Who Did It Better? Show Me Heaven, Part I - The Power Ballad Edition

Who Did It Better?

Show Me Heaven

Part I - The Power Ballad Edition

Some songs resonate with a certain country, returning to the charts there time and time again. Such is the case with today's Who Did It Better? selection. 

 Show Me Heaven is a power ballad written by singer/songwriter Maria McKee (former lead singer of Lone Justice), Eric Rackin and Jay Rifkin. 

The song was originally titled Secret Fire, as written by Eric Rackin and Jay Rifkin and was to be included on soundtrack of Days of Thunder. Geffen Records, who had McKee and her band Lone Justice under contract, contacted McKee asking her to do the vocals. She turned her nose up at the idea, but the label insisted and sent her a demo of the song before taking no for an answer. McKee thought the lyrics were "appalling". In a 1991 interview she said: "I liked the melody but I said I'd only do it if I could change the lyrics." Now it was Eric Rackin and Jay Rifkin's turn to make a fuss. However, wanting to be included on the soundtrack, they gave in to her demand and McKee rewrote the lyrics, leading to the song being retitled Show Me Heaven. 

Released in June 1990 and produced by Peter Asher (Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor), the song reached #1 on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks and became the 6th best-selling single of 1990 in that country. Additionally, the song went worldwide, snagging the #1 spot in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Norway - where it was #1 for 10 solid weeks! Elsewhere, it reached #2 in Ireland and Sweden, #3 in Australia, #4 in Switzerland, #9 in Denmark. and made the Top 20 in Austria, Germany and New Zealand. Surprisingly, in the US, where Geffen had hoped to have the greatest success with the single, it only managed to reach #28 on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart.

In 1991, Robin Zander's band, Cheap Trick had parted ways with their longtime label Epic. And while the band shopped around for a new record deal, the lead singer seized the day to record a self-titled solo album on Interscope Records. In an interview in 1993, Zander said: "It just seemed like the right time. There's absolutely no dissatisfaction within the Cheap Trick realm. It's sort of like when you have this career, you need a hobby on the side. That's how I think of it." To justify the album's existence, he went on to say: "It's not a half-baked Cheap Trick album. A lot of the solo albums I've heard over the years sound just like the band the person used to be in, or is in, and I didn't want to do that."

As part of the album, Zander decided to do a cover version of Show Me Heaven and invited McKee to sing backing vocals. His version was released as the album's second single, though it failed to chart. 

But a singer that did manage to chart with the song? Australian singer Tina Arena. 

Her version of Show Me Heaven appeared on the reissued version of her 1994 album, Don't Ask. Released on November 20, 1995, it served as the album's fifth single. Her version peaked at #29 in the United Kingdom, #33 in New Zealand and #78 in Germany. In addition, it also reached #3 three on Billboard's Bubbling Under Hot 100 and #52 on Canada's Adult Contemporary chart.
 
In 1995, Laura Branigan's relationship with her longtime label, Atlantic Records, was coming to an end. To send her off in style, they released The Best of Branigan, a compilation album which featured two new recordings. While there had been two other greatest hits packages released overseas, this would be the first such collection released in the US. One of the new recordings was Show Me Heaven.

However, it should be noted that the UK's appreciation of the song was hardly over...

And we'll learn all about that in the second half of this special two-part edition of Who Did It Better?

So, with half the story told...

Onto the competition. 

The Song: Show Me Heaven

The Competitors: McKee vs. Zander vs. Arena vs. Branigan

Show Me Heaven - Maria McKee

Show Me Heaven - Robin Zander

Show Me Heaven - Tina Arena

Show Me Heaven - Laura Branigan

Maria McKee

That is a cheap-ass sounding intro. Synth bongos, a whiney woodwind, and the most boring synth wash ever placed on the earth. Totally sets me up for thinking this is Berlin doing Take My Breath Away. 

And then Maria comes in all breathy and ethereal. She has a lovely tremolo when she pushes her voice. And she's playing with the dynamics like a pro - she has to, because that arrangement she has to sing on top of is like a Formica counter top. 

And I love the natural breaks in her voice and how she goes into her head voice after 'such amazing grace'. She's lovely and very natural sounding - which makes me dislike the dull as dishwater arrangement she has to play against. Or... is that why this ended up working? Because of the contrast between the two? Let's find out...

Things are a little more lively with chorus. At least there's a somewhat natural sounding piano tinkling in there. And the synth swell is now a bit airy and that helps too. 

McKee's appeal is that little cooing voice which breaks into a full-bodied sound almost without warning or reason. It makes her seem fragile. Stevie Nicks often plays on the same dynamics. So vulnerable on verse two. And, like Cyndi Lauper - she has the cast of a thousand voices to employ at will. It's a very impressive skill. 

On the chorus, it's almost like she's going to yodel. Again... Cyndi Lauper does this, too. She's got some strong, flexible pipes. You almost don't even notice the arrangement by the second verse. 

Oh, my... that C-section. Ghostly doubled-vocals followed by what amounts to be a bellow. Schizophrenic? Maybe. Effective? Definitely.

Hate the tremolo guitar. But, it was of the era. It doesn't matter. The song is pretty much over and instrumentally it would be hard to do more damage than already done. 

Quite frankly, if it weren't for McKee's idiosyncratic vocals, this thing would suck big time. But the lady saves the day. 

I can't believe they make her fill those last thirty seconds... but I guess the strings really take over at the 3:35 mark, so... it's an okay ending. 

Robin Zander

Exact same intro, exact same instruments? 

I can understand his words. And I don't mind his voice. Clipped in places, but interestingly so. 

Oh, he brings McKee in early. Sweet. Nice contrast between the two and tight harmony. I like it a lot. Sounds more honest and less stagey. And I love when he goes falsetto with her in her head voice on 'I never felt this way-ay'. Sweet.

Unfortunately, the chorus is a bit messy. And I bet dollars to doughnuts that those songwriters were told to emulate Take My Breath Away, to the point where they actually use the phrase 'leave me breathless'. Shameless.

Yeah, the arrangement is kind of in the way of the vocals or something's not sync'd up right in the chorus. 

I sort of like the natural wave of that steel guitar-sounding synth line which brings color to the second verse. That build up to the chorus... nice. I like their voices together. 

But, again, they lose all focus in the chorus, going too big all around. They end up sounding fractured. 

I wonder if McKee agreed to do this so she'd have more say over the production work and arrangement. She's definitely taking a second bite of this apple. I like the relative simplicity of the C-section, singing in unison. 

And then, with that guitar in the background, it just gets noisy once more. I don't know what it is... they sound so together on the build-up to choruses, and the C-section and then... when it comes time for the big chorus - it sounds like their fighting against each other. The chorus is where this fails to work and it ruins this for me. It's too shrill and all jagged edges - and not the kind I like.

Tina Arena

A much more natural intro. With a little country thrown in there. I end up appreciating the piano a great deal. The drumming? Not so much. Pretty by-the-book. 

Her vocals? Well... I know she's just waiting to open up on that chorus, right? So she plays it demure, but.. it doesn't feel very lived in. It's professional and calculating. Still, she also has this lovely open sound on her vowels... 'shut them tight'. That's pretty winning. 

Huh. The lead in to the chorus is very nice. She's pulling back and there's a purity to her sound I admire. She's not overplaying her hand one iota. 

Wow. I was hoping the arrangement would give her more of a lifting off point. As is, it plays it the same as what came before it. She's lovely, but... there's nothing interesting enough here for me to melt. She could be singing in a lounge at a Holiday Inn. That chorus. That's a nothing burger. 

Oh, hate those male backing vocals on verse two. Ick. 

She barely lands 'as much as you'. Though she does have a lovely stretch to her sound. And when she goes guttural it actually adds some texture to the mix, which this needs more of... texture, not the guttural thing - overplayed, that get's old fast. 

Yeah, those backing vocals sink the second chorus big time. I get it... Bic lighter time, everybody do the slow wave. Maybe it played well at rugby matches?

She does the funniest thing with 'if you know what it's laaahk'. What an odd interp. Yeah... phrasing... not her strong suit. I mean singing on top of that horrible chorus of voices, she's trying to wail and break free, but... she's like a Corvette stuck in first gear. It's loud. And big. I'll give her that. 

I just can't. What did the word 'heaven' ever do to her that it deserves that mistreatment? 

No. This is a colorless affair... and I simply can't anymore. 

It goes on and on and she tries all sorts of interesting vocal tricks, but this plane is not getting off the runway anytime soon, dear.

Laura Branigan

Interesting textured beginning. I like the ghostly 'ahh'. That plucked electric brings some natural tension. 

Brannigan is all breath and whispers, employing her vibrato when engaging her chords. 

Really. Chimes. Hmm.

She sounds great on that build up to the chorus. That weird Marlboro man down beat sets her up nicely. She's all achy-breaky and... me likey.

On the chorus. Shrill, but effective. I love her head voice. That rhythm track is as dull as dishwater and does her no favors, but it also does not get in her way one bit. And that big beat is nice - doesn't overstay its welcome. 

Almost spoken word on the second verse... and I was hoping she'd actually sing it. This is the weakest part of this version. That said... I really love the arrangement. There's all sorts of elements trickling in and out, keeping things interesting. 

And vocally... this reminds me very much of her version of The Power Of Love. 

So, typically, I would accuse someone singing in this manner of bleating instead of singing. But, for Branigan? It works. 

And I must say, so far... she's the only one who truly delivers on the chorus. 

Super dramatic on the C-section. Oddly enough, the arrangement actually reminds me more of Take My Breath Away, because, like that song, this works.

 I could quibble about her tendency to sing 'heaven' - 'hev-on', but... it's a small thing. 

And it ends right on time. 

The Verdict.

Oh, dear. 

This didn't go as expected. 

Honestly? I thought going in that Tina Arena would take it. But her version struck me as inert. A bit bland. A bit homogenized. Honestly, it was pleasant... which doesn't quite get my jollies all aquiver.

I think Maria McKee sings it the best... but her solo version has that utterly garbage arrangement mucking things up. And... I can't understand her words, so I think she ends up doing a great disservice to the song. Still... her vocals are remarkable. 

She saves the day when it comes to Robin Zander's soundalike version. And I actually like the two of them together. He gives her focus and he delivers the song - but they mucked up the chorus something awful. I can't listen to it again. 

Branigan fails to sing that second verse, which really bothers me... however, everything else she does? I liked. I also like the arrangement, although I did find the rhythm track to a bit on the dull/flat side. She's the only one that sells that chorus. And she has that vulnerability thing, which McKee shares, down cold. Fragile? She damn near sounds broken. 

So... I dunno. None of them are a home run. Kudos to McKee for her vocals. But vocals alone, as we can hear in her version, can't cut it alone. 

So, for me... it's Brannigan. 

What can I say? I love me an underdog. 

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And that's enough of me.

Okay, your turn. You know what to do... leave your choice and thoughts in the comments section. I'm sure you're all to disagree with me on this one. 

That's all for now.

Until next time...

Thanks for reading... and listening!

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Show Me Heaven - Maria McKee

Show Me Heaven - Tina Arena