Slice of Heaven

"Slice of Heaven" is a single by New Zealand singer-songwriter Dave Dobbyn with the band Herbs, released in 1986 on the soundtrack of the animated motion picture, Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tail Tale. The single reached No. 1 on the New Zealand Singles Chart for eight weeks and on the Australian Singles Chart for four weeks. It appears on Dobbyn's 1988 album, Loyal.

"Slice of Heaven"
Single by Dave Dobbyn with Herbs
from the album Footrot Flats: The Dog's Tail Tale soundtrack
B-side"Slice of Heaven" (Music mix)
Released12 September 1986
StudioMarmalade
Length4:38
Songwriter(s)Dave Dobbyn
Producer(s)Dave Dobbyn, Bruce Lynch
Dave Dobbyn singles chronology
"She Loves Me Back"
(1985)		 "Slice of Heaven"
(1986)		 "You Oughta Be in Love"
(1986)
Herbs singles chronology
"Nuclear Waste"
(1985)		 "Slice of Heaven"
(1986)		 "Sensitive to a Smile"
(1987)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help
Music video
"Slice of Heaven" at NZ On Screen

Background

Dobbyn was writing in Sydney when he was given the opportunity to compose for the Footrot Flats film. He had previously used the line "Slice of Heaven" in the DD Smash album The Optimist, and chose to revisit it. He brought in Herbs to sing in the background based on his childhood experiences of Pacific gospel choirs.[1]

Features

The song incorporates a synthesised Japanese flute made with an E-mu Emulator II.[2]

Music video

The video features Dobbyn, Herbs and dancers recording the song, interspersed with clips from the Footrot Flats film. The music video was recorded in Wellington's Marmalade Studios. Notably, due to time constraints, the clips of the singers performing are from their live recording takes rather than being a recreation.[3]

Alternate versions

An alternate version of the song featured in the closing credits of the Footrot Flats movie, featuring less emphasis on the Herbs vocals and more focus on the percussion and bass of the song.[4]

In 2021, Dobbyn released a version in the Māori language titled "Hine Ruhi".[5] In 2023, Australian-New Zealand band Coterie performed a cover of the song during their 2023 Australasian tour. After a strong response from fans, Coterie contacted Dobbyn to collaborate on recording a new version of the song, which was released as a single in September 2023.[6] This version reached number four on the New Zealand artists singles chart.[7]

Reception

The song gained huge exposure in Australasia through the Footrot Flats trailer being shown before the popular Crocodile Dundee film, leading to high radio play before the single had been released.[2][3] According to Dobbyn, one New Zealand rock station producer refused to play the song as they considered it "underproduced", but were forced to reconsider due to huge listener demand for the song.[3] The song spent eight weeks at No. 1 in New Zealand and four weeks at No. 1 in Australia. It has been praised for the combination of Dobbyn's and Herbs' vocals.[1]

In other media

In season two's third episode of Wrecked, Steve (played by Rhys Darby) sings a bit of the song which intrigues the Barracuda (played by Ebonée Noel ) and reveals that her dead ex-lover was also a New Zealander.

Awards

"Slice of Heaven" was awarded Best Song at the 1986 New Zealand Music Awards.[8]

Legacy

"Slice of Heaven" featured in Nature's Best—New Zealand's Top 30 Songs of All Time, coming in at No. 7. It was voted No. 1 in 2009 by C4 viewers as New Zealand's favourite song, and is often considered an unofficial national anthem of New Zealand, especially after its usage in New Zealand tourism ads in the 1980s and 1990s. It has also become synonymous with the Footrot Flats film.[9]

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
New Zealand (RMNZ)[14] 5× Platinum 150,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "The National Anthems". The New Zealand Herald. 3 November 2001. Retrieved 3 October 2012.
  2. "A slice of Kiwiana and a feel-good anthem". Stuff (company). 21 September 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
  3. "Homegrown Profile: Dave Dobbyn". Documentary. NZ On Screen. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  4. "Slice Of Heaven Alternative". DVD_Fitzy. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  5. Tyson, Jessica (10 September 2021). "Sir Dave Dobbyn releases te reo version of Slice of Heaven". Te Ao Māori News. Māori Television. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  6. Rohan, Lillie (13 September 2023). "Sir Dave Dobbyn's Slice of Heaven gets a spruce up from Aussie-Kiwi band of brothers Coterie". New Zealand Herald. Retrieved 15 September 2023.
  7. "NZ Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 25 September 2023. Retrieved 23 September 2023.
  8. "1986 New Zealand Music Awards". RIANZ. Archived from the original on 20 December 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2012.
  9. "Footrot Flats". New Zealand Film Archive. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  10. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  11. "Dave Dobbyn with Herbs – Slice of Heaven". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  12. "End of Year Charts 1986". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
  13. "Australian Music Report No 701 – 28 December 1987 > National Top 100 Singles for 1987". Kent Music Report, via Imgur.com. Retrieved 24 January 2023.
  14. "New Zealand single certifications – Dave Dobbyn – Slice of Heaven". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved 25 April 2023.
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