. 65 in the US.

Track listing

References