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Believe (Lenny Kravitz song)

January 01, 1970

"Believe" is a song by American musician Lenny Kravitz, released by Virgin Records on May 10, 1993, as the second single from his third album, Are You Gonna Go My Way (1993). It is a rock ballad with string orchestration, and was co-written, arranged and produced by Kravitz, with Henry Hirsch also contributing to the orchestration and composition. Its lyrics concern one being able to achieve freedom and "eternal grace" if they believe in themselves and put their faith in God.

"Believe"
Single by Lenny Kravitz
from the album Are You Gonna Go My Way
ReleasedMay 10, 1993 (1993-05-10)
GenreRock[1]
Length4:50
LabelVirgin
Songwriter(s)
  • Lenny Kravitz
  • Henry Hirsch
Producer(s)Lenny Kravitz
Lenny Kravitz singles chronology
"Are You Gonna Go My Way"
(1993) 		"Believe"
(1993) 		"Heaven Help"
(1993)
Music video
"Believe" on YouTube

"Believe" was the first song from the album to be issued as a commercial single and to chart in the United States,[2] where it reached number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It found bigger success internationally, reaching number one in Iceland and the top 10 in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The music video for the song was directed by Michel Gondry.

Critical reception edit

Like much of Kravitz's previous material and the Are You Gonna Go My Way album,[2] critics noted its musical influences, with Scott Poulson-Bryant of Rolling Stone pointing out the similarity between its "string-laden" coda and that of the 1971 song "Layla" by Derek and the Dominos.[3] Larry Flick from Billboard felt the track "makes easy switches between styles, from swaying pop ballad to treated psychedelia, and it builds to a grand finish."[4] Writing for the Chicago Tribune, Patrick Kampert compared its sound, along with that of album track "Just Be a Woman", to the works of the Beatles.[5] In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote that "the Beatlesque "Believe" [is] tipping a nod in the direction of "I am the Walrus" coupled with an anthemic chorus".[6] Pan-European magazine Music & Media noted, "Church bells ring in the outro... Kravitz sees the light on the finest track off his current album. With this soulful ballad, he'll be the messiah for many formats."[7]

In retrospective reviews of the album, Renowned for Sound said the track "still sounds relevant today", calling it an "uplifting rock ballad" and acclaiming its "impressive vocals and violin filled chorus [that is] very pleasant to the ear".[1] Reviewing the album's deluxe edition for The Morton Report, Chaz Lipp called it a "rock radio hit" and "one of the biggest production numbers, with lush orchestration and phased lead vocals. It's a soaring, inspirational gem."[8]

Music video edit

The accompanying music video for "Believe" was directed by French director Michel Gondry, with visual effects contributed by the French company BUF Compagnie.[9] It is an homage to Stanley Kubrick's 1968 science fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey,[10] with the Deutsches Filminstitut calling it "pretty close" to the look of the original film.[11] "Believe" was later made available on YouTube in May 2011, and had generated more than 6.6 million views as of September 2021.[12]

Track listings edit

CD single and CD maxi[13]
No.TitleLength
1."Believe" (album version)4:51
2."Believe" (acoustic version)4:07
3."Sister" (acoustic version)6:07
4."For the First Time"3:41
7-inch vinyl
No.TitleLength
1."Believe" (album version)4:50
2."Believe" (acoustic version)4:00

Credits and personnel edit

Credits adapted from album liner notes.[14]

  • Lenny Kravitz – lead and background vocals, bass guitar, drums, production
  • Henry Hirsch – Wurlitzer, engineering, mixing
  • Craig Ross – acoustic and electric guitar
  • Michael Hunter – French horn
  • Eric Delente – violin
  • Soye Kim – violin
  • Robert Lawrence – violin
  • Sarah Adams – viola
  • Liuh-Wen Ting – viola
  • Allen Whear – cello
  • Frank Murphy – cello
  • Carolyn Davies Fryer – double bass

Charts edit

Certifications edit

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[36] Gold 35,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history edit

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United Kingdom May 10, 1993
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • 10-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
 Virgin [37]
Japan June 30, 1993 Mini-CD [38]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Parmenter, Jamie (October 1, 2013). "Album Review: Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way: Deluxe Edition". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Joseph, Mark (March 9, 2018). "Lenny Kravitz Breaks Through With 'Are You Gonna Go My Way'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  3. ^ Poulson-Bryant, Scott (April 29, 1993). . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 18, 2008. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  4. ^ Flick, Larry (May 22, 1993). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 110. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  5. ^ Kampert, Patrick (March 18, 1993). "Lenny Kravitz Are You Gonna Go My Way (Virgin)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  6. ^ Masterton, James (May 16, 1993). "Week Ending May 22nd 1993". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  7. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 22. May 29, 1993. p. 14. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  8. ^ Lipp, Chaz (October 28, 2013). "Music Review: Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way (Deluxe Edition) | TMR". The Morton Report. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  9. ^ "Lenny Kravitz – "Believe"". MVDBase.com (video). ASG. 1998–2017. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  10. ^ Opaskar, Peter (July 21, 2018). "2001 in 70mm: Pod bay doors look better than ever, still won't open". Ars Technica. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  11. ^ "2001 and beyond – Kubricks 2001. 50 Jahre A Space Odyssey" (in German). Deutsches Filminstitut. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  12. ^ "Lenny Kravitz - Believe". YouTube. May 6, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  13. ^ "Lenny Kravitz Believe US CD single (CD5 / 5") (289511)". eil.com. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  14. ^ Lenny Kravitz (1993). Are You Gonna Go My Way (booklet). Virgin Records. 077778698425.
  15. ^ "Lenny Kravitz – Believe". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  16. ^ "Lenny Kravitz – Believe" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  17. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2242." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  18. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 25. June 19, 1993. p. 19. Retrieved March 24, 2024.
  19. ^ "EHR Top 40" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 10, no. 25. June 19, 1993. p. 22. Retrieved April 10, 2024.
  20. ^ "Lenny Kravitz – Believe" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  21. ^ "Lenny Kravitz – Believe" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  22. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (4.–10. júní)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). June 3, 1993. p. 29. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  23. ^ "Lenny Kravitz – Believe" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  24. ^ "Lenny Kravitz – Believe". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  25. ^ "Lenny Kravitz – Believe". Singles Top 100. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  26. ^ "Lenny Kravitz: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  27. ^ "Top 50 Airplay Chart" (PDF). Music Week. June 5, 1993. p. 14. Retrieved April 29, 2024.
  28. ^ "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  29. ^ "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  30. ^ "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  31. ^ "Top 100 Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. Vol. LVI, no. 49. August 14, 1993. p. 10. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  32. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  33. ^ "The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1993". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  34. ^ "Árslistinn 1993". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 4, 1994. p. 16. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  35. ^ "End of Year Charts 1993". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  36. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  37. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. May 8, 1993. p. 27. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  38. ^ "ビリーブ | レニー・クラヴィッツ" [Believe | Lenny Kravitz] (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved January 21, 2024.

January 01, 1970
believe, lenny, kravitz, song, believe, song, american, musician, lenny, kravitz, released, virgin, records, 1993, second, single, from, third, album, gonna, 1993, rock, ballad, with, string, orchestration, written, arranged, produced, kravitz, with, henry, hi. Believe is a song by American musician Lenny Kravitz released by Virgin Records on May 10 1993 as the second single from his third album Are You Gonna Go My Way 1993 It is a rock ballad with string orchestration and was co written arranged and produced by Kravitz with Henry Hirsch also contributing to the orchestration and composition Its lyrics concern one being able to achieve freedom and eternal grace if they believe in themselves and put their faith in God Believe Single by Lenny Kravitzfrom the album Are You Gonna Go My WayReleasedMay 10 1993 1993 05 10 GenreRock 1 Length4 50LabelVirginSongwriter s Lenny Kravitz Henry HirschProducer s Lenny KravitzLenny Kravitz singles chronology Are You Gonna Go My Way 1993 Believe 1993 Heaven Help 1993 Music video Believe on YouTube Believe was the first song from the album to be issued as a commercial single and to chart in the United States 2 where it reached number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart It found bigger success internationally reaching number one in Iceland and the top 10 in Australia Canada and New Zealand The music video for the song was directed by Michel Gondry Contents 1 Critical reception 2 Music video 3 Track listings 4 Credits and personnel 5 Charts 5 1 Weekly charts 5 2 Year end charts 6 Certifications 7 Release history 8 ReferencesCritical reception editLike much of Kravitz s previous material and the Are You Gonna Go My Way album 2 critics noted its musical influences with Scott Poulson Bryant of Rolling Stone pointing out the similarity between its string laden coda and that of the 1971 song Layla by Derek and the Dominos 3 Larry Flick from Billboard felt the track makes easy switches between styles from swaying pop ballad to treated psychedelia and it builds to a grand finish 4 Writing for the Chicago Tribune Patrick Kampert compared its sound along with that of album track Just Be a Woman to the works of the Beatles 5 In his weekly UK chart commentary James Masterton wrote that the Beatlesque Believe is tipping a nod in the direction of I am the Walrus coupled with an anthemic chorus 6 Pan European magazine Music amp Media noted Church bells ring in the outro Kravitz sees the light on the finest track off his current album With this soulful ballad he ll be the messiah for many formats 7 In retrospective reviews of the album Renowned for Sound said the track still sounds relevant today calling it an uplifting rock ballad and acclaiming its impressive vocals and violin filled chorus that is very pleasant to the ear 1 Reviewing the album s deluxe edition for The Morton Report Chaz Lipp called it a rock radio hit and one of the biggest production numbers with lush orchestration and phased lead vocals It s a soaring inspirational gem 8 Music video editThe accompanying music video for Believe was directed by French director Michel Gondry with visual effects contributed by the French company BUF Compagnie 9 It is an homage to Stanley Kubrick s 1968 science fiction film 2001 A Space Odyssey 10 with the Deutsches Filminstitut calling it pretty close to the look of the original film 11 Believe was later made available on YouTube in May 2011 and had generated more than 6 6 million views as of September 2021 12 Track listings editCD single and CD maxi 13 No TitleLength1 Believe album version 4 512 Believe acoustic version 4 073 Sister acoustic version 6 074 For the First Time 3 41 7 inch vinylNo TitleLength1 Believe album version 4 502 Believe acoustic version 4 00Credits and personnel editCredits adapted from album liner notes 14 Lenny Kravitz lead and background vocals bass guitar drums production Henry Hirsch Wurlitzer engineering mixing Craig Ross acoustic and electric guitar Michael Hunter French horn Eric Delente violin Soye Kim violin Robert Lawrence violin Sarah Adams viola Liuh Wen Ting viola Allen Whear cello Frank Murphy cello Carolyn Davies Fryer double bassCharts editWeekly charts edit Chart 1993 Peakposition Australia ARIA 15 8 Belgium Ultratop 50 Flanders 16 35 Canada Top Singles RPM 17 9 Europe Eurochart Hot 100 18 46 Europe European Hit Radio 19 8 France SNEP 20 33 Germany Official German Charts 21 74 Iceland Islenski Listinn Topp 40 22 1 Netherlands Single Top 100 23 40 New Zealand Recorded Music NZ 24 5 Sweden Sverigetopplistan 25 35 UK Singles OCC 26 30 UK Airplay Music Week 27 21 US Billboard Hot 100 28 60 US Alternative Airplay Billboard 29 10 US Mainstream Rock Billboard 30 15 US Cash Box Top 100 31 47 Year end charts edit Chart 1993 Position Australia ARIA 32 54 Canada Top Singles RPM 33 52 Iceland Islenski Listinn Topp 40 34 18 New Zealand Recorded Music NZ 35 25Certifications editRegion Certification Certified units sales Australia ARIA 36 Gold 35 000 Shipments figures based on certification alone Release history editRegion Date Format s Label s Ref United Kingdom May 10 1993 7 inch vinyl10 inch vinylCDcassette Virgin 37 Japan June 30 1993 Mini CD 38 References edit a b Parmenter Jamie October 1 2013 Album Review Lenny Kravitz Are You Gonna Go My Way Deluxe Edition Renowned for Sound Retrieved September 9 2018 a b Joseph Mark March 9 2018 Lenny Kravitz Breaks Through With Are You Gonna Go My Way Ultimate Classic Rock Retrieved September 9 2018 Poulson Bryant Scott April 29 1993 Lenny Kravitz Are You Gonna Go My Way Music Reviews Rolling Stone Rolling Stone Archived from the original on March 18 2008 Retrieved September 9 2018 Flick Larry May 22 1993 Single Reviews PDF Billboard p 110 Retrieved October 26 2020 Kampert Patrick March 18 1993 Lenny Kravitz Are You Gonna Go My Way Virgin Chicago Tribune Retrieved September 9 2018 Masterton James May 16 1993 Week Ending May 22nd 1993 Chart Watch UK Retrieved September 11 2021 New Releases Singles PDF Music amp Media Vol 10 no 22 May 29 1993 p 14 Retrieved October 27 2021 Lipp Chaz October 28 2013 Music Review Lenny Kravitz Are You Gonna Go My Way Deluxe Edition TMR The Morton Report Retrieved September 9 2018 Lenny Kravitz Believe MVDBase com video ASG 1998 2017 Retrieved September 9 2018 Opaskar Peter July 21 2018 2001 in 70mm Pod bay doors look better than ever still won t open Ars Technica Retrieved September 9 2018 2001 and beyond Kubricks 2001 50 Jahre A Space Odyssey in German Deutsches Filminstitut Retrieved September 9 2018 Lenny Kravitz Believe YouTube May 6 2011 Retrieved September 11 2021 Lenny Kravitz Believe US CD single CD5 5 289511 eil com Retrieved September 9 2018 Lenny Kravitz 1993 Are You Gonna Go My Way booklet Virgin Records 077778698425 Lenny Kravitz Believe ARIA Top 50 Singles Retrieved September 9 2018 Lenny Kravitz Believe in Dutch Ultratop 50 Retrieved September 9 2018 Top RPM Singles Issue 2242 RPM Library and Archives Canada Retrieved September 9 2018 Eurochart Hot 100 PDF Music amp Media Vol 10 no 25 June 19 1993 p 19 Retrieved March 24 2024 EHR Top 40 PDF Music amp Media Vol 10 no 25 June 19 1993 p 22 Retrieved April 10 2024 Lenny Kravitz Believe in French Les classement single Retrieved September 9 2018 Lenny Kravitz Believe in German GfK Entertainment charts Retrieved September 9 2018 Islenski Listinn Topp 40 4 10 juni Dagbladid Visir in Icelandic June 3 1993 p 29 Retrieved October 7 2019 Lenny Kravitz Believe in Dutch Single Top 100 Retrieved September 9 2018 Lenny Kravitz Believe Top 40 Singles Retrieved September 9 2018 Lenny Kravitz Believe Singles Top 100 Retrieved September 9 2018 Lenny Kravitz Artist Chart History Official Charts Company Retrieved June 22 2021 Top 50 Airplay Chart PDF Music Week June 5 1993 p 14 Retrieved April 29 2024 Lenny Kravitz Chart History Hot 100 Billboard Retrieved September 9 2018 Lenny Kravitz Chart History Alternative Airplay Billboard Retrieved September 9 2018 Lenny Kravitz Chart History Mainstream Rock Billboard Retrieved September 9 2018 Top 100 Pop Singles PDF Cash Box Vol LVI no 49 August 14 1993 p 10 Retrieved April 20 2024 Ryan Gavin 2011 Australia s Music Charts 1988 2010 Mt Martha VIC Australia Moonlight Publishing The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1993 RPM Library and Archives Canada Retrieved April 25 2019 Arslistinn 1993 Dagbladid Visir in Icelandic January 4 1994 p 16 Retrieved June 1 2020 End of Year Charts 1993 Recorded Music NZ Retrieved June 1 2020 Ryan Gavin 2011 Australia s Music Charts 1988 2010 Mt Martha VIC Australia Moonlight Publishing New Releases Singles PDF Music Week May 8 1993 p 27 Retrieved June 22 2021 ビリーブ レニー クラヴィッツ Believe Lenny Kravitz in Japanese Oricon Retrieved January 21 2024 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Believe Lenny Kravitz song amp oldid 1221441065, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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