The Edge of Heaven

This article is about the song by Wham!. For the film by Fatih Akın, see The Edge of Heaven (film).

"The Edge of Heaven"
Song

The Edge of Heaven was a song by British pop duo Wham!, released on Epic Records in 1986. It was written by George Michael, one half of the duo, and was promoted in advance as Wham!'s farewell single.

History

With the known desire of George to move into a more adult market, Wham! had announced in the spring of 1986 that they would go their separate ways after a farewell single, album and concert. The album was called The Final and the concert was held in front of 100,000 fans at Wembley Stadium in London.

The single, a five minute tale of emotional and physical frustration within a relationship, was a slick and upbeat pop tune which became, unsurprisingly, the fourth and final #1 in the UK (and the final US Top Ten hit, reaching #10) for the teaming of George Michael and his partner Andrew Ridgeley.

Epic released a double record set in the UK, with an updated version of Wham!'s early signature song "Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)" on the flip of disc one, and two new songs - "Battlestations" and a cover of the Was (Not Was) song "Where Did Your Heart Go?" - on the flip of the second disc. "Where Did Your Heart Go?" was later given an equal billing and reached a lowly position in the UK Top 40 as a result.

In the United States, "The Edge of Heaven" was backed with a live version of "Blue" from Wham!'s tour of China. "Where Did Your Heart Go?" was released separately as the follow-up and the fourth and last single from Music from the Edge of Heaven (the shortened American version of The Final), and charted at #50 (backed with "Wham! Rap '86").

Two months earlier, George Michael had achieved his second solo #1 with "A Different Corner" (which also made #7 in the US), and he was back in the charts as a permanent solo artist within six months of "The Edge of Heaven".

Track listing

7": Epic / A FIN 1 (UK)

1. "The Edge of Heaven" (4:37)
2. "Wham Rap '86" (6:33)

7": Epic / FIN 1 (UK)

1. "The Edge of Heaven" (4:31)
2. "Wham Rap '86" (6:33)
3. "Battlestations" (5:25)
4. "Where Did Your Heart Go?" (5:43)

• limited edition double 7" pack

12": Epic / FIN T1 (UK)

1. "Battlestations" (5:25)
2. "Where Did Your Heart Go?" (5:43)
3. "The Edge of Heaven" (4:31)
4. "Wham Rap '86" (6:33)

Chart performance

Chart (1986)	Peak position
Australia	2
Austria	11
France	22
The Netherlands	1
Norway	2
Sweden	10
Switzerland	4
United Kingdom	1
United States	10