Haddon began his recording career in the mid 90s with the Voices of Unity on the small Tyscot label. As the group leader for their three albums, Haddon expressed his forward looking musical view, merging elements of soul, hip-hop and funk in the group's Gospel music. VOU had some mild success on the Gospel charts, but by the late 90s Haddon was ready to move more clearly front and center as a solo artist. His first two solo albums, This is My Story and Chainbreaker continued his artistic development and made some moderate noise on the Gospel charts.
However, I’m not sure that even the devoted fan base he had been accumulating could have anticipated his late 2002 release, Lost and Found, his first on giant Gospel label Verity. A project as ambitious as Tonex’s noted debut, Pronounced Toe-Nay, Lost and Found is an exhaustive, inspired opus by a Gospel artist who, with its release, clearly declared himself a new Gospel star.
The disc begins sounding like a dance Gospel album, leading off with two funky numbers, “D.D.” and “Oh Yeah” (the latter featuring the ubiquitous Fred Hammond). From there it covers broad territory, including bluesy, southern soul (“Ain’t Got Nothing” and the radio hit, “Sinner’s Prayer”), Praise & Worship (“Worship Medley”), Prince-style electric soul (“It’s Me”), big ballads (“Stand Still”) and joyous calypso (“The Praises Go (Up, Up, Up)”). Haddon is literally bursting with musical ideas on the album and, amazingly, virtually all work. Equally impressive is the strong lyrical content of the disc – much of it autobiographical -- focusing principally on the power of redemption and the ability of faith to rescue lost or miscast souls.
It took me almost two months to review Lost and Found, mostly because it took so long to fully absorb such an ambitious project. Now I can clearly say that this stands, with Mary Mary’s “Thankful” and Tonex’s “O2,” as perhaps the definitive modern Gospel album of this decade, and is a must for both Soul and Gospel lovers.
excerpt from The Deitrick Haddon Page at Soul Tracks (www.soultracks.com)
© Copyright 2004-5 by Chris Rizik and Soul Tracks ™
Heaven Knows
Deitrick Haddon Lyrics
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Yet we find billions of dollars to fund senseless wars.
And yes, we're fighting terrorism, what about the quiet racism,
Divided among ourselves, somebody's crying for help.
Heaven is listening (listening),
Heaven is watching (watching),
Heaven knows (knows)
And they may not play this on the radio,
'Cause the devil don't want you to know,
If we don't stop the hypocrisy, the nation will lose it's soul.
They'd rather play music money and sex,
Like we don't have no intellect.
Somebody need to show some respect,
'Cause God is not through with us yet.
Heaven is listening (listening),
Heaven is watching (watching),
Heaven knows (knows)
(Heaven knows), heaven knows the preachers that's not preachin'.
(Heaven knows) and heaven knows the teachers that are not teachin',
(knows) heaven knows the politicians that's stealing
(Heaven knows) heaven knows the ones that are out there killing.
(Oh heaven knows) that the world needs a revival
(Heaven knows) that we've walked away from the Bible,
(knows) heaven knows that the world needs healing
(Heaven knows) that somewhere we've lost our feelings.
Heaven is listening (listening),
Heaven is watching (watching),
Heaven knows (knows).
The song 'Heaven Knows' by Deitrick Haddon is about the hypocrisy in society despite having an all-knowing God watching and listening to everything. The first verse speaks about the irony of the government spending billions of dollars on senseless wars while the less privileged are still suffering. It then goes on to address the issues of racism and division within society, all while someone is crying for help. The chorus highlights that despite everything, Heaven is watching and listening to every action we take.
The second verse continues to address the theme of hypocrisy, suggesting that the music industry would rather focus on explicit content rather than the messages of hope that the world needs. Haddon also mentions the lack of respect for one another and the need for individuals to show more kindness and empathy towards each other. The third verse calls out preachers, teachers, politicians, and murderers who have gone astray from their duties to their respective positions. The final chorus reiterates that our actions are being watched by a higher power, and the world is in need of healing and revival.
The song offers a powerful message for those who might be suffering injustices and those who have lost track of their duties. It is about the need for people to come together and make the world a better place. This song is essential because it highlights the importance of love and caring for one another in a society that often forgets that we are all connected.
Line by Line Meaning
The homeless is still homeless, the poor is still poor,
There are still many people who are homeless and poor, despite the large sums of money being spent on unnecessary wars.
Yet we find billions of dollars to fund senseless wars.
Despite there being so many people in need, our society still chooses to spend billions of dollars on wars that serve no real purpose.
And yes, we're fighting terrorism, what about the quiet racism,
While we are busy fighting terrorism, we often ignore the quieter forms of discrimination such as racism.
Divided among ourselves, somebody's crying for help.
As a society, we are often divided and fail to see that someone out there is in need of our help.
Heaven is listening (listening),
God is listening to our cries for help
Heaven is watching (watching),
God is watching over us
Heaven knows (knows)
God knows what is going on in the world
And they may not play this on the radio,
This message might not be broadcasted on the radio because the devil does not want us to hear it.
'Cause the devil don't want you to know,
The devil does not want us to be aware of the true message of this song.
If we don't stop the hypocrisy, the nation will lose it's soul.
If we continue to be hypocritical as a nation, we risk losing our collective soul.
They'd rather play music money and sex,
The media would rather play songs about materialism and sex than songs with a deeper, spiritual message.
Like we don't have no intellect.
As if we cannot comprehend songs with a deeper meaning or message.
Somebody need to show some respect,
We need to respect and value music with a deeper message that can help us grow as individuals and a society.
'Cause God is not through with us yet.
God still has a plan for us and we still have a chance to make things right.
Heaven knows the preachers that's not preachin'.
God is aware of the preachers who are not truly spreading his message.
And heaven knows the teachers that are not teachin',
God is aware of the teachers who are not truly educating their students.
Heaven knows the politicians that's stealing
God is aware of the politicians who are corrupt and stealing from their people.
Heaven knows the ones that are out there killing.
God is aware of the individuals who are committing violent crimes.
That the world needs a revival
The world needs a comeback or resurgence of a deeper connection to faith and spirituality.
That we've walked away from the Bible,
We have lost our connection with the word of God.
Heaven knows that the world needs healing
God is aware of the pain and suffering in the world and wants it to be healed.
That somewhere we've lost our feelings.
As a society, we have lost touch with our emotions and empathy for others.
Lyrics © CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP, Capitol CMG Publishing
Written by: DEITRICK VAUGHN HADDON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind