It’s safe to say that the Go-Go’s was one of the most famous all-girl bands of the 1980s. The L.A.-based group became darlings of the early MTV era with their iconic music video Our Lips Are Sealed. The clip cemented the girl’s bubbly, beach girl vibe led by frontwoman Belinda Carlisle’s camera-ready looks. Even if the reality was that the Go-Go’s success was marked by rampant drug and alcohol abuse in addition to behind-the-scenes infighting. In 1985 the groundbreaking female rock group threw in the towel and called it quits. Thankfully Carlisle entered rehab and cleaned up her act, and in 1986 scored her first solo hit, Mad About You. But that was just a warm-up for the (ahem) heavenly success headed her way.
In 1987, Carlisle wasted no time releasing her ambitious follow-up Heaven on Earth. The hugely successful album scored three top ten hits with I Get Weak, Circle in the Sand, and the lead single Heaven is a Place on Earth. The album was a massive departure from the sugary, sun-soaked rock style of the Go-Go’s, embracing the synth power pop anthems that were popular in the late 1980s. She also brought many top-notch songwriters like Diane Warren and Rick Nowels to craft lyrically complex tracks with richer melodies. The chart-topping single, Heaven is a Place on Earth, was a distillation of the album’s unique sound, and Carlisle wanted a bold music video to show off her sexier, streamlined image.
The video for Heaven is a Place on Earth was directed by Academy Award-winning actress Diane Keaton. Yes, that Diane Keaton of Annie Hall and Manhattan fame, who had auteur ambitions, hoping Carlisle’s splashy music video could show off her directing chops. The result was a stylized clip, showing a brunette and more grown-up Carlisle singing and grooving near a darkly lit body of water. It’s interspersed with bizarre shots of masked children dancing with glowing balls of Earth. The video also shows Carlisle canoodling with her husband, Morgan Mason. It’s a solid video and a step up compared to the glossy look of the late 80s MTV era. And the angular lighting scheme and slick visuals were similar to what David Fincher was producing for artists like Paula Abdul (The Way That You Love Me) and George Michael (Freedom 90) during his early music video directing career.
Carlisle was apparently happy with Keaton’s work, as the actress directed the video for her follow-up single, I Get Weak. But Heaven on Earth would be the apex of Carlisle’s solo career, with her subsequent albums never attaining the chart success she enjoyed in 1987. The catchy lead single has become a beloved 80s classic and got renewed popularity when it was featured in Netflix’s Black Mirror episode “San Junipero” (the only happy episode of that bleak anthology series).
Check out the video below and let me know your thoughts in the comments section.
One of my favorite songs, and I consider it to be a very underrated one. I think a lot of folks just dismissed it because of the group she sang in, but it really is a solid pop-rock tune. Didn’t know Keaton directed the video.
This was a big album for me during my first year in high school. “Heaven on Earth” was my first CD (and cassette tape) purchase, and I had the album on repeat. While I enjoyed the Go-Go’s many hits, I think I liked Carlisle’s so work even more. This is still one of my favorite 80s tunes.