Believe (Brooks & Dunn song)
Encyclopedia
"Believe" is a single
by American
country music duo Brooks & Dunn
. It was the second single from their album Hillbilly Deluxe
, and it won the Country Music Association
's 2006 awards for Single of the Year and Music Video of the Year.
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 passes away 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.
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 sophomore studio album, 2011's I Remember Me
.
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
by American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music duo Brooks & Dunn
Brooks & Dunn
Brooks & Dunn was an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, who were both vocalists and songwriters. They were paired by record producer Tim DuBois in 1990. Before the duo's foundation, both members of the duo were solo recording artists...
. It was the second single from their album Hillbilly Deluxe
Hillbilly Deluxe (Brooks & Dunn album)
Hillbilly Deluxe is the ninth studio album by country music duo Brooks & Dunn, released in 2005 on Arista Nashville. Certified platinum in the United States by the RIAA, the album produced four singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts between 2005 and 2007: the Number One hit "Play...
, and it won the Country Music Association
Country Music Association
The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...
's 2006 awards for Single of the Year and Music Video of the Year.
Content
The song is a largely acoustic balladBallad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
accompanied by acoustic guitar
Acoustic guitar
An acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
and organ. Featuring lead vocals from Ronnie Dunn
Ronnie Dunn
Ronnie Gene Dunn is an American country music singer-songwriter, known for being one half of the duo Brooks & Dunn. In 2011, Dunn began working as a solo artist following the breakup of Brooks & 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 passes away because of his faith in God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, 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 HudsonJennifer Hudson
Jennifer Kate Hudson is an American recording artist, actress and spokesperson. She came to prominence in 2004 as one of the finalists on the third season of American Idol coming in seventh place...
performed the song on the 2010 CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television special ACM Presents: Brooks & Dunn - The Last Rodeo. Hudson subsequently recorded the song as the final track on her sophomore studio album, 2011's I Remember Me
I Remember Me (album)
I Remember Me is the second studio album by American recording artist Jennifer Hudson, released March 22, 2011, on Arista Records. Hudson worked with a variety of producers and writers on the album, including Alicia Keys, Rich Harrison, Ne-Yo, R.Kelly, Harvey Mason, Jr., Ryan Tedder, Diane Warren,...
.
Chart performance
"Believe" debuted at #49 on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart for the week of October 22, 2005.| Chart (2005-2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs | 8 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 60 |
| U.S. Billboard Pop 100 | 95 |