Heaven Is a Halfpipe

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"Heaven Is a Halfpipe"
Single by OPM
from the album Menace to Sobriety
B-side
  • "Space People"
  • "Group Therapy"
ReleasedJune 27, 2000 (2000-06-27)
Length4:18
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
OPM singles chronology
"Heaven Is a Halfpipe"
(2000) 		"El Capitan"
(2001)
Music video
"Heaven Is a Halfpipe" on YouTube

"Heaven Is a Halfpipe" (also known as "Heaven Is a Halfpipe (If I Die)"[1]) is a song by American rock band OPM. It was included on their debut studio album, Menace to Sobriety (2000), and was released on June 27, 2000, as its lead single.

The song peaked at number 18 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and was a top-40 hit in several other nations, including the United Kingdom, where it reached number four on the UK Singles Chart. It was the 33rd-best-selling single of 2001 in the UK, earning a gold certification from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) for sales and streams of over 400,000. The song was re-recorded in 2012 for the Heaven Can Wait EP.

Content[edit]

"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 does not 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").[2]

Music video[edit]

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.[3] 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.[4]

Track listings[edit]

UK CD and cassette single; Australian CD single[5][6][7]

  1. "Heaven Is a Halfpipe" (album version) – 4:18
  2. "Space People" – 3:45
  3. "Group Therapy" – 2:21

German CD single[8]

  1. "Heaven Is a Halfpipe" (clean album version) – 4:18
  2. "Space People" – 3:45

Charts[edit]

Certifications[edit]

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[25] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history[edit]

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States June 27, 2000 Alternative radio Atlantic [26]
Australia October 2000 CD [27]
United Kingdom July 2, 2001
  • CD
  • cassette
 [28]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Alternative Airplay". Billboard. September 2, 2000. Retrieved August 5, 2023.
  2. ^ Joshi, Tara (October 15, 2015). "'If I Die Before I Wake': We Spoke to OPM About 15 Years of "Heaven is a Halfpipe"". VICE. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  3. ^ OPM "Heaven Is a Halfpipe" on YouTube
  4. ^ "Christian Hosoi Sentenced – 2001". 50-50.com. Archived from the original on June 13, 2009.
  5. ^ Heaven Is a Halfpipe (UK CD single liner notes). OPM. Atlantic Records. 2001. AT0107CD, 7567-84976-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ Heaven Is a Halfpipe (UK cassette single sleeve). OPM. Atlantic Records. 2000. AT0107C, 7567-84976-4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  7. ^ Heaven Is a Halfpipe (Australian CD single liner notes). OPM. Atlantic Records. 2000. 7567849762.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. ^ Heaven Is a Halfpipe (German CD single liner notes). OPM. Atlantic Records. 2001. 7567-85156-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. ^ "Issue 572" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  10. ^ "OPM – Heaven Is a Halfpipe" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  11. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 19, no. 30. July 21, 2001. p. 11. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  12. ^ "OPM – Heaven Is a Halfpipe" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  13. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Heaven Is a Halfpipe". Irish Singles Chart.
  14. ^ "OPM – Heaven Is a Halfpipe" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  15. ^ "OPM – Heaven Is a Halfpipe". Top 40 Singles.
  16. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  17. ^ "OPM – Heaven Is a Halfpipe". Singles Top 100.
  18. ^ "OPM – Heaven Is a Halfpipe". Swiss Singles Chart.
  19. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  20. ^ "Most Played Modern Rock Songs of 2000". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 8, no. 51. December 22, 2000. p. 38.
  21. ^ "Jahreshitparade Singles 2001" (in German). Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  22. ^ "Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 2001" (in German). GfK Entertainment. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  23. ^ "Ireland – Top Singles for 2001". Allcharts. Archived from the original on May 5, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
  24. ^ "The Official UK Singles Chart 2001" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  25. ^ "British single certifications – OPM – Heaven Is a Halfpipe". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved August 24, 2020.
  26. ^ "Alternative: Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1356. June 23, 2000. p. 114. Retrieved May 27, 2021.
  27. ^ "Singles" (PDF). ARIA. January 1, 2001. p. 2. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 20, 2002. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  28. ^ "New Releases – For Week Starting July 2, 2001: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. June 30, 2001. p. 23. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
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