No. 1 in Heaven

Sound Arts (Los Angeles)
Westlake (Los Angeles)
| genre = * Disco
rock
synth pop

By 1978, the Mael Brothers found themselves at a crossroads; they had tired of the rock band format and were determined to take their music in a more electronic direction. They had expressed admiration for pioneering Italian producer Giorgio Moroder, creator of Donna Summer's iconic disco anthem "I Feel Love", to a German journalist who turned out to be a friend of his. Sparks then teamed up with Moroder to record Nº 1 in Heaven at Musicland Studios, West Germany.

Nº 1 in Heaven had a dramatically different sound from that of Sparks' previous seven albums. The group dropped the standard guitar, bass and piano from its musical palette and the new sound was dominated by layered sequencers and synthesizers, underpinned by the drums and percussion of Keith Forsey. Russell Mael's distinctive falsetto was overlaid in a number of overdubs and complemented by backing vocalists. Aside from Ron Mael's lyrics and Russell's vocals, musically, the sound of the album matched that of Moroder's trademark sound that had begun with Donna Summer's "I Feel Love" and had continued in much of his solo work, with songs like "Tryouts for the Human Race" and "La Dolce Vita" continuing in the vein of his work with Summer. This sound was also exemplified on Summer's 1977 album Once Upon a Time ("Now I Need You", "Working the Midnight Shift", "Queen for a Day") and 1979's Bad Girls (in songs like "Sunset People"). The first US editions of Nº 1 in Heaven contained content identical to the original Virgin UK release, but later editions substituted the 12" extended mix of "Beat the Clock" for the album version.

Joy Division cited "Number One Song in Heaven" as a primary influence during the recording of "Love Will Tear Us Apart". Joy Division's drummer Stephen Morris stated: "When we were doing 'Love Will Tear Us Apart', there were two records we were into: Frank Sinatra's Greatest Hits and 'Number One Song in Heaven' by Sparks. That was the beginning of getting interested in Giorgio Moroder".