Heaven Is a Halfpipe
| "Heaven Is a Halfpipe" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by OPM | ||||
| from the album Menace to Sobriety | ||||
| Released | November 6, 2000 | |||
| Format | CD single, maxi single | |||
| Recorded | 2000 | |||
| Length | 4:18 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) |
Matthew Meschery, Geoff Turney, John Edney, Roy C. Hammond | |||
| Producer(s) | Josh Deutsch, Craig Kallman | |||
| OPM singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Heaven Is a Halfpipe" on YouTube | ||||
"Heaven Is a Halfpipe" (also known as "Heaven Is a Halfpipe (If I Die)")[1] is the debut single by American hip hop band OPM. It was included on their debut studio album, Menace to Sobriety (2000).
The song peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks and was a top 40 hit in several other nations, including the United Kingdom, where it reached number 4 on the UK Singles Chart. It was the 33rd best-selling single of 2001 in the UK, selling 265,000 copies and being certified Silver. In 2018, its certification was upgraded to Gold for sales of 400,000 copies.
The song was re-recorded in 2012 for the Heaven Can Wait EP.
Content
"Heaven Is a Halfpipe" is about a man who loves skateboarding, getting high and being free. He imagines Heaven being like a half-pipe, where he doesn't have to worry about the police ruining his good time ("cause right now on Earth I can't do jack / without the man upon my back"). The trick skills of professional skateboarders Christian Hosoi and Mike McGill are mentioned during the bridge ("Like Christian Hosoi way back in '87" / "We'll be busting Christ airs until we get to heaven" / "With all your rules, you gots to chill" / "I'm gonna twist out like Mike McGill" / "I'm gonna twist out cos I got the skills").
Music video
The music video features OPM doing skateboarding tricks on a large half-pipe and flying around. At the end of the video, they perform to a crowd. One man in the audience also wears a white T-shirt that says "FREE CHRISTIAN HOSOI", in reference to Hosoi's arrest in January 2000 for attempting to transport nearly 1.5 lb of crystal methamphetamine from Los Angeles to Honolulu.[2]
Formats and track listings
CD maxi single
- "Heaven Is a Halfpipe" (Album Version) - 4:18
- "Space People" (Non LP Bonus Track) - 3:45
- "Group Therapy" (Non LP Bonus Track) - 2:21
UK CD single
- "Heaven Is a Halfpipe" (Clean Edit) - 4:00
CD promo single
- "Heaven Is a Halfpipe" (Album Version) - 4:18
- "Space People" (Non LP Bonus Track) - 3:45
- "Group Therapy" (Non LP Bonus Track) - 2:21
Charts and certifications
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
Certifications
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References
- 1 2 "OPM Chart History (Alternative Songs)". Billboard.
- ↑ "Christian Hosoi Sentenced - 2001". 50-50.com. Archived from the original on 2009-06-13.
- ↑ "Austriancharts.at – OPM – Heaven Is a Halfpipe" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- ↑ "Offiziellecharts.de – OPM – Heaven Is a Halfpipe". GfK Entertainment Charts.
- ↑ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Heaven Is a Halfpipe". Irish Singles Chart.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – OPM – Heaven Is a Halfpipe" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ↑ "Charts.nz – OPM – Heaven Is a Halfpipe". Top 40 Singles.
- ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – OPM – Heaven Is a Halfpipe". Singles Top 100.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – OPM – Heaven Is a Halfpipe". Swiss Singles Chart.
- ↑ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
- ↑ "JAHRESHITPARADE 2001" (in German). Archived from the original on 31 May 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- ↑ "Top 100 Single-Jahrescharts 2001" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- ↑ "The Official UK Singles Chart 2001" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- ↑ "British single certifications – OPM – Heaven Is a Halfpipe". British Phonographic Industry. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type Heaven Is a Halfpipe in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.