“Hands to Heaven” is light as a feather, from the slow motion synth arrangement to David Glasper’s gauzy vocals. The song’s haunting quality becomes even more apparent when you listen to the lyrics: “so raise your hands to heaven and pray/that we’ll be back together someday”. It’s hypnotic and beautiful.
In 1988, the year of George Michael, Breathe were one of the most successful British imports. Hands reached #2 on the singles chart, while two more singles hit the Top 10. However, just as quickly as the band’s star rose, it fell. A second album, Peace of Mind, featured two singles that hit the lower rungs of the Top 40. The album strongly featured Glasper (actually, the band was now Breathe featuring David Glasper, and he alone was on the cover), and the strong-voiced Glasper seemed an ideal candidate to carry on with a solo career. It never happened, though,and Breathe disappeared without a trace, never to be seen or heard from again.
However. they left behind a handful of strong singles, of which Hands to Heaven is by far the best.
