It’s 1989. Hair metal is king. You’re cranking up the radio, and Warrant’s ‘Heaven‘ is blasting through your speakers. It’s soaring up the charts, and you just know it’s gonna hit number one. I mean, how could it not? It’s got everything: killer vocals, heartfelt lyrics, and just enough power ballad magic to make even your metalhead buddy admit it’s a banger.
But it never hit number one. Nope. Just missed it. Peaked at number two. The nerve. So naturally, while researching for a video, I thought, “What song possibly robbed Warrant of their rightful spot at the top?” Was it another rock anthem? probably something from Bon Jovi or Def Leppard..
Nope. It was Milli Vanilli. Yeah, those guys. With ‘Girl I’m Gonna Miss You‘. A song that now lives on in infamy, not because it was a massive hit (though it was), but because it was performed by two guys who weren’t actually singing. That’s right… Warrant’s ‘Heaven‘ got blocked from number one by two dudes lip-syncing their way to the top.
Now, let’s be clear: this isn’t a hit piece on Milli Vanilli. Quite frankly, given the chance to make millions lip-syncing all over the world, I’d probably be on the first flight out. Who wouldn’t? But looking back, it’s like one of those cruel cosmic jokes: a genuine rock ballad kept from number one by a song that was essentially a karaoke performance.
So how did it happen? Why did the universe align in such a way that a rock classic got bested by a pop scandal waiting to happen? Strap in—this one’s a ride.
By 1989, hair metal was living its best life. Bands like Poison, Mötley Crüe, and Bon Jovi were turning power ballads into chart-topping anthems. It didn’t matter if you usually preferred skull-crushing riffs.. if a song had enough emotion and a killer hook, it was destined to dominate both the airwaves and your little sister’s boombox.
Enter Warrant. Their debut album, Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich (https://amzn.to/4cfv48F), had just dropped, and the band was riding high on the success of ‘Down Boys‘ when they released Heaven. And let’s be real here… ‘Heaven‘ was a hair metal masterpiece. It had everything:
- Jani Lane’s effortlessly emotional vocals.
- a melody that hit you right in the feels.
- PLUS a melodic guitar solo that managed to punch you directly in the heart (who cares if Mike Slamer recorded it… old news).
The song’s rise was fast and fierce. It absolutely dominated MTV. Back then, having your video on heavy rotation was basically like being anointed rock royalty. Fans ate it up, and Warrant looked poised to land a number one hit on the Billboard Hot 100. keep in mind, this is all pRE-Cherry Pie!
But here’s the thing about 1989—it wasn’t just a year ruled by rock gods. The pop world was also flexing its muscles, and Milli Vanilli had somehow become unstoppable. Heaven climbed to number two and… just stayed there. No matter how many times you requested it at the local radio station or cranked it up on your boombox, it couldn’t break past that final hurdle. And that hurdle was, bizarrely, ‘Girl I’m Gonna Miss You‘.
Even looking back now, it’s a bit of a gut punch. Warrant put out a song with heart, soul, and actual instruments played by the band members themselves. Meanwhile, Milli Vanilli’s manufactured pop hit was busy holding down the number one spot. It wasn’t just bad luck… it was like rock ‘n’ roll karma took a day off.
And what makes it even worse? Billboard didn’t even have the decency to show the album cover for Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich when Heaven hit number two. Just a blank, soulless space where Warrant’s breakthrough album should’ve been. Insult to injury.
It was like the universe itself didn’t realize how legendary that track would become. But hey, rock doesn’t always get the chart love it deserves. Sometimes, even a band with all the right ingredients gets sidelined by a pop act that was one Milli away from vanishing entirely.
If you were around in 1989, you couldn’t escape Milli Vanilli. They were everywhere—charting hits, snagging awards, and dancing like they were allergic to standing still. Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan were the faces of the duo, looking like supermodels who somehow wandered into the music business. They had the look, the moves, and the hooks. Just one small problem: they didn’t have the voices.
Yep, turns out the guys actually singing on those tracks were a group of session vocalists who were probably a little too shy to be pop stars themselves. The scandal broke when a notorious MTV performance in 1990 went spectacularly sideways. During a live show, the track for Girl You Know It’s True started skipping. Like, “Girl you know it’s—Girl you know it’s—Girl you know it’s—” on a loop. You could see the panic on Rob’s face as he desperately tried to keep the illusion alive. Spoiler: it didn’t work.
The aftermath was pure chaos. Journalists started digging, and the truth came out: Milli Vanilli didn’t sing a single note on their own album. In an almost poetic move, the Grammys revoked their award for Best New Artist. Public outrage ensued. Fans who’d bought the album felt duped. Lawsuits flew. It was like the entire pop world collectively shouted, “Wait, what?”
And just like that, Milli Vanilli’s career was vaporized. It went from glitzy pop dominance to a cautionary tale about the dangers of faking it in record time. It didn’t matter that Rob and Fab wanted to be legit singers or that they felt betrayed too—the damage was done.
But here’s where the story takes a bitterly ironic twist: while Milli Vanilli’s fall from grace was fast and brutal, the fate of Warrant—and hair metal at large—was on just as shaky ground. Despite the fact that Heaven and the band’s album were commercial successes, a storm was brewing that would soon take out pretty much every hairspray-wielding band of the era.
Because in 1989, something else was brewing up in the grunge-riddled garages of Seattle. Bands like Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Soundgarden were gearing up to wipe the slate clean. When Nevermind hit in 1991, it wasn’t just another rock album—it was a meteor that wiped out most of the glam rock dinosaurs. Hair metal, for better or worse, became a relic almost overnight.
CREDIT: MTV UNPLUGGED
So here’s the kicker: while Milli Vanilli’s downfall felt like justice served, Warrant’s own fate wasn’t much better. The band might have been the real deal compared to Milli Vanilli, but they were still swept away by the changing tide of rock music. The days of teased hair and power ballads were about to be replaced by flannel shirts and raw, unpolished emotion.
It’s weirdly poetic that Warrant got robbed by a pop act whose time was just as limited as theirs. Neither band was going to make it through the 90s unscathed, but at least Warrant’s music still holds up. Fans can still crank Heaven without the cringey realization that the guys on stage had nothing to do with the vocals.
It’s a weird piece of rock history, right? Warrant’s Heaven—a bona fide hair metal classic—blocked from the number one spot by a pop act that wasn’t even singing. It’s like the universe just wanted to mess with us. Sure, Milli Vanilli’s rise and fall is a cautionary tale, but Warrant’s own chart heartbreak feels even more bitter when you consider how short-lived their own heyday would be.
In the end, though, Heaven lives on as one of those songs that never really faded. Whether it’s blasting from a classic rock station or on your guilty pleasure playlist, it’s still got that emotional punch. Meanwhile, Milli Vanilli’s story is more of a cautionary footnote, a reminder that sometimes the fakest acts can steal the spotlight—at least for a while.
But enough about chart injustices. What do you think? Did Warrant get robbed? Does Heaven deserve more love than it got back in ‘89? Drop a comment below and let’s keep the conversation going.
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Until next time.. keep rocking, keep questioning, and never let the Milli Vanillis of the world take your number one spot.
Sources Cited
- Billboard Hot 100 Chart History – Warrant’s “Heaven” (1989)
Billboard. (1989). Billboard Hot 100 – Week of September 23, 1989. Retrieved from Billboard.com - Billboard Hot 100 Chart History – Milli Vanilli’s “Girl I’m Gonna Miss You” (1989)
Billboard. (1989). Billboard Hot 100 – Week of September 23, 1989. Retrieved from Billboard.com - Milli Vanilli Scandal: The Lip-Sync Controversy and Aftermath
Rolling Stone. (1990). How Milli Vanilli Got Caught in a Lip-Sync Scandal That Destroyed Their Career. Retrieved from RollingStone.com - Warrant’s Legacy and the Impact of Hair Metal’s Decline
VH1. (2009). Behind the Music: Warrant – The Rise and Fall of Hair Metal. - The Rise of Grunge and the End of Hair Metal
Spin Magazine. (1991). Grunge Takes Over: The Fall of Hair Metal in the Early ’90s.
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