Album: Birds Of Pray (2003)

Charted: 59

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Songfacts®:

• In a 2004 interview, Live lead singer Ed Kowalczyk said this song is about the birth of his first daughter, Ana. "She brought forth in me a kind of understanding that I had been longing for that I couldn't get without her. I wrote 'Heaven' when I saw her ultrasound at about seven months and figured out that she was a girl. That was enough. It was like, here we go, now."
• Kowalczyk elaborated on the song meaning in an interview with the Netherlands' OOR Magazine, saying, "'Heaven' personifies the meaning of the album. It's very explicit in a way, I have always been searching for something spiritual, I always battled the big questions about life, God and religion. The lyrics of 'Heaven' are about my daughter ending my search for spirituality. A birth is so non-abstract, so real and touchable. It's really easy to abstracise concepts about spirituality, God and love. These are concepts, not reality. At their best they are potential reality, but they are still thoughts. The birth of my daughter kind of terminated my adolescent search for God or the higher, that lasted about 10 years."
• Kowalczyk described Birds Of Pray as "the sound of a band restarting its engines." He explained, "It's a return to a sound that we're really comfortable with, that is very familiar - four guys, guitars, lots of dynamic shifts, lots of emotion."
• This was released as a digital download in the US rather than a commercial CD single. It peaked at #59 on the Hot 100, making it their best showing on the chart since "Selling The Drama" peaked at #43 in 1994. It also peaked at #33 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
• Most of Live's albums up till this point were produced by Talking Heads guitarist Jerry Harrison, but Birds Of Pray was helmed by Jim Wirt, who's known for his work with Hoobastank and Incubus. Kowalczyk explained how Wirt influenced the record:
  
  "This time we spent a lot of time along with Jim crafting the sound, more than we have ever done before even. With that I mean taking time to find the right sound. As far as this way of working goes, Jim and us were all at the end of the spectre. We used to do it this way: We tuned our guitars once, recorded the song once or twice and then we tuned our guitars again to record the next song. Jim made us tune our guitars every 30 seconds. He was totally getting on my nerves (laughs) 'Are you completely insane? We're a f--king rock band!' I never ever had to tune my guitar that much. And he went on and on 'Trust me, just trust me'. The current single 'Heaven' for example, has become a warm bed for ten layers of guitar that are all balanced perfectly. And I must say, it sounds like a symphony. His production way really makes the difference. So even though we went back to our roots, this record is more 'produced' then ever."
• Despite Kowalczyk's assertion that the band was getting back to basics on the album, guitarist Chad Taylor didn't feel like the album did justice to their rock roots, especially with its heavenly single. "I loved the melody to 'Heaven' but wasn't sure how our rocker fan base would feel about the lyrics. This isn't to say that I didn't love the lyrics; after all, I look at my daughters…you know. There are no outtakes that I know of and Jim Wirt worked really hard to fashion a contemporary album but it never felt like the Live I loved." The creative disagreements highlighted the cracks in the band's foundation that would eventually lead to Kowalczyk's acrimonious departure in 2010.
• In the music video, a young boy attempts to swim across a river to meet the girl on the other side but gets swept up in the current. When the girl tries to help him, they both get carried away towards a waterfall and an unexplained fate. The clip was shot in Iceland and directed by Arni & Kinski ("Chasing Cars").
• A second music video features footage of the band performing the song at Voorst National in Brussels, Belgium.

Comments: 15

• Lon from Indianajust a song... nothing more nothing less.
• Dale from Hopewell VaEasily my favorite music video ever. Anyone else absolutely adore this?
• Don Swanson Sr from United StatesBryan is so right. It amazed me growing up how disallowed I was by academia from even considering the proof of God. I remember actually being punished once by an ACLU/Freedom From Religion professor who outright refused to allow anyone in his class consider God. Very sad. But he sure pushed his Atheist beliefs down everyone's throat. Frankly, in my life I never met the religious zealot that wasn't of the Atheist religion.
• Keith from Centerport, NyYou have it backwards Bryan, it is the religious minded people who feel they have a duty to enlighten everyone else about how great their belief system is. Christians constantly try and force feed their religion to anyone and everyone they meet..I don't put down anyone for their belief's but when they find out I am an atheist they feel compelled to "save" me
• Bryan from West Milton, OhIt kills me how non-believers feel they have the right to "correct" believers in God and Jesus. Druids,Pegans, Wicca, all those believers feel that theirs is superior and yet fault Christians for feeling the same way.
  Live is a band that uses spiritual messages in their lyrics to convey a message whether that be positive or whatever.
  I don't look at them as a Christian Band due to the fact that they don't come right out and give worship to Jehovah (GOD) or Jesus.
  The song "Heaven" would be considered a lukewarm attempt at a Christian song by anyone that walks with the Lord.
  This song has a positive message and does give credit that there is a God, whoever they feel that is.
  I, for one, am a Christian that is tired of my faith and my GOD being stomped on by alternative beliefs. I, nor my GOD, have ever forced anything on anyone. But I sure have been pushed by Pegans, Wicca, Satanists, and just total non-believers.
  GOD gets the credit because he created music, man, and language.
  I feel that he says, "I don't need religion to tell me that there is a Heaven, I look at my daughter and I believe". Ditto. Jesus actually fought against "religion". If you knew him you would know this. He was not one to fit the mold.
• Judy from Overland Park, KsThis is my favorite song. I have some of Live's albums and one of the themes that I notice in the songs is that the writer seems to be looking for love, but he doesn't know what it is. Most of the 'love' songs are sort of like a selfish love (what can you do for me?). In the song, Heaven, he finds the love that he has been looking for his whole life and that is what gives him is faith back.
• Sarah from Rockville, Mdi love this song b/c whenever im down i listen to it and it usually inspires me.
  i lyk it when bands//ppl write religious songs cus it lets the world kno tht there isnt jst crap out there.
  visit needhope.com or needhope.net *i kinda forget which one it is* if u ever need any help =]
• Carl from Carrum Downs, Australiawe should all just enjoy this song for our own interpritation.
  I have a daughter who i love so deeply that when I look at her I see heaven also.
  To me that particular lyric to is a metaphor, as the christian heaven and my beleif in heaven are not the same.
  I practice wicca, as a Druid
• Jackie from Virginia Beach, VaLive is not Christian (necessarily), but highly spiritual. (See my comment in "I Alone")
• EsbjÃ?rn from Viborg, DenmarkFirst of all. This song is not about his daughters birth. As Taoster says, this is about your resources to energy and believe in whatever you are doing, music, car-dealer or what ever. Truely Ed's resource is his daughter. He states in an interview about "heaven" that he has his ways of believe and faith and doesn't want to be told how...
  
  Thanks...
• Ryan from Christchurch, New ZealandTo believe and sing heavenly songs does not make you a christian rock group. Love is the evident theme in all of their music.
• Benn from Arlington, VaI must respectfully disagree with Kristen's (of Campbellville, Canada) comment above. Live is not a Christian Rock group. Should one simply listen to their album "Secret Samadhi" this would be more than evident.
• Kristen from Campbellville, CanadaLive is a christian rock group with interesting interpreatation
• Neese from Perth, AustraliaThis song is obviously about Ed's (lead singer of Live) feelings for when his daughter was born. When I heard that he and his wife were expecting, I knew there would be some really deep and heartfelt lyrics to come from that experience and this is shown throughout the whole album, Birds of Pray, that this song is from.
• Mark from Myrtle Beach, ScThis song inspired me because I have a daughter and when I do look at her I do see heaven and I did find faith for myself. Thank you for the song.

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