Far From Heaven

Album: A Dramatic Turn of Events (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Guitarist John Petrucci and keyboardist Jordan Rudess penned this ballad as a piano/vocal. Rudess told MusicRadar about the song's origins: "John Petrucci came in with a musical thought, if you will," he said. "He played me a couple of things, like, 'Hey, check this out.' He knows I'm the kind of guy who can pick up a mood or a vibe pretty easily."

    "One of the bands I really like is Coldplay," continued Rudess. "I love how they keep common tones between chords, and they find interesting ways to change chords while maintaining common tones, which all works to create a certain sound. I've wanted to do that kind of thing for a long time. Before we did 'Far From Heaven,' I was looking at certain kinds of chords in that way. We went down that."
  • Petrucci described this song to MusicRadar as vocalist James LaBrie's "centerpiece." He said: "For a few days James, Jordan and I worked on the vocal melodies. James had some very strong ideas, which were great. He recorded his parts up in Canada with Rich Chycki. We never did anything like that, where I as a producer wasn't present when the vocals were being sung, so it was a bit of an experiment." I was blown away when I heard what they had done, not only by the vocal sound but the emotional quality that James put into it. He has such a beautifully unique voice. The way that Andy Wallace mixed it, putting James right up front, gives me shivers."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Yacht Rock Quiz

Yacht Rock QuizFact or Fiction

Christopher Cross with Deep Purple? Kenny Loggins in Caddyshack? A Fact or Fiction all about yacht rock and those who made it.

Butch Vig

Butch VigSongwriter Interviews

The Garbage drummer/songwriter produced the Nirvana album Nevermind, and Smashing Pumpkins' Gish and Siamese Dream.

80s Music Quiz 1

80s Music Quiz 1Music Quiz

MTV, a popular TV theme song and Madonna all show up in this '80s music quiz.

Jon Oliva of Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Jon Oliva of Trans-Siberian OrchestraSongwriter Interviews

Writing great prog metal isn't easy, especially when it's for 60 musicians.

The Fratellis

The FratellisSongwriter Interviews

Jon Fratelli talks about the band's third album, and the five-year break leading up to it.

Victoria Williams

Victoria WilliamsSongwriter Interviews

Despite appearances on Carson, Leno and a Pennebaker film, Williams remains a hidden treasure.