“Tell me how much I mess this up!” says Nile Rodgers, before executing an irresistible guitar riff. It is the first lockdown of 2020. Andrew Lloyd Webber has challenged the Twittersphere to upload covers of his showtunes and Rodgers, former Chic guitarist, has taken the bait. After a few repetitions, he sings: “My mind is clearer now. At last, all too well, I can see where we all soon will be.”
The song is “Heaven on their Minds” from Jesus Christ Superstar, the second collaboration between Lloyd Webber and lyricist Tim Rice. A heady mix of driving rock and symphonic sweep, Superstar charts the last days of Jesus’s life in through-sung form. Though events closely match those depicted in the gospels, it caused considerable fuss on its release as a concept album in 1970. Many criticised the open questioning of Jesus’s divinity; others felt rock music was the wrong medium for a Passion play. (Anger reached its peak in 1973 when Catholic protestors petrol-bombed a Buenos Aires theatre set to stage a production.)
The first song after the overture, “Heaven on their Minds” embodies these controversies. A terrified Judas begs his friend to stand down or risk incurring the wrath of their Roman occupiers. “Listen Jesus, do you care for your race?” he sings. “Don’t you see we must keep in our place?” Immediately we are hit with the questions that underpin Superstar’s drama: is Jesus really the son of God? Has the man become more important than the message? Might his betrayal be justified?
Judas’s pleas are fortified by a relentless, guitar-driven accompaniment, played on the original recording
“Heaven on their Minds” was first released as a single in 1970, but gained little traction in the charts. Despite this, it has had an arguably more vibrant life off-stage than other singles from the album. During the 1970s, two starkly different cover versions emerged: one by blues singer Sam Taylor Jr and another by jazz royalty Buddy Rich. The latter was later adapted for a recording by the US Army Band, featuring a stratospheric trumpet solo from Dave Stahl. Several heavy metal covers have also surfaced (for a particularly grisly take, see Seattle-based headbangers Queensrÿche
The song also caught the attention of Iranian composer Manouchehr Cheshmazar, who lifted the opening — note for note — for his 1975 theme tune to the TV show Talagh. This became a hit for Iranian pop icon Googoosh
But Kanye wasn’t the first to rap over “Heaven on their Minds”. In 1991, an underground, Detroit-based hip-hop group called Soul Intent sampled the song for their thumping track “One-Handed Juggler”, and then again in 1995 for “Biterphobia”. The MC on both was an up-and-coming rapper called M&M (though he now goes by Eminem). Polish hip-hop outfit Zipera,
February 20 marked half a century since Superstar topped the Billboard album charts. To date, the concept album has sold over 7m copies worldwide, a number set to grow when it is re-released later this year. As demonstrated by Nile Rodgers, “Heaven on their Minds” remains one of its most evocative and perennially fresh songs.
What are your memories of ‘Heaven on their Minds’? Let us know in the comments section below.
‘The Life of a Song Volume 2: The fascinating stories behind 50 more of the world’s best-loved songs’, edited by David Cheal and Jan Dalley, is published by Brewer’s.
Music credits: Polydor Records; UMC (Universal Music Catalogue); Verve (Adult Contemporary) MC; Rhino; Alobar; Taraneh Enterprises Inc; Prosto; Universal Music Italia
Picture credit: Alamy