Believe (Lenny Kravitz song)

"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)[1]
GenreRock[2]
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 US,[3] where it reached number 60 on the Billboard Hot 100. It found bigger success internationally, reaching number one in Iceland and the top 10 in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

Critical reception

Like much of Kravitz's previous material and the Are You Gonna Go My Way album,[3] 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.[4] 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."[5] 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.[6] 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".[7] 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."[8]

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".[2] 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."[9]

Music video

The accompanying music video for "Believe" was directed by French director Michel Gondry, with visual effects contributed by the French company BUF Compagnie.[10] It is an homage to Stanley Kubrick's 1968 science fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey,[11] with the Deutsches Filminstitut calling it "pretty close" to the look of the original film.[12] "Believe" was later published on YouTube in May 2011, and had generated more than 6.6 million views as of September 2021.[13]

Track listing
CD single and CD maxi[14]
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

Credits adapted from album liner notes.[15]

  • 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

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[33] Gold 35,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. May 8, 1993. p. 27. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  2. Parmenter, Jamie (October 1, 2013). "Album Review: Lenny Kravitz – Are You Gonna Go My Way: Deluxe Edition". Renowned for Sound. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  3. Joseph, Mark (March 9, 2018). "Lenny Kravitz Breaks Through With 'Are You Gonna Go My Way'". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  4. 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.
  5. Flick, Larry (May 22, 1993). "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. p. 110. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  6. Kampert, Patrick (March 18, 1993). "Lenny Kravitz Are You Gonna Go My Way (Virgin)". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  7. Masterton, James (May 16, 1993). "Week Ending May 22nd 1993". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  8. "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. May 29, 1993. p. 14. Retrieved October 27, 2021.
  9. 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.
  10. "Lenny Kravitz – "Believe"". MVDBase.com (video). ASG. 1998–2017. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  11. 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.
  12. "2001 and beyond – Kubricks 2001. 50 Jahre A Space Odyssey" (in German). Deutsches Filminstitut. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  13. "Lenny Kravitz - Believe". YouTube. May 6, 2011. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
  14. "Lenny Kravitz Believe US CD single (CD5 / 5") (289511)". eil.com. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  15. Are You Gonna Go My Way (booklet). Lenny Kravitz. Virgin Records. 1993. 077778698425.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  16. "Lenny Kravitz – Believe". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  17. "Lenny Kravitz – Believe" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  18. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2242." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  19. "Lenny Kravitz – Believe" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  20. "Lenny Kravitz – Believe" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  21. "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (4.–10. júní)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). June 3, 1993. p. 29. Retrieved October 7, 2019.
  22. "Lenny Kravitz – Believe" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  23. "Lenny Kravitz – Believe". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  24. "Lenny Kravitz – Believe". Singles Top 100. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  25. "Lenny Kravitz: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  26. "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  27. "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  28. "Lenny Kravitz Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  29. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  30. "The RPM Top 100 Hit Tracks of 1993". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  31. "Árslistinn 1993". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). January 4, 1994. p. 16. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  32. "End of Year Charts 1993". Recorded Music NZ. Retrieved June 1, 2020.
  33. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
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