“Show Me Heaven” is a power ballad by Maria McKee, released in June 1990 with “Car Building” by Hans Zimmer on the B-side as part of the Days of Thunder movie soundtrack. The song was originally written as “Secret Fire” by Eric Rackin and Jay Rifkin, but McKee was allowed to rewrite the lyrics, making it her own.
Written by by Maria McKee, Eric Rackin and Jay Rifkin, and produced by Peter Asher, the song became a huge hit, reaching No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for four weeks and ranking as the sixth-highest-selling single of 1990 in the UK. It also topped the charts in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Norway, and became a Top 5 hit in Australia, Ireland, Sweden, and Switzerland.
The music video, featuring McKee in a dreamy, cinematic setting, helped boost the song’s popularity. Critics praised her emotional vocal delivery, calling it “heartachingly lovely” and “affecting”.
“Show Me Heaven” was covered by many artists, including Laura Branigan.