"(Feels Like) Heaven" is a song by Scottish band Fiction Factory, which was released in 1983 as the second single from their debut studio album '' Throw the Warped Wheel Out''. The track was a hit in Switzerland, reaching #2 on the singles chart. In the UK, it peaked at #6. Other chart positions include #10 in

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

, #14 in Sweden and #20 in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

. The song is a regular feature on 1980s and new wave compilations. Fiction Factory had no other notable successes beyond "(Feels Like) Heaven", marking the band as a

one-hit wonder A one-hit wonder or viral hit is any entity that achieves mainstream popularity, often for only one piece of work, and becomes known among the general public solely for that momentary success. The term is most commonly used in regard to music p ...

. The song was written by Kevin Patterson and Eddie Jordan shortly after they had formed Fiction Factory with Chic Medley. The lyric has been described by the band as "an anti-love song", while recognising that it has come to have a different meaning for different people. The song was referenced in

Ariel Pink Ariel Marcus Rosenberg ( ; born June 24, 1978), professionally known as Ariel Pink, is an American musician, singer, and songwriter whose work draws heavily from the popular music of the 1960s–1980s. His lo-fi aesthetic and home-recorded alb ...

's 2017 song " Feels Like Heaven".

Critical reception

On its release, Ian Birch of ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'' wrote, "Imagine a smattering of H₂O, China Crisis and The Lotus Eaters with a clean-cut production. One to watch in '84." Tony Jasper of ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' noted the song "has a fetching feel with a good blend of vocals and backing track". Frank Edmonds of the '' Bury Free Press'' gave the song an 8 out of 10 rating and described it as a "truly impressive and pleasing little number, with a relaxed, catchy melody". In the US, David Okamoto of ''

The Tampa Tribune ''The Tampa Tribune'' was a daily newspaper published in Tampa, Florida. Along with the competing ''Tampa Bay Times'', the ''Tampa Tribune'' was one of two major newspapers published in the Tampa Bay area. The newspaper also published a ''St. Pe ...

'' described it as "the song

Spandau Ballet Spandau Ballet () were an English new wave band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's post-punk underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the Blitz Kids, playing "European D ...

would kill for" and "one of the prettiest singles of the year".

Track listing

;7" # "(Feels Like) Heaven" # "Everyone But You" ;12" # "(Feels Like) Heaven" # "Everyone But You" # "This Is"

Charts

Dario G version

In 2003, the song was recorded by English dance act Dario G, titled "Heaven Is Closer (Feels Like Heaven)". The single reached the UK top 40, peaking at number 39 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

. It also charted in several other countries across Europe. This version mainly uses the "heaven is closer"

refrain A refrain (from Vulgar Latin ''refringere'', "to repeat", and later from Old French ''refraindre'') is the line or lines that are repeated in music or in poetry — the "chorus" of a song. Poetic fixed forms that feature refrains include the v ...

at the end of the original song as its hook.

Other versions

*In 2008, the song was covered by Sylwania, a German dance project from the label Beatbox-Recordz. *In 2008, the song was covered and released as a bonus track on the album '' Werk 80 II'' by the German gothic metal band

Atrocity Atrocity or ''Atrocities'' or ''Atrocious'' may refer to: * Atrocity (band), a German metal band * ''Atrocities'' (album), the fourth album by Christian Death * Mass atrocity crimes, international crimes of genocide, war crimes, and crimes again ...

. *In February 2012, the song was covered by Matt Consola featuring Ben Holder & LFB on Swishcraft Records.Sanger, David E
"Feels Like Heaven"
''Beatport'', February 21, 2012, accessed February 23, 2012. 2012-02-25. This release includes remixes by Joel Dickinson, Sean Mac, Christian Poow, SpekrFreks, Chubby Fingers and Swishcraft (AKA Matt Consola & LFB). *

Slow Moving Millie Amelia Warner (born Amelia Catherine Bennett; 4 June 1982) is an English musician, composer, and former actress. Early life Warner was born Amelia Catherine Bennett in Birkenhead, Merseyside, the only child of actors Annette Ekblom and Alun Le ...

covered the song on her 2011 album '' Renditions''. *In 2016, the song was performed live by Manic Street Preachers during their '' Everything Must Go'' 20th anniversary tour. A studio recording was included on the compilation album ''BBC Radio 2's Sounds of the 80s, Vol. 2''. *German musician Roosevelt covered the song on his 2021 album ''Polydans''.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Feels Like Heaven 1983 songs 1983 singles 1984 singles 2003 singles Fiction Factory songs CBS Records singles