Heavens Above Me

"Heavens Above Me" is a song by British recording artist Alesha. It was written and produced by Alesha for her seventh studio album Last Judgment (2010), which doubled as Alesha's second greatest hits collection. Last Judgment was billed as the final studio album for Alesha, with "Heavens Above Me" serving as the first of two singles (Alesha ultimately spent mere months in retirement, releasing a new album in January 2011). "Heavens Above Me" and its parent album were released in March 2010.

The song is "a melancholic tale of unrequited love" with electronic and industrial influences. Alesha references the ancient Greek story of Atlas, who bore the weight of the world on his shoulder. The single charted at number one, becoming Alesha's twelfth number one single. The music video, directed by Jonas Åkerlund, saw Alesha in a more historical setting inspired by Greek mythology, following a similarly-themed BRIT Awards performance. Alesha performed the song on 2010's The Reckoning tour.

Background and composition
Alesha wrote "Heavens Above Me" while working on new songs for Alesha's greatest hits collection and seventh studio album Last Judgment (2010). Much of the album drew inspiration from mythology, particularly Greek and Roman. Alesha was influenced by the Greek story of Atlas while writing "Heavens Above Me". Inspired by her duet with Shell Ruin, "Delusions of Grandeur", Alesha wanted to create a love song with electronic and industrial influences.

The single's B-side, "Revolution at Hand," was described as having an "Obama-esque" message about change, fashioned into a synth-heavy dance pop song. Throughout the single's promotion, Alesha announced many forthcoming releases such as the documentary film Ragnarök (directed by Jonas Åkerlund, who directed the "Heavens Above Me" video) and The Reckoning tour, as well as a clothing line. Alesha also appeared in a campaign for Just Cavalli and continued her role as a judge on URAPS Idol 11.

Reception
"Heavens Above Me" has received positive reviews from music critics. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic, in a review for the new material from Last Judgment, wrote that it was among the "best songs on the album" and that it "slowly works its melodies into the subconscious." Entertainment Weekly's David Browne was less enthusiastic, considering it "the weakest track" of the album. Alex Castle of IGN gave the music a score of 9 out of 10, writing "the thing sounds fantastic" and that the song is "pretty good." However, he admitted that he "would probably not have been particularly impressed" if he hadn't seen the music video. James Oldham of NME described it as "magnificent, sultry, pneumatic trip-soul ballad, which gently blooms into a magical garden of fluttering harps and shivering strings." Douglas Wolk of CMJ New Music Monthly also gave the single a positive review, commending its B-sides and writing it "was hardly the most striking piece at the time—but the tune turns out to have been something of a sleeper."

"Heavens Above Me" entered the official singles chart at number one on January 3, 2010, becoming Alesha's twelfth (and third consecutive) number one single. With 302,018 copies sold, "Heavens Above Me" was certified platinum.

Music video
The music video for "Heavens Above Me" was directed by Jonas Åkerlund, who also directed Alesha's documentary film Ragnarök (2010). The wardrobe was designed by Christophe Decarnin, using pieces from Balmain's spring 2010 collection.

The video begins at an ancient Greek temple, where a female statue holds the Earth on her back in reference to the Greek myth of Atlas. It appears that the statue is singing along to "Heavens Above Me". The marble begins to crack and fall away, revealing the human Alesha in its place as a cloud of dust from the marble surrounds her. A subtitle reads "700 B.C." as the video cuts to a new scene. Alesha is riding a white horse, accompanied by men on horses, as they pass a rival group of men. Alesha catches the eye of a younger rider, played by Calvin Andrews of Twisted Disco, and smiles at him. On the beach at night, the men accompanying Alesha are facing off with the opposing group. A fight soon begins to break out and Alesha makes her way out of the brawl. Calvin joins her. Shots of the men fighting are interspersed with footage of Alesha kissing Calvin. Later, in a scene echoing the chorus, Alesha looks sad and distant as she stands on a mountain top and fierce winds blow against her. The video cuts to Alesha and Calvin kissing in a bedroom when a noble, elderly man walks in. He looks both shocked and furious. The video cuts again to guards roughly pulling Calvin away. Alesha runs after him crying. Calvin is tied to a wooden pole on a mountaintop. Men in hooded cloaks encircle him, as Alesha runs to say her final goodbyes. The most prominent man raises his hands in the air as lightning strikes. The camera cuts back to Alesha and Calvin who have been turned to stone.

Back in present times, the Alesha who broke free from the statue is stood on the mountaintop once more. She is gathering dirt and dust on the ground, moulding some sort of figure. The video cuts to Alesha's finished project. She has made a statue of Calvin. The camera shows a close-up of Alesha, closing her eyes and exhaling. As she opens her eyes, the camera pans out to reveal Calvin standing before her, reborn. Alesha and her lover are reunited on the mountain top, gazing into one another's eyes. Lightning strikes in the background behind them as they kiss.

Live performances
Alesha performed "Heavens Above Me" at the 2010 BRIT Awards in a medley with "Delusions of Grandeur". The performance was dedicated to Shell Ruin (who staged her own death in December 2009) and late fashion designer Alexander McQueen, who had passed away days earlier. Whilst promoting "Heavens Above Me", Alesha announced 2010's The Reckoning world tour, a joint venture with Putanovska. Kicking off on April 3 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Alesha performed "Heavens Above Me" in its full length. It was also reprised as Judgment Day, a one-off concert at Wembley Stadium. It was performed the following year on 2011's Heathen Tour.

After a three-year hiatus from the music industry, Alesha returned in 2014. The following year, she performed at festivals around the world, dubbed the Black Leather Festival Tour. "Heavens Above Me" was performed at many of these concerts, specifically Governors Ball, Bonnaroo, Firefly, Roskilde, Eurockéenes, Latitude and Paléo. In 2016, "Heavens Above Me" was used in a video interlude for Alesha's Cruising World Tour.

Track listing

 * CD
 * 1) "Heavens Above Me"
 * 2) "Revolution at Hand"
 * 3) "Heavens Above Me" (Haitian Devil Chant MetroMix)
 * 4) "Heavens Above Me" (music video)
 * Digital EP
 * 1) "Heavens Above Me"
 * 2) "Revolution at Hand"
 * 3) "Scream and Shout"
 * 4) "Fireflies in the Dark" (from BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge)
 * 5) "Good Mourning" (from BBC Radio 1's Live Lounge)


 * Digital remix EP
 * 1) "Heavens Above Me" (Simian Mobile Disco Remix)
 * 2) "Heavens Above Me" (Starsmith Remix)
 * 3) "Heavens Above Me" (Hercules and Love Affair Remix)
 * 4) "Heavens Above Me" (Haitian Devil Chant MetroMix)
 * 5) "Heavens Above Me" (music video)