Hot Line to Heaven

"Hot Line to Heaven" is a song co-written and performed by English girl group Bananarama. The song appears on their second, self-titled album and was released as a single in the UK in 1984.

"Hot Line to Heaven"
Single by Bananarama
from the album Bananarama
B-side"State I'm In"
Released12 November 1984
RecordedNovember 1983
GenrePop
Length7:19 (Album Version)
3:40 (7" Version)
LabelLondon Records
Songwriter(s)Sara Dallin
Siobhan Fahey
Keren Woodward
Jolley & Swain
Producer(s)Jolley & Swain
Bananarama singles chronology
"King of the Jungle"
(1984)		 "Hot Line to Heaven"
(1984)		 "The Wild Life"
(1984)

In its album version, "Hot Line to Heaven" is a seven-minute-plus mid-tempo pop song. It was edited to about three-and-a-half minutes for its single release. After Bananarama recorded the soundtrack song "The Wild Life" (from the film of the same name), the edited version of "Hot Line to Heaven" was pressed onto the Bananarama album to make room for the late addition of "The Wild Life". This was only a temporary pressing, however, as Bananarama's track listing was restored several months later, with the full version of "Hot Line to Heaven" intact.

The single did not perform well on the charts and got very limited release outside the UK. As was the case with the Bananarama album, the dark lyrical content did not meet with mainstream acceptance, and it became the group's lowest-charting UK single since their debut "Aie a Mwana". It was the fourth release from the album.

Music video

The music video features the girls trying to persuade a record executive to be interested in their demo tapes. They annoy him by playing their tape and dancing around his office until the executive loses his cool and throws them out. When the girls show up as angels in his hallucinations, he finally relents.

Critical reception

Upon the release Barney Hoskyns of New Musical Express called it "first almost worthless 45 from spunkier threesome" and cast the blame upon Jolley & Swain.[1]

Versions
UK 7" vinyl single

London Records NANA 8

  1. "Hot Line to Heaven (single version)" 3:40
  2. "State I'm In" 2:48
UK 12" vinyl single

London Records NANX 8

  1. "Hot Line to Heaven" (extended version) 7:19
  2. "State I'm In" (extended version) 4:48

+ an "edited version" 3:48 of "Hot Line to Heaven (album version)" was released on the compilation album "Bananarama - Bunch of Hits". This was also the version released on the 2007 re-issue of the "Bananarama" album incorrectly titled as the "7-inch mix"

Some versions of the 7-inch came shrinkwrapped with a jigsaw of the front cover NANAJ 8

Charts
Chart (1984) Peak
position
UK Singles Chart[2] 58

References
  1. Hoskyns, Barney (17 November 1984). "Bananarama — "Hot Line to Heaven" (London Records)". New Musical Express. London: IPC Limited. p. 23. ISSN 0028-6362. Retrieved 17 July 2023 – via Flickr.
  2. "UK Official Charts: Bananarama". Official Charts Company. 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.


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