Belinda Carlisle — Heaven Is A Place On Earth

JUL 01 1987 · 12:00

Belinda Carlisle — Heaven Is A Place On Earth (1987) Director: Diane Keaton Era: Late 1980s Pop Maximalism (1987) - Peak MTV era defined by glossy production, theatrical imagery, and synth-driven pop crossover dominance Exceptionally high. This video is a triply significant cultural artifact: a number-one chart hit, a directorial work by a major Academy Award-winning filmmaker, and a song with documented multi-decade cultural afterlife across film, television, and music. Its warm visual palette, fast-cut theatrical staging, and surrealist symbolic imagery make it a primary reference point for the late-80s MTV aesthetic. As one of only two music videos directed by Diane Keaton, it holds unique value for both pop music history and auteur film studies. Context: Released September 14, 1987, 'Heaven Is a Place on Earth' arrived at the apex of Belinda Carlisle's solo career following her tenure with the Go-Go's. Written by Rick Nowels and Ellen Shipley, it reached number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 on December 5, 1987 — Carlisle's first and only US chart-topper — and subsequently hit number one in the UK for two weeks. The video, directed by Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton in one of her earliest forays behind the camera, exemplifies the period's ambition to elevate the music video format beyond simple performance clip into a cinematic, symbolically layered short film. The use of a prestige Hollywood director signals Geffen Records' investment in the visual branding of the single. The warm, theatrically lit imagery and surrealist child-performer motifs align with the late-80s tendency toward aspirational, emotionally expansive pop spectacle. Director notes: Keaton directed two music videos for Belinda Carlisle: 'Heaven Is a Place on Earth' (1987) and 'I Get Weak' (1988). The video for 'Heaven Is a Place on Earth' was partially filmed at Six Flags Magic Mountain theme park in Valencia, California, on the then-operational Spin Out ride. It features Carlisle performing in a strapless dress and later a black off-the-shoulder blouse, alongside children in black masks holding glowing Earth globes. Carlisle publicly credited Keaton's visual direction as being partly responsible for the song's success, and after Keaton's passing described her as 'a big part of my career.' The video was released in 1987 on Geffen Records in conjunction with the lead single from the album Heaven on Earth.