Heaven

Album: Nine (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song was initiated by blink-182 drummer Travis Barker after a mass shooting barely two miles from his home. The atrocity took place on November 7, 2018, at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California, a country-western bar frequented by college students. Thirteen people were killed, including the hooded shooter, who died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
  • The chorus portrays the young victims as innocent angels gone too soon.

    Angel wings at the bus stop
    Halos left on top of the bar
    Heaven doesn't want me now
  • Co-vocalist Mark Hoppus told Kerrang: "'Heaven' we wrote about the Thousand Oaks shooting, and it's about innocent people taken way too soon and how we live in a world where it seems like there's a new tragedy every day, and how we treat each other in this age of outrage. Everyone is stressed, angry, and on edge, and we turn on one another way too easily."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Verdine White of Earth, Wind & Fire

Verdine White of Earth, Wind & FireSongwriter Interviews

The longtime bassist of Earth, Wind & Fire discusses how his band came to do a holiday album, and offers insight into some of the greatest dance/soul tunes of all-time.

Edie Brickell

Edie BrickellSongwriter Interviews

Edie Brickell on her collaborations with Paul Simon, Steve Martin and Willie Nelson, and her 2021 album with the New Bohemians.

Rick Astley

Rick AstleySongwriter Interviews

Rick Astley on "Never Gonna Give You Up," "Cry For Help," and his remarkable resurgence that gave him another #1 UK album.

Rick Springfield

Rick SpringfieldSongwriter Interviews

Rick has a surprising dark side, a strong feminine side and, in a certain TV show, a naked backside. But he still hasn't found Jessie's Girl.

George Harrison

George HarrisonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really steal George's wife? What's the George Harrison-Monty Python connection? Set the record straight with our Fact or Fiction quiz.

Hawksley Workman

Hawksley WorkmanSongwriter Interviews

One of Canada's most popular and eclectic performers, Hawksley tells stories about his oldest songs, his plentiful side projects, and the ways that he keeps his songwriting fresh.