Believe (Cher song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Believe" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Single by Cher | ||
| from the album Believe | ||
| Released | October 18, 1998 (UK) October 19, 1998 (France) November 3, 1998 (U.S) April 20, 1999 (Canada) May 25, 1999 (Japan) |
|
| Format | CD single CD maxi-single 12" single 7" single |
|
| Recorded | 1998 | |
| Genre | Techno, House | |
| Length | 3:59 | |
| Label | Warner Bros. Records / Wea | |
| Writer(s) | Brian Higgins Stuart McLennen Paul Barry Steven Torch Matthew Gray Timothy Powell |
|
| Producer(s) | Mark Taylor Brian Rawling |
|
| Chart positions | ||
| Cher North American singles chronology | ||
| "Paradise Is Here" (1996) |
"Believe" (1999) |
"Strong Enough" (1999) |
| Cher European singles chronology | ||
| "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" (1996) |
"Believe" (1998) |
"Strong Enough" (1999) |
 |
||
| Cover of the Japanese Believe/Strong Enough single | ||
"Believe" is a Grammy Award winning Dance song which served as the world-wide lead single for American singer Cher's studio album Believe. In March 2007, the United World Chart ranked "Believe" as the nineteenth most successful song in music history. Referring to that same list, "Believe" is also the third most successful song released by a solo female musician behind Celine Dion's "My Heart Will Go On" and Whitney Houston's cover of "I Will Always Love You" [1], the biggest selling single ever for Warner Bros. Records and the biggest selling dance song ever having sold over 10 million copies worldwide. [2]
Contents |
[edit] Song information
- "Believe" (1998) (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- A mid-tempo dance song, it became Cher's biggest hit of her entire career and it also one of the best selling singles ever.
- Problems playing the files? See media help.
"Believe" was written by a number of writers which include Paul Barry, Matt Gray, Brian Higgins, Stuart McLellan, Timothy Powell and Steven Torch. The song, released and recorded in 1998, peaked at number one in 23 countries worldwide [3]. On the week ending March 13, 1999, it reached number one in the Billboard Hot 100, making Cher the oldest female artist (at the age of 52) to perform this feat. It also was ranked as the number-one song of 1999 by Billboard, and became the biggest single in her entire career. In the UK, "Believe" spent seven weeks at number one [4] in the UK singles chart and became the best selling single by a female artist there. [5]
The success of the song not only expanded through each country's singles chart, but also most country's dance charts. In the United States "Believe" spent 23 weeks on the U.S. Hot Dance Club Play chart and 22 weeks on the European Hot Dance Charts. "Believe" also set a record in 1999 after spending 21 weeks in the top spot of the Billboard Hot Dance Singles Sales chart, impressively it was still in the top ten even one year after its entry on the chart. [6]. Its immense popularity also managed for Believe to become the most played song in radio at the time after being played 1,500,000 times.
"Believe" was given the featured closing number spot for over 100 performances on Cher's 1999-2000 Do You Believe? Tour and then again the closing spot for over 300 performances on Cher's epic 2002-2005 Living Proof: The Farewell Tour.
[edit] Production
An interesting note about the recording of the song revolved around the highly-recognizable auto-tune effect utilized in the verses and chorus. Producer Mark Taylor added the effect to Cher's vocal simply as a lark, and in interviews at the time, he claimed to be testing out his recently purchased the 'Digitech Talker'. However, it later emerged that the effect was not created by a vocoder, but by utilizing extreme (and then unheard) settings on auto-tune. When Cher heard the results, she demanded that the effect remain in the song, and her original vocal be erased, much to the chagrin of her record company, who wanted it removed; upon their suggestion, Cher's response to the record label was "over my dead body!"
Further details of the production techniques used on the track, including a later update on the auto-tune/vocoder confusion, can be found here [7]
[edit] World use and popularity
A cover version of this song was used in the Nintendo DS game Elite Beat Agents in the first bonus level. The stage involves helping a girl make her dream of being a famous dancer a reality.
[edit] Music video
[edit] Original
The international music video for "Believe", directed by Nigel Dick, features Cher in a nightclub surrounded by many people to whom she is giving advice. The video includes a woman who is broken hearted and feels that she can't go on when she sees her ex-boyfriend with a new spouse. The video is rather confusing if seen for the first time, but is very clear when one understands the lyrics.
[edit] Remix videos
Three official remix videos exist for this song. Two of the remix videos were created by Dan-O-Rama in 1999. Both follow different concepts from the original unmixed video. Instead of showing the significance of the lyrics the videos mostly show Cher with different colored backgrounds and people dancing. The two remixes used for these videos were the Almighty Definitive Mix and the Club 69 Phunk Club Mix. The third video entitled Wayne G. Remix was released by Warner Bros. and the concept is similar to the Club 69 Phunk Club Mix video.
[edit] Formats and track listings
|
Believe US CD Single
Believe US CD Maxi Single
Believe European CD Single Pt. 1
Believe European CD Single Pt. 2
Believe Japanese EP Single
|
[edit] Reviews
| “ | Six songwriters came up with this pop masterpiece, one of the few songs to be able to break through the impenetrable wall of late 1990's fragmented radio to permeate the consciousness of the world at large. The days when much of the planet was singing along with Frank Sinatra's "That's Life", Bobby Hebb's immortal "Sunny", or McCartney's "Yesterday" seem so long ago, but Cher found a tune and a production that knocked the walls down from dance floors to the radio and beyond. "Believe" is one of those melodies that mark a time in a person's life when a relationship folds up for good and it is time to move on. It's a theme that the singer can more than relate to in both her personal and professional life. She was down for the count, and counted out, and has come back time and again like a boomerang. It's a second coming for the diva (after many such second comings), a triumphant vocal performance over a dazzling dance-beat that transcends Eurodisco and flavor-of-the-month Saturday night sounds. Some critical commentary, including the AMG album review, may dismiss the tune, but this writer feels that is a mistake. Finding a song that is many things to many people is a hard enough task, getting a vocal like Cher gives this one is the mark of a true icon: total "believ"ability to put this right up there with her performances on Kathy Kirby's "The Way Of Love" and Sonny Bono's "You'd Better Sit Down Kids". It's a perfect annunciation of the vibe, and one that only an artist with depth can provide to the listening audience. Two versions show up on Warner BrothersCD single #9536, the 3:59 album track with vocals that go into an electronic tunnel, and a 4:20 "Xenomania" mix, which is actually more orthodox and less mania. Of course in the discos they mixed and matched so you never knew what you were dancing to, different pieces of different mixes, but a melody so strong it always broke through the incessant beat. Co-producer Mark Taylor followed this single up with his own composition taking two words from "Believe's" hook, "Strong Enough". That follow-up single wasn't..."strong enough", but the re-mix of this by two of the co-writers of "Believe", Matt Gray and "Brian Higgins, is sonically exciting closing generation gaps and giving Cher one of her greatest hits. | ” |
[edit] Charts
|
|
[edit] Certifications
- ARIA: Australia IFPI: Austria IFPI: Germany SNEP: France NVPI: Netherlands Norway IFPI: Sweden IFPI: Switzerland RIAA: U.S. Media Traffic: World
|
|
[edit] Achievements
| Preceded by "Gym And Tonic" by Spacedust |
UK number one single October 25, 1998 for 7 weeks |
Succeeded by "To You I Belong" by B*Witched |
| Preceded by "Goodbye" by Spice Girls |
RIANZ (New Zealand) number one single 10 January 1999 |
Succeeded by "Take Me There" by Blackstreet featuring Mya & Ma$e |
| Preceded by "Angel of Mine" by Monica |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single March 13, 1999- April 3, 1999 |
Succeeded by "No Scrubs" by TLC |
| Preceded by "Crush" by Jennifer Paige |
United World Chart number one single December 6, 1998 for 15 weeks |
Succeeded by "..Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears |
[edit] References
- ^ 19th most successful song in history
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Believe" #1 in 23 countries
- ^ Everyhit.com - List of UK Number 1's 1990's
- ^ Top 100 singles of all time in the UK
- ^ "Believe" Dance Singles Sales record
- ^ Production
| Cher |
|---|
| Also associated with: Sonny & Cher |
| Sonny & Cher discography |
| Cher discography |
| Studio albums: All I Really Want to Do - The Sonny Side of Cher - Cher - Backstage - With Love, Cher - 3614 Jackson Highway - Gypsys, Tramps & Thieves - Foxy Lady - Bittersweet White Light - Half-Breed - Dark Lady - Stars - I'd Rather Believe in You - Cherished - Take Me Home - Prisoner - Black Rose - I Paralyze - Cher - Heart of Stone - Love Hurts - It's a Man's World - Believe - not.com.mercial - Living Proof - Live! The Farewell Tour |
| Main compilations: Greatest Hits - Greatest Hits: 1965-1992 - If I Could Turn Back Time: Cher's Greatest Hits - The Greatest Hits - The Very Best of Cher |
| Singles: See singles |
| Videography: See videography |
| Tours and concerts |
| The Wondrous World Tour - All I Ever Need Is You Tour - Allman and Woman Tour - Live in Monte Carlo - A Celebration at Caesar's Palace - Heart of Stone Tour - Love Hurts Tour - Do You Believe? Tour - Living Proof: The Farewell Tour |
Categories: 1998 singles | Cher songs | Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles | Billboard Hot Dance Club Play number-one singles | Number-one singles in New Zealand | Number-one singles in the Netherlands | Number-one singles in the United Kingdom | Number-one singles in Germany | Number-one singles in Ireland | Number-one singles in France | Number-one singles in Italy
