Sparks : Here in Heaven

Sparks is a bizarre band, influenced by both Gilbert and Sullivan style operetta and the glam rock of Gary Glitter and Cheap Trick. The music is varied, expressive and soaring, while remaining firmly grounded in the rock oeuvre, and their wordplay is second-to-none, clever and ironic, with a terrific sense of rhythm.

"Here in Heaven" is a bombastic rocker with a sense of humor.  The song takes the form of a letter, or perhaps a monologue, from a jilted Romeo up in heaven to his Juliet, wondering what happened to her and why she's still down on Earth.  In the first verse, he describes heaven somewhat like one would describe a car dealership waiting room, where "there are lots of things to do" and "it's really very clean".  In the second, he straight up questions Juliet's intentions, wondering if she's had second thoughts and if he's "that sucker in the sky".  It's a great premise, and the lyrical execution is wry perfection, with the band providing the crunching power chords and heavy drums doing their best to anchor brother Russell's trademark soaring falsetto.

"Here in Heaven" is from Sparks' 1974 release, Kimono My House, which is 10 tracks (12 if you get the bonus tracks) of musical brilliance.  My old roommate played this record for me once, and I totally didn't get it.  Then, like pretty much everything else he played for me and I passed on, I later grew to love it.

[You can listen to Sparks' "Here in Heaven" by navigating to the post "Song060" and clicking or right-clicking on the title or the link.]

---