1983 Power Ballad ‘Heaven’ Recorded in New York Studio Is Still a Major Hit 43 Years Later

Bryan Adams' "Heaven," the power ballad first recorded in New York in 1983, remains one of the singer's biggest and most recognized songs more than four decades later. 

The track has passed one billion streams on Spotify , adding a major modern milestone to a song that first became a chart-topping hit in 1985.

Adams recorded "Heaven" at the Power Station in New York City in June 1983 while he was touring with Journey as the band's opening act, according to Ultimate Classic Rock . The song was written by Adams and Jim Vallance and was inspired by Journey's hit "Faithfully."

"Heaven" first appeared on the soundtrack of the 1983 film A Night in Heaven . The movie and soundtrack did not make a major impact, and the song was not released as a single at the time.

Two years later, Adams included "Heaven" on his album Reckless . It was released as the album's third single in April 1985. By June, it reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 , giving Adams his first chart-topping single in the United States.

The song's Spotify milestone shows how its audience has continued to grow long after its original release. "Heaven" joins Adams' "Summer Of '69" in Spotify's Billions Club.

The recording of "Heaven" included an unexpected change behind the drum kit. Per uDiscover Music , Mickey Curry had been scheduled to play drums during the Power Station session. However, the recording ran overtime, and Curry had to leave because he had a prior commitment to record with Hall & Oates.

Adams then called Steve Smith, the drummer of Journey.

Smith was in his hotel room in New York City on a day off from Journey's 1983 tour when Adams contacted him. Adams asked him to come to the Power Station to record the song for the movie soundtrack.

Smith agreed and arrived at the studio. He already knew Adams because he regularly played along to Adams' entire opening set underneath the stage before Journey performed.

The connection with Journey also had a direct effect on the song itself. Adams had been watching the band during the Frontiers Tour, and "Faithfully" helped inspire the direction of "Heaven."

Although "Heaven" was written for A Night in Heaven , Adams eventually saw a bigger opportunity for the song.

Vallance recalled that the film had flopped at the box office and that the soundtrack also had little impact. This meant "Heaven" was, for all practical purposes, a new and unheard song when Adams later brought it to Reckless .

Adams had initially questioned whether the ballad belonged on the album. Producer Jimmy Iovine also felt the song was too light for the more rock-focused Reckless .

Adams eventually changed his mind and added "Heaven" to the album at the last moment. "Reckless" became a major success, and "Heaven" emerged as its flagship single. The song was released on April 9, 1985, while Adams was touring in the United States.

Adams has said he knew "Heaven" was a good song, even though he did not originally think about whether it could become a standard. Forty-three years after the New York recording session, the song is still reaching listeners, this time through more than a billion Spotify streams.

Related: 89-Year-Old Song, Recorded in a Texas Hotel, Became a Big Hit

This story was originally published by Parade on Sep 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the Entertainment section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.