Heartlight

Album: Heartlight (1982)
Charted: 47 5
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Songfacts®:

  • This was inspired by the 1982 movie E.T., about an alien who comes to Earth and tries to return home. When E.T. (Extra Terrestrial) flies, his heart glows, which is the "heartlight." Diamond says he was trying to create "a simple musical statement that we all felt very sincerely." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Jay - Glen Burnie, MD
  • Neil Diamond wrote "Heartlight" with Carole Bayer Sager and Burt Bacharach, who were recently married. All three attended a screening of E.T. together, then went to Sager and Bacharach's apartment and wrote the song. Said Diamond, "We wanted to express how all of us felt about the little alien who suddenly appears in a strange world."

    Bacharach and Bayer Sager also wrote "On My Own," a hit duet between Patti LaBelle and Michael McDonald, and "That's What Friends Are For," a charity single with Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Gladys Knight. Bacharach, who died in 2023, was married four times. Bayer Sager was his third wife (they divorced in 1991); his second was Angie Dickinson.
  • Diamond wasn't sure how kids would receive this song, so he played it for his 12-year-old son, Jesse, before releasing it. Jesse gave it the good word.
  • In 1982, Kenny Loggins released a song called "Welcome To Heartlight" that reached #24 in the US. His song had nothing to do with E.T. - it was inspired by a school of that name in Los Angeles.
  • Diamond was surprised to learn that not everyone associated with E.T. was thrilled with his song. According to an article in People magazine, MCA, which was in charge of merchandising for the movie, threatened a lawsuit, which is a bit specious since there is no mention of the film or any of the characters in the lyric. Still, Diamond made a deal with MCA, paying them $25,000 in order to avoid litigation.
  • This was the last of eight #1 hits for Diamond on the Adult Contemporary chart, and also his last song to reach the Top 30 of the Hot 100. A consistent hitmaker since the mid-'60s, "Heartlight" marked the end of his chart dominance, but he remained a very popular concert draw and managed a #1 album in 2008 with Home Before Dark.
  • This wasn't the only song inspired by the movie E.T. The team of Buckner & Garcia, who had a big hit earlier in 1982 with "Pac-Man Fever," recorded a song called "E.T., I Love You." Both Buckner & Garcia and Neil Diamond were signed to Columbia Records, and according to Jerry Buckner, the label waited for Diamond to release his E.T. before issuing theirs.

Comments: 8

  • Rupert from Chester UkA beautiful meaningful song,brings tears to my eyes.
  • Seventhmist from 7th HeavenIdiotic, movie-plugging piece of junk. Can't think of a worse song he made than this one.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn September 5th 1982, "Heartlight" by Neil Diamond entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #69, and on November 7th, 1982 it peaked at #5 {for 4 weeks} and spent 19 weeks on the Top 100...
    It reached #1 {for 4 weeks} on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Tracks chart...
    Between 1966 and 1986 he had fifty-five Top 100 records; twelve made the Top 10 with two reaching #1, "Cracklin' Rose" for 1 week on October 4th, 1970 and "Song Sung Blue" for 1 week on June 25th, 1972…
    He just missed having fifteen Top 10 records when "Play Me" {1972}, "If You Know What I Mean" {1976}, and "Yesterday's Songs" {1982} all peaked at #11...
    Neil Leslie Diamond will celebrate her 74th birthday in four months on January 24th {2015}.
  • Adrian from Johor Bahru, MalaysiaThat was Neil's last Top Ten hit on the US charts
  • Esskayess from Dallas, TxDiamond should have been slapped silly for this idiotic merchandising song. Signaled the sad end of desire to hear anything new from him. His 60s-70s stuff was great, but anything after that...PPTTHHHHHH!!
  • Chris from Nagoya, JapanUniversal Studios demanded the songwriters pay $25,000 for use of the idea leading to the song.
  • Jason from Pasadena, CaIf there was a musical version of ET, it would be the part where Elliott sings the song before ET leaves Earth to his home.
  • Abbas from Alger, Otherslt
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