Heaven Is a Halfpipe
2000 single by OPM
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Heaven Is a Halfpipe" (also known as "Heaven Is a Halfpipe (If I Die)"[4]) 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.
| "Heaven Is a Halfpipe" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by OPM | ||||
| from the album Menace to Sobriety | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | June 27, 2000 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 4:18 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers | ||||
| OPM singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Heaven Is a Halfpipe" on YouTube | ||||
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
"Heaven Is a Halfpipe" is about a man who loves skateboarding,[2] 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").[3]
Music video
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.[5] 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.[6]
Track listings
Charts
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[27] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
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‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Release history
| Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | June 27, 2000 | Alternative radio | Atlantic | [28] |
| Australia | October 2000 | CD | [29] | |
| United Kingdom | July 2, 2001 |
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[30] |