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Higher Than Heaven

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This article is about the Ellie Goulding album. For the song by the German power metal band Powerwolf, see Blessed & Possessed. For the song by American rock band Heaven Below, see Falling from Zero.

Higher Than Heaven
Physical standard edition artwork
Studio album by
Ellie Goulding
Released7 April 2023 (2023-04-07)
Genre
Length36:42
LabelPolydor
Producer
Ellie Goulding chronology
Brightest Blue
(2020) 		Higher Than Heaven
(2023)
Digital album cover
Artwork used on all streaming platforms.
Artwork used on all streaming platforms.
Singles from Higher Than Heaven
  1. "Easy Lover"
    Released: 15 July 2022
  2. "Let It Die"
    Released: 19 October 2022
  3. "Like a Saviour"
    Released: 1 February 2023
  4. "By the End of the Night"
    Released: 22 March 2023

Higher Than Heaven is the fifth studio album by English singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding, released on 7 April 2023 by Polydor Records.[3][4] It marks her first album in three years, since Brightest Blue (2020).

The record was preceded by the singles "Easy Lover", "Let It Die", "Like a Saviour" and "By the End of the Night", and was met with moderate commercial success, debuting at number-one on Scotland and the United Kingdom.[5] It became Goulding's fourth chart-topping album on the later, making Goulding tie with Adele as the two British female artists with the most number-one albums in UK history.

Higher Than Heaven received generally positive reviews from music critics. Several critics praised Goulding's honesty after calling it "her least personal album yet", with many critics stating that her statement worked in her favour, as well valuing the singer focus of bringing back escapist Pop as "refreshing" and "fun".[6][7][8]

Background and development

[edit]

The album was written in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Goulding: "There was definitely a darkness about [the past two years] that was palpable in the studio, with everyone having gone through it differently. I think for that reason, nobody wanted to sit and agonise over some relationship or some drama. So that's how this album came together."[9]

Goulding expressed that in contrast to her previous 2020 album Brightest Blue, the album is her "least personal album." She elaborated "...I think it's the best album because I got to just explore other things about myself. I just really, really enjoy writing, really enjoy being a singer. [It] was such a relief and really refreshing to not be sitting in the studio going through all the things that happened to me and affected me. Because I feel things very deeply."[10]

Release and promotion

[edit]

On 19 October 2022, Goulding announced the album's title and revealed its artwork cover, with an initial release date of 3 February 2023.[11] However, on 9 January 2023, Goulding announced an initial delay to 24 March, stating "...we've had some exciting opportunities appear behind the scenes."[12][13] On 28 February, she announced a second delay to 7 April; stating issues with sourcing eco-friendly material for the album's physical formats.[14][15]

On 31 March, Goulding released the songs "Midnight Dreams", "Cure for Love", "Love Goes On" and "Higher Than Heaven" on digital platforms in conjunction with her appearance on the Amazon Freevee concert film Monumental; making the first 8 tracks of the album available.[16][17][18][19]

On 7 April, the day of the album's release, Goulding released a music video for "Better Man", directed by Tom Sandford.[20][21]

Higher Than Heaven Tour

[edit]
Higher Than Heaven
Tour by Ellie Goulding
LocationEurope
Associated albumHigher Than Heaven
Start date16 October 2023 (2023-10-16)
End date7 November 2023 (2023-11-07)
Legs1
No. of shows12
Supporting act(s)Olivia Lunny
Ellie Goulding concert chronology

In support of the album, Goulding announced European dates for the Higher Than Heaven Tour:[22] She also announced shows in the United States, accompanied by an orchestra.[23]

Set list This set list is taken from the show at 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin, Ireland on 16 October 2023.[24] It does not represent all shows on this tour.

  1. "Better Man"
  2. "Let It Die"
  3. "Outside"
  4. "Love Goes On"
  5. "Power"
  6. "By the End of the Night"
  7. "How Deep Is Too Deep"
  8. "Frozen" (Madonna cover)
  9. "Halcyon"
  10. "Starry Eyed"
  11. "Midnight Dreams"
  12. "Anything Could Happen"
  13. "Brightest Blue"
  14. "Still Falling for You"
  15. "Lights"
  16. "Miracle"
  17. "Joy"
  18. "Somebody"
  19. "Higher Than Heaven"
  20. "Animal"
  21. "I Need Your Love"

Encore

  1. "Love Me like You Do"
  2. "Burn"

Notes

  • Starting with the show in Glasgow, Goulding performed a version of "My Blood".
  • Starting with the show in Manchester, Goulding performed "Your Song" as part of the encore.
  • Starting with the show in Manchester, "By the End of the Night", "Somebody", "Love Goes On" and "Brightest Blue" were removed from the setlist.
  • During the shows in Manchester, Birmingham and London, "How Deep Is Too Deep" was not performed.
  • During the show in Manchester, "Midnight Dreams" was not performed.
  • Starting with the show in Paris, "Let It Die" was removed from the setlist.
  • During the shows in Paris, Luxembourg City, Utrecht, Brussels and Milan, "Animal" was not performed.
  • During the show in Paris, "Halcyon" was not performed.
  • During the show in Milan, Goulding performed a version of "Figure 8" as part of the encore.

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.7/10[25]
Metacritic77/100[26]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[27]
The Times[1]
The Daily Telegraph[2]
NME[28]
Evening Standard[29]
Clash Magazine7/10[30]

Higher Than Heaven received generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from professional critics, the album received a weighted average score of 77, based on seven reviews - Goulding's highest-rated album of her career.[26] Aggregator AnyDecentMusic? gave the album a 6.7 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus.[25]

Katie Bain from Billboard praised Goulding decision of "trading straightforward confessions for slick, textural dance pop and lyrical sweet nothings about dim lights and easy lovers", stating that Goulding "delivered one of her best (and most club-friendly) albums to date". As well dubbing Goulding as "one of the defining voices of dance music over the last decade".[31]

Tomás Mier for Rolling Stone praised Goulding decision of making a "fun, escapist pop" record that "remind listeners of Goulding’s pop prowess", instead of going into an introspective route like most of her peers did in recent years.[32]

Higher Than Heaven was named one of the best albums of the year by Rolling Stone,[32] and Billboard,[31] on their mid-year lists.

Rankings

[edit]
Critics' rankings of Higher Than Heaven
Publication Accolade Rank Ref.
AllMusic The Best Pop Albums of 2023 Listed [33]
Rolling Stone The Best Albums of 2023 So Far Listed [32]
Pop Passion 10 Best Pop Albums of 2023 10 [34]
Billboard The 50 Best Albums Of 2023 So Far: Staff Picks Listed [31]

Commercial performance

[edit]

In the United Kingdom, Higher Than Heaven debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, shifting 11,818 album-equivalent units in its first week, the lowest of any of her albums.[5] It became Goulding's fourth chart-topping album in the country, tying with Adele as the two British female artists with the most number one albums.[35] In the same week, her single "Miracle", a collaboration with Calvin Harris, reached number one on the UK Singles Chart, earning Goulding her first "chart double", although "Miracle" does not feature on Higher Than Heaven.[5][35][36] Higher Than Heaven only spent two weeks on the UK Album Charts, becoming her shortest running album, to date. In the second week, the album dropped from number one to number 84 making it one of the few number-one albums to spend only one week in the top 75.[37][38] In Scotland, the album also debuted at number one on the Scottish Albums Chart, becoming her second chart-topper, and first since Halcyon (2012).[39] The record had a better chart-running staying on the charts from three weeks inside the top 75. Meanwhile, In Ireland, the record became Goulding's lowest charting album to date, and her first effort to miss the top-ten, peaking at number 97 on the Irish Album Chart.[40]

In the United States, Higher Than Heaven debuted at number 125 on the Billboard 200, becoming Goulding's lowest charting effort, to date.[41]

Track listing

[edit]
Standard edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Midnight Dreams"
3:12
2."Cure for Love"
2:57
3."By the End of the Night"
  • Goulding
  • Campbell
  • Kozmeniuk
Koz3:08
4."Like a Saviour"
  • Goulding
  • Mann
  • Rossomando
  • Wells
3:40
5."Love Goes On"
Kurstin3:52
6."Easy Lover" (featuring Big Sean)
Kurstin3:35
7."Higher Than Heaven"
  • Goulding
  • Campbell
  • G. Garth
  • P. Garth
  • Kozmeniuk
  • Koz
  • The 23rd
3:29
8."Let It Die"
  • Goulding
  • Mann
  • Andrea Rocha
  • Peter Rycroft
Lostboy2:46
9."Waiting for It"
Shatkin3:19
10."Just for You"
  • Goulding
  • Kurstin
  • Michaels
Kurstin3:06
11."How Long"
  • Watt
  • Happy Perez
3:38
Total length:36:42
Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
12."Temptation"
  • Goulding
  • Mann
  • Rossomando
  • Wells
Wells3:03
13."Intuition"
  • Goulding
  • Kurstin
Kurstin3:12
14."Tastes Like You"
  • Goulding
  • Mann
  • Rossomando
  • Wells
Wells3:12
15."Better Man"
2:52
16."All by Myself" (with Alok and Sigala)
2:52
Total length:51:53

Notes

  • ^[p] signifies a primary and vocal producer
  • ^[a] signifies an additional producer

Personnel

[edit]

Musicians

  • Ellie Goulding – vocals
  • Glen Garth – background vocals (tracks 1, 7); bass guitar, drums, synthesizer (7)
  • Phil Garth – background vocals (1, 3); bass guitar, drums, synthesizer (1)
  • Stephen Kozmeniuk – bass guitar, drums, synthesizer (1–4, 7); guitar (1–4)
  • Maurie Kaufmann – drums (1, 7)
  • Andrew Wells – bass guitar, drums, guitar, synthesizer (2, 4, 12, 14); piano (2, 4), flute (4), percussion (12, 14), programming (14), keyboards (16)
  • Claude Vause – programming (2)
  • Todd Clark – background vocals (3)
  • Trey Campbell – background vocals (3)
  • Greg Kurstin – bass guitar, drums, keyboards, percussion, synthesizer (5, 6, 10, 13); electric guitar (6, 10)
  • Lostboy – bass guitar, drum programming, keyboards, programming (8)
  • Big Sean – vocals (6)
  • Jesse Shatkin – bass guitar, drums, keyboards, percussion, programming, synthesizer (9)
  • Andrew Watt – acoustic guitar, electric guitar, keyboards, programming (11)
  • Happy Perez – keyboards, programming (11)
  • Freddy Sheed – drum programming (12)
  • Charley Bagnall – synthesizer (12)
  • Marco Parisi – bass guitar, keyboards, programming, sound effects (15)
  • Giampaolo Parisi – drums, percussion, programming, sound effects, synthesizer (15)
  • Ohyes – bass guitar, drums, keyboards, programming (16)
  • João Cruz – guitar (16)
  • Bruce Fielder – keyboards, programming (16)

Technical

  • Randy Merrill – mastering (1–15)
  • One Mix Mastering – mastering, mixing (16)
  • Matty Green – mixing (1, 7, 9, 14)
  • Serban Ghenea – mixing (2–6, 10–13)
  • Lostboy – mixing (8)
  • Clem Cherry – engineering (1, 3, 7)
  • Jesper Kragh Nielsen – engineering (1, 3, 7)
  • Kristian Donaldson – engineering (1, 3, 7)
  • Andrew Wells – engineering (2, 4, 12)
  • Alex Pasco – engineering (5, 6, 10, 13)
  • Greg Kurstin – engineering (5, 6, 10, 13)
  • Julian Burg – engineering (5, 6, 10, 13)
  • Matt Tuggle – engineering (5, 6, 10, 13)
  • Tom Kahre – engineering (6)
  • Jesse Shatkin – engineering (9)
  • Samuel Dent – engineering (9)
  • Andrew Watt – engineering (11)
  • Happy Perez – engineering (11)
  • Joe Kearns – vocal engineering (6)
  • Bryce Bordone – mixing assistance (2–6, 10–13)
  • Claude Vause – engineering assistance (2, 4, 12)
  • Jon Yeston – engineering assistance (2, 4, 12)
  • Dominic Ganderton – engineering assistance (2, 4)
  • Luke Gibbs – engineering assistance (12, 14)

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance for Higher Than Heaven
Chart (2023) Peak
position
Australian Digital Albums (ARIA)[42] 15
Australian Physical Albums (ARIA)[42] 38
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[43] 52
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[44] 5
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[45] 37
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[46] 37
French Albums (SNEP)[47] 86
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[48] 20
Irish Albums (IRMA)[49] 97
Polish Albums (ZPAV)[50] 47
Scottish Albums (OCC)[39] 1
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[51] 99
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[52] 28
UK Albums (OCC)[53] 1
US Billboard 200[54] 125

Release history

[edit]
Release history and formats for Higher Than Heaven
Region Date Format(s) Edition(s) Label Ref.
Various 7 April 2023
Standard Polydor [55]
  • CD
  • digital download
  • streaming
 Deluxe [56]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Potton, Ed (7 April 2023). "Ellie Goulding: Higher Than Heaven review — sex, drugs and no personal revelations". The Times. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  2. ^ a b c McCormick, Neil (7 April 2023). "Ellie Goulding brings us dance-floor delight, HMLTD is as eccentric as ever – the week's best albums". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023. 11 tracks of gleaming nu-disco, upgraded '80s synth pop and sleek electronic dance-music concocted with teams of established hitmakers
  3. ^ "Ellie Goulding pushes back release date of new album Higher Than Heaven due to sourcing issues". Official Charts Company. 1 March 2023. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  4. ^ Clarke, Naomi (19 October 2022). "Ellie Goulding reveals release date for her fifth studio album". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 27 November 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Jones, Alan (14 April 2023). "Charts analysis: Ellie Goulding secures first chart double with fourth No.1 album". Music Week. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  6. ^ D'Souza, Shaad (4 April 2023). "'It's my least personal album!' Thank you, Ellie Goulding, for making pop escapist again". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  7. ^ "Ellie Goulding: Higher Than Heaven review - her least personal album is probably her most fun | Ellie Goulding". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  8. ^ Smyth, David (7 April 2023). "Ellie Goulding: Higher Than Heaven album review: only good vibes here". Evening Standard. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  9. ^ Skinner, Tom (20 October 2022). "Ellie Goulding announces fifth album 'Higher Than Heaven'". NME. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  10. ^ Mier, Tomás (23 March 2023). "Ellie Goulding Spills Secrets Behind Her New Album, Motherhood, and Her Best Unreleased Songs". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  11. ^ "Ellie Goulding Announces New Album Higher Than Heaven Out 3rd February 2023". Universal Music Canada. 19 October 2022. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  12. ^ Aubrey, Elizabeth (10 January 2023). "Ellie Goulding delays release of new album 'Higher Than Heaven'". NME. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  13. ^ Bowenbank, Starr (10 January 2023). "Ellie Goulding Delays 'Higher Than Heaven' Album Release". Billboard. Archived from the original on 21 January 2023. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  14. ^ Goulding, Ellie [@elliegoulding] (28 February 2023). "... so we've worked really hard to stick to that promise. As a result and due to delays in sourcing these products, we have to push back the release ever so slightly to April 7 just so we can get these beautiful products to you as soon as possible" (Tweet). Retrieved 28 February 2023 – via Twitter.
  15. ^ "Ellie Goulding's new album Higher Than Heaven will arrive two weeks late". Official Charts Company. 1 March 2023. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  16. ^ "Midnight Dreams". Spotify. 31 March 2023. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  17. ^ "Cure For Love". Spotify. 31 March 2023. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  18. ^ "Love Goes On". Spotify. 31 March 2023. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  19. ^ "Higher Than Heaven". Spotify. 31 March 2023. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 6 April 2023.
  20. ^ "Ellie Goulding - Better Man". YouTube. 7 April 2023. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  21. ^ "Better Man by Ellie Goulding on TIDAL". Tidal. 7 April 2023. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  22. ^ Krol, Charlotte (30 March 2023). "Ellie Goulding announces 2023 UK and Ireland 'Higher Than Heaven' tour". NME. Archived from the original on 4 April 2023. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
  23. ^ "Ellie Goulding to play US shows with orchestra this November". 97.9 WRMF. 6 September 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  24. ^ "Ellie Goulding Setlist at 3Olympia Theatre, Dublin". setlist.fm. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
  25. ^ a b "Higher Than Heaven by Ellie Goulding reviews". United Kingdom: AnyDecentMusic?. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 8 April 2023.
  26. ^ a b "Higher than Heaven by Ellie Goulding". Metacritic. United States: CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  27. ^ Yeung, Neil Z. (7 April 2023). "Higher Than Heaven - Ellie Goulding | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  28. ^ Livine, Nick (7 April 2023). "Ellie Goulding – 'Higher Than Heaven' review: playful antidote to personal-driven pop". NME. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  29. ^ "Ellie Goulding: Higher Than Heaven album review - only good vibes here". Evening Standard. 7 April 2023. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  30. ^ "Clash:Ellie Goulding: Higher Than Heaven album review". Clash Magazine. 7 April 2023. Archived from the original on 7 April 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  31. ^ a b c "The 50 Best Albums Of 2023 So Far: Staff Picks". Billboard. 20 June 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  32. ^ a b c "The Best Albums of 2023 So Far". Rolling Stone. 13 June 2023. Archived from the original on 1 July 2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  33. ^ "The Best Pop Albums of 2023 | AllMusic 2023 in Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
  34. ^ Nicole, Kaitlyn (14 December 2023). "10 Best Pop Albums of 2023". Pop Passion Blog. Retrieved 29 July 2024.
  35. ^ a b Griffiths, George (14 April 2023). "Ellie Goulding's Higher Than Heaven and Calvin Harris collab Miracle are Number 1: Official Chart Double". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  36. ^ Paine, Andre (14 April 2023). "Polydor scores third consecutive No.1 album as Ellie Goulding does the chart double". Music Week. Archived from the original on 16 April 2023. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  37. ^ "HIGHER THAN HEAVEN". Official Charts. 20 April 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  38. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100 on 21/4/2023". Official Charts. 23 April 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2024.
  39. ^ a b "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  40. ^ "irishcharts.com - Discography Ellie Goulding". www.irish-charts.com. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  41. ^ "Ellie Goulding | Biography, Music & News". Billboard. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
  42. ^ a b "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 17 April 2023". The ARIA Report. No. 1728. Australian Recording Industry Association. 17 April 2023. pp. 7, 10.
  43. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Ellie Goulding – Higher Than Heaven" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 19 April 2023.
  44. ^ "Ultratop.be – Ellie Goulding – Higher Than Heaven" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  45. ^ "Ultratop.be – Ellie Goulding – Higher Than Heaven" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  46. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Ellie Goulding – Higher Than Heaven" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  47. ^ "Lescharts.com – Ellie Goulding – Higher Than Heaven". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  48. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Ellie Goulding – Higher Than Heaven" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  49. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Ellie Goulding". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  50. ^ "OLiS – oficjalna lista sprzedaży: Albumy" (Select week 07.04.2023–13.04.2023.) (in Polish). ZPAV. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  51. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Ellie Goulding – Higher Than Heaven". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 May 2024.
  52. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Ellie Goulding – Higher Than Heaven". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 April 2023.
  53. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 14 April 2023.
  54. ^ "Ellie Goulding Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
  55. ^ Higher Than Heaven standard release formats:
  56. ^ Higher Than Heaven deluxe release formats:
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