The group notion started in 1976, when the four brothers of the Neville family, Art (1937-2019), Charles (1938–2018), Aaron (b. 1941), and Cyril (b. 1948) got together to take part in the recording session of The Wild Tchoupitoulas, a Mardi Gras Indian group led by the Nevilles' uncle, George Landry ("Big Chief Jolly").
Art Neville reached out to Paul Howrilla (personal manager for Dr. John) and told him that he always wanted to do something with his brothers. Paul Howrilla created Neville Productions, Inc., serving as president and CEO with all four Neville brothers as members of the board of directors. The newly formed business covered the entire Neville family, designed to protect them from the music business abuse they had previously endured in their individual careers.
This experience led them to form the group the following year. Their debut album was released from Capitol Records in 1978.
In 1988, the group released Uptown from EMI featuring guests including Branford Marsalis, Keith Richards, and Carlos Santana. The following year saw the release of Yellow Moon from A&M Records produced by Daniel Lanois. The track "Healing Chant" from that album won best pop instrumental performance of the Grammy Awards.
In 1990, the Neville Brothers contributed "In the Still of the Night" to the AIDS benefit album Red Hot + Blue produced by the Red Hot Organization. Also in 1990, they appeared on the bill at that year's Glastonbury Festival. This also was the year they recorded "Sons and Daughters" on their Brother's Keeper album.
Their version of "Bird on the Wire" was played over the closing credits of the 1990 film, Bird on a Wire.
Due to the health problems of Art Neville, the band kept a low profile in the late 1990s onto the early 2000s. They made a comeback in 2004, however, with the album, Walkin' In The Shadow Of Life, from Back Porch Records, their first newly recorded effort in five years.
All brothers except Charles, a Massachusetts resident, had been living in New Orleans, but following Hurricane Katrina in 2005 Cyril and Aaron moved out of the city. They had not been performing in New Orleans since Katrina hit the city, however, they finally returned to perform there at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in 2008, being given the closing spot which had been reserved for them for years.
Infrequently, Ivan Neville, Aaron's son (keyboards) and Ian Neville, Art's son (electric guitar), both of the band Dumpstaphunk, have played with the band in recent years.
The group formally disbanded in 2012 but reunited in 2015 for a farewell concert in New Orleans.
Charles Neville died of pancreatic cancer on April 26, 2018, at the age of 79.
Art Neville died at age 81 on July 22, 2019, after years of declining health.
Little Piece Of Heaven
The Neville Brothers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
We don't always need to know, yeah
We fear the light of those that leave us
The ones that burn twice as bright
Or the ones we love twice as much
We miss the most, yeah
And there's a little piece of heaven
I know, there's a little piece of heaven
Just waiting for you to come home
I know, someday you will
'Coz life is short, gotta do your own thing
Seems the higher that we fly
The more the people try and bring you down, yeah
Oh, sometimes you love, sometimes you hate
Sometimes you know, sometimes you break
You fall down and make mistakes and then fear God
And there's a little piece of heaven
Just waiting for you to come home
I know, there's a little piece of heaven
Just waiting for you to come home
I know, someday you will
Little piece of heaven, shining like the night
No matter what you do, always by your side
And there's a little piece of heaven
Just waiting for you to come home
I know, someday you will, someday, be there
Someday you will be there, I know, you will
There's a little piece of heaven, shining in the night
No matter what you do, it’s always by your side
There's little piece of heaven, shining like the night
No matter what you do, it's always by your side
Everything, there's a reason
We don't always need to know, yeah
But there's a little piece of heaven
Just waiting for you to come home
I know, there's a little piece of heaven
Just waiting for you to come home
I know, someday you will
Little piece of heaven, shining like the night
No matter what you do, always by your side
And there's a little piece of heaven
Just waiting for you to come home
I know, someday you will, someday you will
The Neville Brothers’ “Little Piece of Heaven” is a song about the cyclical nature of life and how there is something waiting for us all after we leave this life. The opening lines of the song suggest that there is a reason for everything that happens, even if we don’t always understand what that reason is. The chorus conveys the idea that there is a little piece of heaven waiting for each of us when we pass away and that we will eventually make our way there.
The second verse of the song speaks to the fact that we must live our lives on our own terms, even if that means that we sometimes make mistakes or take risks that others don’t understand. The bridge of the song suggests that there will always be people who try to bring us down when we are trying to fly high, but that we must keep pushing forward anyway.
Line by Line Meaning
For everything there's a reason
Everything that happens in life has a reason.
We don't always need to know, yeah
We may not always have an explanation for why things happen.
We fear the light of those that leave us
We feel afraid of losing those who were very important to us.
The ones that burn twice as bright
People who shine so bright often leave a much bigger impact on our hearts.
Or the ones we love twice as much
The people that we love the most are the ones that we miss the most.
We miss the most, yeah
We feel the absence of those we love the most.
And there's a little piece of heaven
There is always something special waiting for us.
Just waiting for you to come home
It is waiting for us to find and appreciate it.
I know, there's a little piece of heaven
The artist is certain that there is always something special for us.
Someday you will
We will eventually find and experience this special thing.
'Coz life is short, gotta do your own thing
Since life is short, we must live our own lives and follow our dreams.
Seems the higher that we fly
The more successful we become,
The more the people try and bring you down, yeah
The may be more people trying to hold us back or criticize us.
Oh, sometimes you love, sometimes you hate
Life can be full of ups and downs.
Sometimes you know, sometimes you break
We can experience moments of clarity or confusion.
You fall down and make mistakes and then fear God
We often make mistakes and feel guilty or responsible for our actions.
Little piece of heaven, shining like the night
This special thing is like a bright light in the darkness.
No matter what you do, always by your side
This special thing will always be there, supporting us.
Someday you will be there, I know, you will
The singer is confident that we will discover this special thing.
There's a little piece of heaven, shining in the night
This special thing is like a guiding light, always present in the darkness.
No matter what you do, it’s always by your side
It will always be there for us, no matter what happens.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: EDDIE CHACON, JOSH DEUTSCH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind