Believe (Brooks & Dunn song)

Last updated
"Believe"
Brooks & Dunn - Believe.jpg
Single by Brooks & Dunn
from the album Hillbilly Deluxe
ReleasedOctober 24, 2005
Genre Country, gospel
Length
  • 5:39(album version)
    4:50 (radio edit)
Label Arista Nashville
Songwriter(s) Ronnie Dunn
Craig Wiseman
Producer(s) Kix Brooks
Tony Brown
Ronnie Dunn
Brooks & Dunn singles chronology
"Play Something Country"
(2005)
"Believe"
(2005)
"Building Bridges"
(2006)

"Believe" is a song written by Ronnie Dunn and Craig Wiseman, and recorded by American country music duo Brooks & Dunn. It was released in October 2005 as the second single from their album Hillbilly Deluxe , and it won the Country Music Association's 2006 awards for Single of the Year, Song of the Year and Music Video of the Year. [1] Rolling Stone ranked "Believe" No. 33 on its list of the 40 Saddest Country Songs of All Time in 2019. [2]

Contents

Content

The song is a largely acoustic ballad accompanied by acoustic guitar and organ. Featuring lead vocals from Ronnie Dunn, the song describes the narrator's childhood encounter with an old man whom he calls "Old Man Wrigley." He tells in the first verse of how he came to become friends with the old man after the narrator's mother would send him over to the old man's house with "things" (presumably food, groceries, newspapers, etc.). Through conversation, he discovers that Old Man Wrigley's wife and son have both died, and then asks the man how he is able to prevent himself from losing his sanity over their deaths. The old man then responds by saying that he will soon see them in Heaven when he dies because of his faith in God, to which he further explains to the narrator in the first chorus.

In the second verse, the narrator tells of how he discovered that Old Man Wrigley died shortly after he moved off to college. After discovering this, he reflects on his memories of the old man, stating that he felt that the man deserved to go to Heaven ("If there was ever anybody deserved a ticket to the other side / It'd be that sweet old man…"). The song's bridge then finds the narrator asserting his own faith as well while attending Old Man Wrigley's funeral.

Notable cover versions

R&B singer Jennifer Hudson performed the song on the 2010 CBS television special ACM Presents: Brooks & Dunn - The Last Rodeo. Hudson subsequently recorded the song as the final track on her second studio album, 2011's I Remember Me .

Brooks & Dunn re-recorded the song together with Kane Brown for their 2019 album Reboot . This version reached #42 in the country charts. [3]

Chart performance

"Believe" debuted at number 49 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart for the week of October 22, 2005.

Chart (2005–2006)Peak
position
Canada Country ( Radio & Records ) [4] 21
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [5] 8
US Billboard Hot 100 [6] 60
US Billboard Pop 100 95

Year-end charts

Chart (2006)Position
US Country Songs ( Billboard ) [7] 27

Certifications

RegionCertification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA) [8] Platinum1,000,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brooks & Dunn</span> American country music duo

Brooks & Dunn is an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. The duo was founded in 1990 through the suggestion of songwriter and record producer Tim DuBois. Before their formation, both members were solo recording artists, having charted two solo singles apiece in the 1980s. Brooks also released an album for Capitol Records in 1989 and wrote hit singles for other artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronnie Dunn</span> American singer-songwriter

Ronald Gene Dunn is an American country music singer-songwriter and record executive. Starting in 2011, Dunn has worked as a solo artist following the temporary dissolution of Brooks & Dunn. He released his self-titled debut album for Arista Nashville on June 7, 2011, reaching the Top 10 with its lead-off single, "Bleed Red". After leaving Arista Nashville in 2012, Dunn founded Little Will-E Records. On April 8, 2014, Ronnie Dunn released his second solo album, Peace, Love, and Country Music through Little Will-E Records. On November 11, 2016, he released his third album Tattooed Heart on NASH Icon label. His fourth album Re-Dunn was released on January 10, 2020.

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References

  1. Whitburn, Joel (2008). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2008. Record Research, Inc. p. 64. ISBN   978-0-89820-177-2.
  2. "40 Saddest Country Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone . 17 September 2019.
  3. Believe (Brooks & Dunn with Kane Brown) in the Hot Country Songs charts (Billboard)
  4. Radio & Records: March 10, 2006, page 44 worldradiohistory.com
  5. "Brooks & Dunn Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
  6. "Brooks & Dunn Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  7. "Best of 2006: Country Songs". Billboard . Prometheus Global Media. 2006. Retrieved July 10, 2012.
  8. "American single certifications – Brooks & Dunn – Believe". Recording Industry Association of America . Retrieved August 14, 2024.