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Genius Annotation

This song, in Bey’s own words:

‘Heaven’ is about death and finding the strength in knowing that someone had an incredible life and that giving you some type of closure.

It is easy to speculate that this song is about Beyoncé’s first child, who died due to a miscarriage. She hinted in her documentary Life is But A Dream that the first thing she did afterwards was ‘[go] into the studio and [write] the saddest song [she’s] ever written in [her] life, and it was actually the first song [she] wrote for [her] album.’ However, Todd Tourso also said specifically that “Heaven” was inspired by Bey’s mother, Tina Knowles, losing one of her friends.

The song contradicts the popular idiom ‘Heaven can wait,’ which suggests that you should focus on living more than preparing for the afterlife. Instead, the loss of someone causes the speaker to assume that heaven couldn’t wait, and accepts it by telling the other person to “go home.”

The video for the song featured Beyoncé with her dance captain, Ashley Everett, portraying two best friends. At the end, one is shown mourning and praying, presumably for the other. “The Lord’s Prayer” is recited at the end of the song by Melissa Vargas in Spanish as it segues into “Blue.”

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

What does it mean who is she talking about?
Genius Answer

Beyonce has said,

‘Heaven’ is about death and finding the strength in knowing that someone had an incredible life and that giving you some type of closure.

It is widely speculated that the song is a tribute to her first child who died due to a miscarriage. But her Creative Director, Todd Tourso has said

Originally, her main inspiration for [“Heaven”] and that video was watching her mother lose one of her best friends.

Is there an official video preview for this song?
Genius Answer

What certifications have this track received?
Genius Answer

On August 8, 2022, “Heaven” was certified gold by the RIAA.

Credits
Produced By
Written By
Performance Rights
Video Vfx Artist
Video Colorist
Video Makeup Artist
Video Hair Stylist
Video Costume Designer
Mastering Engineer
Assistant Mixing Engineer
Assistant Engineer
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Recording Engineer
Vocal Producer
Spoken Word
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Video Executive Producer
Video Set Photographer
Copyright ©
Phonographic Copyright ℗
Instrumentation
Video Director
Video Editor
Video Producer
Recorded At
Westlake Recording Studios; Jungle City Studios and Oven Studios, NYC
Release Date
December 13, 2013
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