Do You Wanna Go to Heaven
Encyclopedia
"Do You Wanna Go to Heaven" is a 1980 single written by Curly Putman
and Bucky Jones and recorded by T.G. Sheppard. "Do You Wanna Go to Heaven" would be T.G. Sheppard's fifth number one on the country chart. The single went to number one for one week and spent a total of eleven weeks on the country chart.
and how the preacher asked the protagonist (then a young boy), "Do you want to go to Heaven," referring to the religious concept
of the afterlife (where good people go after their death).
Later in the song, the man recalls his sexual awakening, where—after a high school dance
-- he and his teen-aged girlfriend, Bonnie Lou, are alone. Bonnie Lou uses her charms to come on to her boyfriend, asking him before they initiate sex, "Do you want to go to heaven." In this sense, "heaven" refers to the blissful experience of sexual intercourse.
In the final verse, the man is broken down and drowning his sorrows at a tavern. He sees a possible sexual partner at the end of the bar; her actual desirability is not stated. Neither one shows any resistance as the two begin their encounter, as once again the term "heaven" refers to the intense pleasure of sex.
At the end of each verse, the man says, "I'll never forget, I remember it yet, that taste of that pure, clean water," before recalling to various degrees the words of the preacher and his expectations that he'll live a Christ-centered life. The man, as a young boy and teenager, upholds this promise until—as the song progresses—they become dimmer (his first experience with Bonnie Lou) to totally forgotten (the drunken encounter with the woman at the end of the bar).
Curly Putman
Claude "Curly" Putman, Jr. is an American songwriter, based in Nashville. His biggest success was "Green, Green Grass of Home" , which was covered by Elvis Presley, Johnny Darrell, Gram Parsons, Joan Baez, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Roberto Leal, Merle Haggard, Bobby Bare, Joe Tex, Nana...
and Bucky Jones and recorded by T.G. Sheppard. "Do You Wanna Go to Heaven" would be T.G. Sheppard's fifth number one on the country chart. The single went to number one for one week and spent a total of eleven weeks on the country chart.
Song story
The song's story is told through the eyes of a promiscuous young man who has had many sexual experiences, and plays upon the double-meaning of the word "heaven." He first recalls his baptismBaptism
In Christianity, baptism is for the majority the rite of admission , almost invariably with the use of water, into the Christian Church generally and also membership of a particular church tradition...
and how the preacher asked the protagonist (then a young boy), "Do you want to go to Heaven," referring to the religious concept
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
of the afterlife (where good people go after their death).
Later in the song, the man recalls his sexual awakening, where—after a high school dance
Prom
In the United States and Canada, a prom, short for promenade, is a formal dance, or gathering of high school students. It is typically held near the end of the senior year. It figures greatly in popular culture and is a major event among high school students...
-- he and his teen-aged girlfriend, Bonnie Lou, are alone. Bonnie Lou uses her charms to come on to her boyfriend, asking him before they initiate sex, "Do you want to go to heaven." In this sense, "heaven" refers to the blissful experience of sexual intercourse.
In the final verse, the man is broken down and drowning his sorrows at a tavern. He sees a possible sexual partner at the end of the bar; her actual desirability is not stated. Neither one shows any resistance as the two begin their encounter, as once again the term "heaven" refers to the intense pleasure of sex.
At the end of each verse, the man says, "I'll never forget, I remember it yet, that taste of that pure, clean water," before recalling to various degrees the words of the preacher and his expectations that he'll live a Christ-centered life. The man, as a young boy and teenager, upholds this promise until—as the song progresses—they become dimmer (his first experience with Bonnie Lou) to totally forgotten (the drunken encounter with the woman at the end of the bar).
Chart performance
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 15 |