Don't Stop Believin' (album)

Don't Stop Believin' is the eighth studio album by British-Australian singer Olivia Newton-John, released on 30 October 1976. The album received a Gold certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)^[2] and reached number 33 on the US Billboard 200 and number seven on the US Top Country Albums chart.

Don't Stop Believin'
Studio album by Olivia Newton-John
Released	30 October 1976^[1]
Recorded	April–May 1976
Studio	Creative Workshop, Nashville
Genre	Country country pop
Length	34:19
Label	MCA
Producer	John Farrar
Olivia Newton-John chronology
Come On Over (1976) Don't Stop Believin' (1976) Making a Good Thing Better (1977)
Singles from Don't Stop Believin'
"Don't Stop Believin'" Released: August 1976 "Every Face Tells a Story" Released: November 1976 "Sam" Released: January 1977

The first single released from the album was the title track, which peaked at number 33 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the US Adult Contemporary chart. "Every Face Tells a Story" ended Newton-John's streak of seven consecutive number-one Adult Contemporary hits. "Every Face Tells a Story" also ended her streak of nine consecutive top-40 hits. "Sam" was Newton-John's highest-charting hit on the Billboard Hot 100 since the number 13 peak of "Something Better to Do".

A live album recorded on the promotional tour for Don't Stop Believin', Love Performance, was released in Japan in 1981, the LP vinyl sold 123,590 and the cassette 10,600 copies there.^[3]

Reception

Cashbox said "Olivia Newton-John's LPs are always greeted with much consumer and industry excitement upon release, and this should be no exception. The title track is already making waves as a single offering, which shouldn't hurt sales at all. John Farrar's production, like the last album, is ultimately sensitive to Newton-John's needs: the instrumentation is sharp, and gives her emotive voice direction, and, at the same time, room to move. Look for 'Every Face Tells a Story' and 'A Thousand Conversations' to get serious play as album cuts. As always, the record will suit tastes across the board: pop, soft-rock, MOR, and country."^[4]

Track listing

Side one

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Don't Stop Believin'"	John Farrar	3:33
2.	"A Thousand Conversations"	Bruce Welch Hank Marvin	2:58
3.	"Compassionate Man"	Farrar Chris Christian	3:21
4.	"New-Born Babe"	Glenn Cardier	3:20
5.	"Hey Mr. Dreammaker"	Welch Alan Tarney	4:05

Side two

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
6.	"Every Face Tells a Story"	Peter Sills Don Black Michael Allison	3:38
7.	"Sam"	Farrar Marvin Don Black	3:43
8.	"Love You Hold the Key"	Olivia Newton-John Farrar	2:31
9.	"I'll Bet You a Kangaroo"	Larry Murray	3:35
10.	"The Last Time You Loved"	Brian Neary	3:35

2010 Japanese SHM-CD bonus tracks

No.	Title	Length
11.	"Don't Stop Believin'" (Live in Osaka, Japan, December 1976)	3:39
12.	"Looking for Space" (previously unreleased)	3:48

Personnel

Musicians Olivia Newton-John – lead and backing vocals Shane Keister – keyboards Warren Oates – clavinet (4) Chris Christian – acoustic guitar John Farrar – acoustic guitar, electric guitars, backing vocals Steve Gibson – acoustic guitar Weldon Myrick – steel guitar (5) Joe Osborn – bass Larrie Londin – drums, percussion Charlie McCoy – harmonica (8) Bergen White – string arrangements Shelly Kurland String Section – strings Donna Fein – backing vocals Muffy Hendrix – backing vocals Lisa Silver – backing vocals Hurshel Wiginton – bass vocals (9)

Production Produced and arranged by John Farrar Recorded at Creative Workshop, (Nashville, Tennessee) Recording engineer – Brent Maher Mixed at Cherokee Studios (Los Angeles, California) Mixing – Bill Schnee Assistant engineer – George Tutko Mastered by Mike Reese at The Mastering Lab (Los Angeles, California) Design Cover photos – Charles Bush Black and white photos – Jeff Dunas Art direction and design – George Osaki Costume design/wardrobe/stylist – Fleur Thiemeyer

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts Chart (1976) Peak position Australia Albums (Kent Music Report)^[5] 88 Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)^[6] 56 US Billboard 200^[7] 33 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[8] 7 US Cash Box Top Albums^[9] 34 US Cash Box Country Albums^[10] 2

Year-end charts Chart (1977) Position US Billboard 200^[11] 77 US Top Country Albums (Billboard)^[12] 34

Certifications and sales

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)^[13]	Gold	50,000^^
United States (RIAA)^[14]	Gold	500,000^^
^^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "Don't Stop Believin'". Borders Group. Archived from the original on 18 January 2013. Retrieved 26 April 2011.
2. "American album certifications – Olivia Newton-John – Don't Stop Believin'". Recording Industry Association of America.
3. Okamoto, Satoshi (2006). Oricon Album Chart Book: Complete Edition 1970–2005. Roppongi, Tokyo: Oricon Entertainment. p. 349. ISBN 4-87131-077-9.
4. "Album Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 30 October 1976. p. 35. Retrieved 21 November 2021 – via World Radio History.
5. Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992. St Ives, NSW: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
6. "Top RPM Albums: Issue 5136". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
7. "Olivia Newton-John Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
8. "Olivia Newton-John Chart History (Top Country Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 October 2016.
9. "Cash Box Top Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
10. "Cash Box Country Albums" (PDF). Cash Box. Retrieved 15 August 2022.
11. "1977 Year-End Billboard 200 Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
12. "Top Country Albums – Year-End 1974". Billboard. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
13. "Canadian album certifications – Olivia Newton-John – Don't Stop Believin'". Music Canada.
14. "American album certifications – Olivia Newton-John – Don't Stop Believin'". Recording Industry Association of America.