Album: Heaven (1988)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Brother and sister BeBe (Benjamin) and CeCe (Priscilla) Winans are two members of gospel music's most prominent family. Between 1984 and 1996, the Winans siblings recorded a succession of hit records as a duo. CeCe also successfully teamed up with Whitney Houston in 1996 for the transatlantic hit "Count On Me," whilst "I Wanna Be The Only One" was a #1 hit in the UK in 1997 for BeBe in partnership with the girl group Eternal.
  • BeBe Winans wrote this song for the duo's second album, together with producer Keith Thomas. CeCe Winans recalled in CCM Magazine presents 100 Greatest Songs In Christian Music: "As soon as he heard it, we knew there was something magical about it. It's a song that just makes you smile, and makes you want to go to heaven too."
  • The Heaven album, which featured a guest appearance by Whitney Houston, propelled the duo to star status. It was certified gold, peaked at #95 on the pop charts and reached the Top 10 on Billboard's Hot R&B chart, the first gospel recording to do so since Aretha Franklin's Amazing Grace in 1972.
  • Whilst the single won a 1990 Dove Award for Best Pop/Contemporary Recorded Song, the album won multiple honors, including matching Best Gospel Vocal Performance Grammy Awards in the male and Female categories for BeBe and CeCe.
  • This was covered by Destiny's Child member Michelle Williams on her 2002 gospel album Heart To Yours.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Timothy B. Schmit

Timothy B. SchmitSongwriter Interviews

The longtime Eagle talks about soaring back to his solo career, and what he learned about songwriting in the group.

Dwight Twilley

Dwight TwilleySongwriter Interviews

Since his debut single "I'm On Fire" in 1975, Dwight has been providing Spinal-Tap moments and misadventure.

Graham Parker

Graham ParkerSongwriter Interviews

When Judd Apatow needed under-appreciated rockers for his Knocked Up sequel, he immediately thought of Parker, who just happened to be getting his band The Rumour back together.

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt

Experience Nirvana with Sub Pop Founder Bruce PavittSong Writing

The man who ran Nirvana's first label gets beyond the sensationalism (drugs, Courtney) to discuss their musical and cultural triumphs in the years before Nevermind.

Janis Ian

Janis IanSongwriter Interviews

One of the first successful female singer-songwriters, Janis had her first hit in 1967 at age 15.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.