About The Song
“Rock and Roll Heaven” is a song written by Alan O’Day and Johnny Stevenson, popularized by The Righteous Brothers. It is a paean to several deceased singers such as Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Otis Redding, and has been rewritten a number of times to include other singers. The song was first recorded by the band Climax in 1973 (co-writer Stevenson was the keyboard player for Climax, and the song was specifically written for the band’s lead singer, Sonny Geraci), but it failed to chart.
The Righteous Brothers recorded “Rock and Roll Heaven” a few weeks after they decided to reform the duo in 1974. They signed with Haven Records run by Dennis Lambert and Brian Potter and were given the song to record. Lambert and Potter rewrote a verse, updating the song to include Jim Croce and Bobby Darin who had died within three months of each other in late 1973. According to Bill Medley, they were dubious about the song because they didn’t think the song had the “old Righteous Brothers feel”. Nevertheless, it became a hit for them and quickly reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100. In Canada it spent three weeks at number four.
Video
Lyrics
If you believe in forever
Then life is just a one-night stand
If there’s a rock n’ roll heaven
Well you know they’ve got a hell of a band, band, band
Jimi gave us rainbows
And Janis took a piece of our hearts
And Otis brought us all to the dock of a bay
Sing a song to light my fire, remember Jim that way
They’ve all found another place, another place to play
If you believe in forever
Then life is just a one-night stand
If there’s a rock n’ roll heaven
Well you know they’ve got a hell of a band, band, band
They’ve got a hell of a band