Something Happened on the Way to Heaven

"Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" is a song by English drummer Phil Collins, released in April 1990 from his fourth studio album, ...But Seriously (1989). The song peaked at No. 4 on the US Billboard Hot 100 the week of October 6, 1990 and No. 15 on the UK Singles Chart.^[3][4] A live version also appears on the Serious Hits... Live! album. The song is often identified by the recurring hook of "How many times can I say 'I'm sorry'?", however, the title of the song is essentially the 2nd line of the 2nd verse.

"Something Happened on the Way to Heaven"
Artwork for UK release
Single by Phil Collins
from the album ...But Seriously
B-side	"I Wish It Would Rain Down" (demo) (UK) "Lionel" ("Do You Remember?"-Demo) (US)
Released	16 April 1990 (1990-04-16)[1]
Genre	Pop rock R&B[2]
Length	4:50
Label	Atlantic Virgin WEA
Songwriter(s)	Phil Collins, Daryl Stuermer
Producer(s)	Phil Collins, Hugh Padgham
Phil Collins singles chronology
"I Wish It Would Rain Down" (1990) "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (1990) "That's Just the Way It Is" (1990)
Music video
"Phil Collins - Something Happened On The Way To Heaven (Official Music Video)" on YouTube

The song was written by Phil Collins and longtime Genesis/Collins guitarist Daryl Stuermer and was produced by Collins and Hugh Padgham. It was also included on ...Hits. The song was originally written for the movie The War of the Roses.^[5]

Artworks

The single's UK release featured comedian Tony Hancock on its front cover.^[6] The different cover art for the international single release is a still from the 1946 film A Matter of Life and Death^[7] (also titled in the US Stairway to Heaven^[8]) created by Powell and Pressburger,^{[citation needed]} permitted for use by Rank Film Distributors.^[8]

Music video

Directed by Jim Yukich, produced by Paul Flattery and written by both of them for FYI. A dog is napping in a meadow, dreaming of being in a silent movie in which it saves a woman tied to a set of railroad tracks from being run over by a train. The opening of the song is heard faintly in the distance, coming from the open back door of a concert hall, and the dog wakes up and ventures inside. Here, Collins and his band do a sound check and then perform the song as the dog explores the facility, eating from the band's buffet table, climbing among the catwalks, and sitting briefly at Collins' piano and drum kit. These sequences are intercut with shots from the dog's black-and-white perspective, including a brief dream in which it sits at a formal table loaded with food.

At two different times, the dog relieves itself onstage, first by defecating near backing singer Arnold McCuller — only discovered when he steps in the resulting mess — then later by urinating on bassist Leland Sklar's leg. The latter occurs near the end of the song, and the video ends after Collins smiles and wipes Sklar's shoe with a towel (Sklar did not perform on the actual studio recording, Nathan East is the actual performer).^[9]

Critical reception

Upon its release as a single, Gary Crossing of Record Mirror noted the "pseudo Seventies Motown brass, the familiar Collins sticksmanship and the regular nauseating vocals".^[10]

Formats and track listings

CD maxi

1. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" – 4:37
2. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (One World Remix) – 5:38
3. "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (demo) – 5:19

7-inch single

1. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (edit) – 4:37
2. "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (demo) – 5:19

12-inch maxi

1. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" – 4:37
2. "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (One World Remix) – 5:38
3. "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (demo) – 5:19

Credits

• Phil Collins – vocals, keyboards, drums
• Daryl Stuermer – guitars
• Dominic Miller – guitars
• Nathan East – bass
• The Phenix Horns
  • Don Myrick – saxophone
  • Louis Satterfield – trombone
  • Harry Kim – trumpet
  • Rahmlee Michael Davis – trumpet
• Arranged by Tom Tom 84
• Alex Brown – backing vocals
• Lynne Fiddmont – backing vocals
• Marva King – backing vocals

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1990) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[11] 58 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12] 8 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[13] 1 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[14] 2 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[15] 22 Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[16] 7 France (SNEP)[17] 35 Ireland (IRMA)[18] 8 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[19] 5 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20] 9 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[21] 26 UK Singles (OCC)[22] 15 US Billboard Hot 100[23] 4 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[24] 2 US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[25] 34 West Germany (GfK)[26] 26

Year-end charts Chart (1990) Position Belgium (Ultratop)[27] 85 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[28] 12 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[29] 13 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[30] 65 US Billboard Hot 100[31] 58 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[32] 22

Deborah Cox version

"Something Happened on the Way to Heaven"
Banner of the US 12-inch retail single
Single by Deborah Cox
Released	2003
Genre	House
Songwriter(s)	Phil Collins, Daryl Stuermer

In 2003, Canadian singer Deborah Cox recorded a R&B cover of the track, which was included on the Phil Collins tribute compilation Urban Renewal. It peaked at No. 95 on the Billboard Hot 100. A club/house remix was issued as a single, which reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Airplay chart in November 2003 and stayed at the top spot until February 2004. The track spent 11 weeks at No. 1—10 of them consecutively—making it the first single on the chart to accomplish this feat, which she would hold until 2009, when Lady Gaga broke that record with her single "Poker Face", which spent 15 weeks at the top.