In 1989, hair metal was at full throttle. MTV cycled through neon-colored videos, mile-high hair, and power ballads that convinced even the toughest leather jackets to sway along.
And while much later than their friends from the sunset strip… Warrant had just broken through with their debut album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich.
Their first single “Down Boys” gave them a Top 40 foothold at No. 27, but it was the follow-up that had fans and critics betting on a No. 1.
“Heaven” had roots in Lane’s earlier band Plain Jane, but it hit the charts like it was born for 1989: a vocal that ached and soared, words that felt personal yet universal, and a chorus so polished it practically glowed on MTV rotation.
Lane’s delivery was raw yet radio-ready, and the track’s soaring guitar solo only locked in its power ballad credentials.
For a moment, it looked inevitable.
But the top slot never came. The song that kept Warrant out of No. 1 wasn’t another Sunset Strip rival, but a over-polished pop act whose success looked bulletproof then, and scandal-ridden only months later.
The Rise of Warrant’s “Heaven” on the Billboard Chart
By the late ’80s, the Billboard Hot 100 had a soft spot for hard rock’s tender side. Power ballads were no longer side notes; they were the engines driving album sales and radio dominance. Poison had “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.” Bon Jovi’s “I’ll Be There for You” went straight from arenas to living rooms. Even Mötley Crüe, architects of excess, proved they could dial it back with “Home Sweet Home”.
Ask anyone who worked behind the glass in that era, and they’ll tell you flat out: power ballads moved units. They were the tracks that paid for the pyro, the tour buses, and the MTV premieres.
Featuring hits like:
– Down Boys
– Heaven
– Cherry Pie
– Uncle Tom’s Cabin & More!
Into that landscape came Warrant with “Heaven”. It was a statement that they could hang with the biggest names of the day.
Jani Lane delivered vocals that balanced muscle with vulnerability, making the song fit just as easily at a high school slow dance as on Headbanger’s Ball. The chorus soared like a stadium singalong waiting to happen, while the guitar solo (courtesy of session veteran Mike Slamer… Story for another day), gave it that extra shot of drama.
Fans latched on quickly. “Heaven” took over MTV, surged on rock radio, and slipped seamlessly into pop countdowns.
By September 23, 1989, it had climbed all the way to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. Warrant seemed poised for their first chart-topper.And that’s where the story twists.
Because the only thing keeping Warrant from the top slot wasn’t Bon Jovi or Poison…it was Milli Vanilli.
“Girl I’m Gonna Miss You” sat at No. 1, a track fronted by a duo who famously weren’t even singing on their own records.
For a band like Warrant, grinding it out in the clubs and cutting songs straight from Jani Lane’s notebook, losing the No. 1 spot to a manufactured act that would soon collapse in scandal was a bitter bit of chart history.
The Aftermath and Legacy
Milli Vanilli would eventually be exposed in 1990, their Grammy revoked, their legacy reduced to a cautionary tale.
Warrant, on the other hand, kept grinding. Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich went double platinum, fueled by “Heaven” and its MTV dominance. They followed it with Cherry Pie in 1990, which cemented Jani Lane’s reputation as a songwriter who could swing from sleaze to sincerity.
Looking back, “Heaven” stands as one of the definitive power ballads of the era. It may never have reached No. 1 on the Billboard chart, but it outlived the pop act that kept it from the top. Fans still raise their lighters… or iPhones now when the song comes on. Lane’s vocals remain a reminder of how hair metal could connect heart to volume.
For Warrant, the near miss was proof they could hang with the heavyweights of the Sunset Strip and beyond. And for anyone still keeping score, ask around today: which song has more staying power, “Heaven” or “Girl I’m Gonna Miss You”? The answer isn’t hard to find.
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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