I Believe

Album: Frankie Laine's Greatest Hits (1953)
Charted: 1 2
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Songfacts®:

  • This quasi-religious ballad was written by Erwin Drake (who also wrote the standards "Good Morning Heartache" for Billie Holiday and "It Was A Very Good Year" for Frank Sinatra), Irvin Graham, Jimmy Shirl and Al Stilman.
  • This spent a total of 18 weeks at #1 in the UK, a record for most non-consecutive weeks. It was the biggest-selling single of 1953 in the UK.
  • Frankie Laine once said of this: "It accomplished an awful lot in its day because it said all the things that need to be said in a prayer and yet it didn't use any of the holy words - Lord, God, Him, His, Thine, Thou. It said it all and it changed the whole spectrum of faith songs." (From 1000 UK #1 Hits by Jon Kutner and Spencer Leigh)
  • Later this was a #2 UK hit for the Irish trio the Bachelors in 1964 and #1 UK hit for Robson & Jerome in 1995.
  • Frankie Laine holds the record for most weeks at #1 for an artist in a single year: 27 weeks. This song stayed for 18 weeks, "Hey Joe!" 2 weeks and "Answer Me" 7 weeks. >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Edward Pearce - Ashford, Kent, England, for all above

Comments: 3

  • Anonymous from VirginiaStill in my Heart.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn May 23rd 1965, the Bachelors performed "I Believe" on the CBS-TV program 'The Ed Sullivan Show"...
    A little under a year earlier on June 21st, 1964 it had entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #83; six weeks later on August 2nd it would peak at #33 {for 1 week} and it stayed on the chart for 8 weeks...
    And on May 3rd, 1964 it reached #2 {for 1 week} on the United Kingdom's Singles chart; the week it was at #2, the #1 record for that week was "Don't Throw Your Love Away" by the Searchers...
    Between 1964 and 1967 the Bachelors had nine Top 100 records; with one making the Top 10, "Diane" peaked right at #10 in 1964.
  • Jonnie King from St. Louis, MoThis was a 2-sided hit for Frankie. He had a number of those during his career.
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