The Edge of Heaven

"The Edge of Heaven" is a song by English pop duo Wham!, released on Epic Records in 1986. It was written and produced by George Michael, one half of the duo, and was promoted in advance as Wham!'s farewell single.

This article is about the Wham! song. For the 2 Unlimited song, see Edge of Heaven (2 Unlimited song). For the film by Fatih Akın, see The Edge of Heaven (film). For the TV series, see Edge of Heaven.

"The Edge of Heaven"
Single by Wham!
from the album The Final and Music from the Edge of Heaven
B-side
Released9 June 1986
RecordedMarch 1986
GenreDance-pop
Length4:34
LabelEpic
Songwriter(s)George Michael
Producer(s)George Michael
Wham! singles chronology
"I'm Your Man"
(1985)		 "The Edge of Heaven"
(1986)		 "Where Did Your Heart Go?"
(1986)
Music video
"The Edge of Heaven" on YouTube

History

With the known desire of George Michael to move into a more adult market, Wham! had announced in early 1986 that Michael and his musical partner Andrew Ridgeley would go their separate ways after a farewell single, album and concert. The album was called The Final and the concert was held in front of 72,000 fans at London's Wembley Stadium on 28 June 1986.[1] Prior to the official release date of the single, the song had been performed during their 1985 "Whamamerica!" tour.[2]

The single, a five-minute tale of emotional and physical frustration within a relationship, featured a guest appearance by the duo's friend Elton John on piano. The song became Wham!'s fourth No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart[3] and their final US top-ten hit.

Michael has said the lyrics to the song were "deliberately and overtly sexual, especially the first verse". The reason for this, he says, was he thought no one would care "because no one listens to a Wham! lyric. It had got to that stage."[4]

Epic released a double record set in the UK, with an updated version of Wham!'s early signature song "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)" on the flip of disc one, and two new songs—"Battlestations" and a cover of the Was (Not Was) song "Where Did Your Heart Go?"—on the flip-side of the second disc. "Where Did Your Heart Go?" was later given an equal billing and reached the UK Top 40 as a result.

In the United States, "The Edge of Heaven" was backed with a live version of "Blue" from Wham!'s tour of China. "Where Did Your Heart Go?" was released separately as the fourth and final single from Music from the Edge of Heaven (the shortened American version of The Final), and charted at number 50.

Reception

Cash Box said that "The live-wire, uptempo track moves along at a "Wake Me Up Before You GoGo" pace."[5]

Music video

The official music video for the song was directed by Andy Morahan and filmed at stage 1, Twickenham Film Studios on 5 June 1986.[6][7] It features a performance in front of a crowd and is filmed in black and white.[8][9] It features a brief early appearance by Danny John-Jules, emerging from the audience to dance alongside Michael onstage, as well as appearances by David Austin on guitar and Deon Estus on bass.

Track listing

All tracks are written by George Michael except where indicated

7-inch: Epic / A FIN 1 (UK)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Edge of Heaven" 4:37
2."Wham Rap '86"G. Michael, A. Ridgeley6:33
7-inch: Columbia / 38-06182 (US)
No.TitleLength
1."The Edge of Heaven"4:37
2."Blue" (Live in China)5:18
2x7-inch: Epic / FIN 1 (UK) - Limited edition double 7-inch pack
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."The Edge of Heaven" 4:37
2."Wham Rap '86"G. Michael, A. Ridgeley6:33
3."Battlestations" 5:25
4."Where Did Your Heart Go?"D. Was, D. Was5:43
12-inch: Epic / FIN T1 (UK)
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Battlestations" 5:25
2."Where Did Your Heart Go?"D. Was, D. Was5:43
3."The Edge of Heaven" 4:37
4."Wham Rap '86"G. Michael, A. Ridgeley6:33

Chart and certifications

References
  1. "Tours Menu". Tours.yogsbackyard.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
  2. Wham! - Whamamerica! setlist 1985
  3. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 463. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  4. Bare by George Michael and Tony Parsons, Penguin Books, 1991, page 170 ISBN 0-14-013235-X
  5. "Single Releases" (PDF). Cash Box. 28 June 1986. p. 9. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  6. George Michael: the making of a superstar - Bruce Dessau. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1989
  7. Wham! - The Edge of Heaven (Official Video), retrieved 1 May 2022
  8. The Last Wham! Interview EVER - "Number One" by Debbi Voller, 28 June 1986
  9. Garcia, Alex S. "mvdbase.com - Wham! - "The edge of Heaven"". Music Video DataBase. Retrieved 31 October 2015.
  10. David Kent (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. Australian Chart Book, St Ives, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
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  14. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  15. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Wham!". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 280. Retrieved 9 June 2022.
  16. "Wham! – The Edge of Heaven" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  17. "Wham! – The Edge of Heaven" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
  18. "Top 3 in Europe" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 3, no. 36. 13 September 1986. p. 18. OCLC 29800226. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 March 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2022 – via World Radio History.
  19. "Wham! Chart History". RÚV. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  20. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Edge of Heaven". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 6 March 2016.
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  28. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
  29. "Wham! Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  30. "Wham! Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  31. "National Top 100 Singles for 1986". Kent Music Report. No. 650. December 1986. Retrieved 24 January 2023 – via Imgur.
  32. "Jaaroverzichten 1986". Ultratop. Retrieved 20 May 2020.
  33. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0760." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 10 June 2022.
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