Ghetto Heaven

Album: Chain (1990)
Charted: 10
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This is all about finding inner peace, or "ghetto heaven," after a long and strenuous day.
  • The Family Stand were unable to break into the US mainstream but they had significant international success with this song, which cracked the UK's Top 10. Songfacts asked The Family Stand's Peter Lord why this song was so successful over the pond: "I have no idea why the UK audience loved it... The Jazzy B remix? The fact that it was a very different and poignant song within the grooving beat. They got a fair chance to hear it. It went to #3 on the urban charts in America. The executive decision made was NOT to cross it over to the pop charts in America."
  • Lord is an accomplished songwriter best known for his work on Paula Abdul's second album, Spellbound. Stevie Wonder played harmonica on that album, meaning Lord was able to meet his idol, who just so happened to love this song. "He knew our hit 'Ghetto Heaven,' so we were amped," said Lord. "It was one of the highlights of my music career to work with my hero."
  • This is lifted from The Family Stand's second album, Chain, the predecessor to Moon in Scorpio, a cult classic which made The New York Times' "Top 10 Albums of 1992" list and which Lord called "the Family Stand's greatest artistic achievement... so far."
  • The tune was revived in 2000 by the rap artist Common as "Geto Heaven Part 2" on his Like Water For Chocolate album as a duet with D'Angelo. Macy Gray featured as the female vocalist on the European remix video for the song.

Comments: 1

  • Petr Šíp from PrahaWhat a beautiful masterpiece.
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Mick Jones of Foreigner

Mick Jones of ForeignerSongwriter Interviews

Foreigner's songwriter/guitarist tells the stories behind the songs "Juke Box Hero," "I Want To Know What Love Is," and many more.

Colin Hay

Colin HaySongwriter Interviews

Established as a redoubtable singer-songwriter, the Men At Work frontman explains how religion, sobriety and Jack Nicholson play into his songwriting.

90s Metal

90s MetalFact or Fiction

Test your metal - Priest, Maiden, and Beavis and Butt-head show up in this one.

Psychedelic Lyrics

Psychedelic LyricsMusic Quiz

Whoa man! Do you know which band came up with these cosmic lyrics?

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World

Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat WorldSongwriter Interviews

Jim talks about the impact of "The Middle" and uses a tree metaphor to describe his songwriting philosophy.

Rob Halford of Judas Priest

Rob Halford of Judas PriestSongwriter Interviews

Rob Halford dives into some of his Judas Priest lyrics, talking about his most personal songs and the message behind "You've Got Another Thing Comin'."