Heaven in the Real World

Heaven in the Real World
Studio album by Steven Curtis Chapman
Released	July 5, 1994
Genre	Contemporary Christian music, rock, pop
Length	55:25
Label	Sparrow
Producer	Phil Naish and Steven Curtis Chapman
Steven Curtis Chapman chronology
The Live Adventure (1993) Heaven in the Real World (1994) The Music of Christmas (1995)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Jesus Freak Hideout	(not rated) [2]

Heaven in the Real World is the sixth studio album by American contemporary Christian music singer and songwriter Steven Curtis Chapman released on July 5, 1994, by Sparrow Records.

It was certified gold by the end of the year, nominated for a 1995 Grammy award, and went platinum on February 7, 1997. The title song received the 1995 Gospel Music Association award for best Pop/Contemporary Song of the Year, and the album earned Pop/Contemporary Album of the Year, at the 26th GMA Dove Awards. (The title track was performed during the broadcast of the 25th GMA Dove Awards the previous year.^[3])

Track listing

All songs written by Steven Curtis Chapman, except where noted.

1. "Heaven in the Real World" – 4:50
2. "King of the Jungle" – 4:55
3. "Dancing with the Dinosaur" – 4:46
4. "The Mountain" (Chapman, Geoff Moore) – 4:56
5. "Treasure of You" (Chapman, Moore) – 4:41
6. "Love and Learn" – 4:09
7. "Burn the Ships" (Chapman, James Elliot) – 4:56
8. "Remember Your Chains" – 5:22
9. "Heartbeat of Heaven" – 5:07
10. "Still Listening" – 4:32
11. "Facts Are Facts" (Chapman, Moore) – 3:30
12. "Miracle of Mercy" – 2:39
13. "Heartbeat of Heaven" (reprise) – 0:57

Personnel

• Steven Curtis Chapman – lead vocals, backing vocals (1–5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13), acoustic guitars (1, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10), dobro (2), electric guitars (10), classical guitar (12)
• Phil Naish – keyboards
• Dann Huff – electric guitars (1–9, 11, 13), classical guitar solo (6, 9, 13), acoustic guitar solo (8), additional electric guitars (10), slide guitar solo (11)
• Dan Dugmore – dobro (4), steel guitar (6)
• Leland Sklar – bass (1–9, 11, 13)
• Danny O'Lannerghty – fretless bass (12)
• John Robinson – drums (1–9, 11, 13)
• Mark Hammond – drum programming (2), percussion (3, 4)
• Paulinho da Costa – percussion (9, 10, 12, 13)
• Barry Green – trombone (2)
• Chris McDonald – trombone (2), horn arrangements (2)
• Jeff Bailey – trumpet (2)
• Mike Haynes – trumpet (2)
• Jeff Mac – wave sequencing (3)
• David Naish – "pterodactyl" overdub (3)
• Conni Ellisor – string arrangements and conductor (6, 9, 12, 13)
• Carl Gorodetsky – concertmaster (6, 9, 13)
• The Nashville String Machine – strings (6, 9, 13)
• John Catchings – cello (12)
• Anthony LaMarchina – cello (12)
• Bob Mason – cello (12)
• Hezekiah Walker and The Love Fellowship Crusade Choir – choir (1, 2)
• Michael Gleason – backing vocals (1–5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 13)
• Mark Heimermann – backing vocals (1, 2, 5, 7)
• Michael Mellett – backing vocals (3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 13)

Voice-overs on "Heaven in the Real World"

• James Isaac Elliot, Steve LePard, Brad Winget and Charles Colson

Children's choir on "Still Listening"

• Emily Chapman, Caleb Chapman and Will Franklin Chapman

Shoutback on "Facts Are Facts"

• Calvin Bottoms, Dan Brunelle, Steven Curtis Chapman, Dave Huffman, Dennis Kurtilla and Phil Naish

Production

• Phil Naish – producer
• Steven Curtis Chapman – producer
• Peter York – executive producer
• Dan Raines – executive producer
• Ed Cherney – instrumental track recording engineer
• Schnee Studio (North Hollywood, California) – instrumental track recording location, additional recording location
• John Hendrickson – assistant engineer, additional engineer, mix assistant
• Ronnie Brookshire – overdub and vocal recording engineer
• Studio at Mole End (Franklin, Tennessee) – overdub and vocal recording location
• The Hit Factory (New York City, New York) – additional recording location
• Capitol Studios (Hollywood, California) – additional recording location
• Quad Studios (Nashville, Tennessee) – additional recording location
• Mid-Town Tone and Volume (Nashville, Tennessee) – additional recording location
• North Beach Studio (Franklin, Tennessee) – additional recording location
• Dan Garcia – additional engineer
• Jay Healy – additional engineer
• Todd Robbins – additional engineer, assistant engineer
• Jeremy Smith – additional engineer
• Lars Aakre – assistant engineer
• Dave Dillbeck – assistant engineer
• Peter Doell – assistant engineer
• Koji Egawa – assistant engineer
• Bill Schnee – mixing at Schnee Studio (North Hollywood, California)
• Doug Sax – mastering at The Mastering Lab (Los Angeles, California)
• Bridgett Evans O'Lannerghty – production coordinator
• Karen Philpott – creative design
• East-West Design Group (Nashville, Tennessee) – design
• Gerhart Yurkovic – cover photography
• E.J. Carr – additional photos
• John Guider – stock photos
• Robert Glover – stock photos
• Skip O'Rourke – stock photos
• Johnny Villanueva – hair and make-up
• Jeffrey Tay – stylist

References

1. Heaven in the Real World at AllMusic
2. "Steven Curtis Chapman, "Heaven In The Real World" Review". Jesusfreakhideout.com. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
3. Steven Curtis Chapman - Heaven in the Real World (1994 Dove Awards), retrieved April 9, 2023