I Believe in You and Me
Encyclopedia
"I Believe in You and Me" is a ballad
written by Sandy Linzer and David Wolfert. The song was first recorded and released by the R&B group The Four Tops
in 1983. The song was written by Linzer and Wolfert in 1982, and the Four Tops released it as a single in 1983 (although the song is, in essence, a solo recording by lead vocalist Levi Stubbs
). While it failed to crack the US Top 40, it became a moderate R&B hit for the group on the US R&B chart, peaking at #40 on the Hot Black Singles chart in early 1983. Later in 1996, R&B/pop
singer Whitney Houston
recorded it for her film The Preacher's Wife
and released it as a single.
s Hot Black Singles
chart. Fourteen years later, Whitney Houston recorded a cover of the song for her soundtrack album The Preacher's Wife, produced by Mervyn Warren
and herself on the film version and David Foster
on the single version of the song.
"I Believe in You and Me" is a slow tempo R&B song with strong gospel
influences. Written in the key of C Major
, the beat is set in common time
and moves at a slow 66 beats per minute. Houston's vocals in the song spans from the low note of G3 to the high note of A5.
gave the song a positive review saying, "As she did with Dolly Parton's 'I Will Always Love You,' Houston redefines the composition with a soaring, glass-shattering performance that will leave her legions of fans breathless." J. D. Considine
of The Baltimore Sun
called the song "the Designated Hit Ballad" and added "[it] is pretty much what we've come to expect from Houston ― a slow, Streisand-esque build-up, a subtle sense of drama and a big, full-voiced payoff in the final chorus." Neil Strauss
from The New York Times
in his review for The Preacher's Wife Soundtrack, praised the song highly, stating "[it] is among the year's most virtuosic pop ballads." While reviewing the soundtrack, Elysa Gardner of Los Angeles Times
wrote that the song "is a cheesy classic in the tradition of 'I Will Always Love You,' with an instantly familiar melody and a poignant, bolero-like arrangement."
Houston received a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her performance of the song at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards on February 25, 1998.
and Hot R&B Singles charts, the issue date of December 28, 1996, respectively. In four weeks later, the issue date of January 25, 1997, it released as a two-sided
single with "Somebody Bigger Than You and I" from the soundtrack in the R&B marketplace, peaked at number four on the Hot R&B chart, staying on the chart for twenty weeks. The following week, it also reached a peak of number four on the Hot 100 chart, becoming Houston's sixteenth top five hit. The song entered Billboard Adult Contemporary chart at number nineteen, the issue date of December 14, 1996 and peaked at number two, making it her twenty-first top ten hit of the chart, the issue date of March 1, 1997. The song was ranked thirty-three on the 1997 Billboard Year-end Hot 100 Singles chart. Additionally, "I Believe in You and Me/Somebody Bigger Than You and I" two-sided single placed at position number twenty-nine on the 1997 Billboard Year-end Hot R&B Singles chart. The single was certified Platinum for the shipments of 1,000,000 copies or more by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA) on February 4, 1997, becoming Houston's fourth Platinum single.
Worldwide, it was released as the second single from the soundtrack after "Step by Step
" and a moderate hit unlike the United States. The single peaked at number sixteen on the UK Singles Chart
, number ninety-eight in Germany, number seventy-four in the Netherlands and number forty-six in Sweden.
on December 14, 1996. Houston also sang the song on the National Lottery Show, broadcast lIve on BBC
in the United Kingdom on March 15, 1997.
The song was performed optionally on her 1998 European Tour
. In My Love Is Your Love World Tour
in 1999, it was performed as the first song of 'Movie Medley'. The performance of the song in Sopot, Poland was broadcast live on Polish TV channel, TVP1, on August 22, 1999. Houston performed the song along with "I Will Always Love You" as a part of medley on Arista Records
25th Anniversary Celebration, taped at the Shrine Auditorium
in Los Angeles
on April 10 and later broadcast on NBC
, May 15, 2000. The performance on the show was released on the same titled DVD and VHS in June 2000. In four years, the similar medley performance of the show was done as part of a tribute to Clive Davis
, who received a special award for outstanding contribution to the music industry, on the 16th World Music Awards on September 15, 2004.
performed the song to tribute to Whitney Houston, the first ever recipient of the Triumphant Spirit Award at the 10th annual Essence Awards, taped on April 4, 1997 and broadcast later on Fox TV, May 22, 1997. At the 12th annual Soul Train Music Awards
on February 27, 1998, the song was performed by Kenny Lattimore
and Terry Ellis
as part of a musical tribute to Houston, who was honored with the Quincy Jones Award for outstanding career achievements in the field of entertainment on the ceremony. Kim Burrell
sang the jazzy version of the song to tribute to Houston, who was honoree in entertainment field, and received a standing ovation on The 2010 BET Honors, taped at the Warner Theatre
on January 16 and later aired on BET
, February 1, 2010.
Ballad
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...
written by Sandy Linzer and David Wolfert. The song was first recorded and released by the R&B group The Four Tops
Four Tops
The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet, whose repertoire has included doo-wop, jazz, soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, hard rock, and showtunes...
in 1983. The song was written by Linzer and Wolfert in 1982, and the Four Tops released it as a single in 1983 (although the song is, in essence, a solo recording by lead vocalist Levi Stubbs
Levi Stubbs
Levi Stubbles , better known by the stage name Levi Stubbs, was an American baritone singer, best known as the lead vocalist of the Motown R&B group Four Tops...
). While it failed to crack the US Top 40, it became a moderate R&B hit for the group on the US R&B chart, peaking at #40 on the Hot Black Singles chart in early 1983. Later in 1996, R&B/pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
singer Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
recorded it for her film The Preacher's Wife
The Preacher's Wife
The Preacher's Wife is a 1996 romantic-family-dramedy-christmas film directed by Penny Marshall, and starring Denzel Washington, Whitney Houston, and Loretta Devine. It is a remake of the 1947 film The Bishop's Wife....
and released it as a single.
Recording history and composition
The original version recorded by The Four Tops was a moderate success, charting at position 40 in BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Hot Black Singles
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, is a chart released weekly by Billboard in the United States.The chart, initiated in 1942, is used to track the success of popular music songs in urban, or primarily African American, venues. Dominated over the years at various times by jazz, rhythm and blues, doo-wop, soul,...
chart. Fourteen years later, Whitney Houston recorded a cover of the song for her soundtrack album The Preacher's Wife, produced by Mervyn Warren
Mervyn Warren
Mervyn Edwin Warren is an American film composer, record producer, music conductor, music arranger, lyricist, songwriter, pianist, and vocalist. Warren is a five-time Grammy Award winner and a 10-time Grammy Award nominee...
and herself on the film version and David Foster
David Foster
David Walter Foster, OC, OBC , is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter, and arranger, noted for discovering singers such as Michael Bublé, Josh Groban, and Charice Pempengco; and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world, such as Céline Dion, Toni...
on the single version of the song.
"I Believe in You and Me" is a slow tempo R&B song with strong gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
influences. Written in the key of C Major
C major
C major is a musical major scale based on C, with pitches C, D, E, F, G, A, and B. Its key signature has no flats/sharps.Its relative minor is A minor, and its parallel minor is C minor....
, the beat is set in common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
and moves at a slow 66 beats per minute. Houston's vocals in the song spans from the low note of G3 to the high note of A5.
Critical reception
BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
gave the song a positive review saying, "As she did with Dolly Parton's 'I Will Always Love You,' Houston redefines the composition with a soaring, glass-shattering performance that will leave her legions of fans breathless." J. D. Considine
J. D. Considine
J. D. Considine is an established music critic who has been writing about music professionally since 1977. His work has been published in numerous newspapers and music magazines, and he has contributed to several books. Over the years, he has claimed to have put over three million words into...
of The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun
The Baltimore Sun is the U.S. state of Maryland’s largest general circulation daily newspaper and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries....
called the song "the Designated Hit Ballad" and added "[it] is pretty much what we've come to expect from Houston ― a slow, Streisand-esque build-up, a subtle sense of drama and a big, full-voiced payoff in the final chorus." Neil Strauss
Neil Strauss
Neil Darrow Strauss , also known by the pen names Style and Chris Powles, is an American and Kittitian author, journalist and ghostwriter...
from The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
in his review for The Preacher's Wife Soundtrack, praised the song highly, stating "[it] is among the year's most virtuosic pop ballads." While reviewing the soundtrack, Elysa Gardner of Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
wrote that the song "is a cheesy classic in the tradition of 'I Will Always Love You,' with an instantly familiar melody and a poignant, bolero-like arrangement."
Houston received a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for her performance of the song at the 40th Annual Grammy Awards on February 25, 1998.
Commercial performances
"I Believe in You and Me", the first single from The Preacher's Wife Soundtrack, debuted at number seven and number six, on the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
and Hot R&B Singles charts, the issue date of December 28, 1996, respectively. In four weeks later, the issue date of January 25, 1997, it released as a two-sided
A-side and B-side
A-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
single with "Somebody Bigger Than You and I" from the soundtrack in the R&B marketplace, peaked at number four on the Hot R&B chart, staying on the chart for twenty weeks. The following week, it also reached a peak of number four on the Hot 100 chart, becoming Houston's sixteenth top five hit. The song entered Billboard Adult Contemporary chart at number nineteen, the issue date of December 14, 1996 and peaked at number two, making it her twenty-first top ten hit of the chart, the issue date of March 1, 1997. The song was ranked thirty-three on the 1997 Billboard Year-end Hot 100 Singles chart. Additionally, "I Believe in You and Me/Somebody Bigger Than You and I" two-sided single placed at position number twenty-nine on the 1997 Billboard Year-end Hot R&B Singles chart. The single was certified Platinum for the shipments of 1,000,000 copies or more by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA) on February 4, 1997, becoming Houston's fourth Platinum single.
Worldwide, it was released as the second single from the soundtrack after "Step by Step
Step by Step (Annie Lennox song)
"Step by Step" is a song written and originally recorded by singer Annie Lennox, later a cross over pop hit by R&B/pop singer Whitney Houston. The song served as the second single from Houston's 1996 soundtrack album, The Preacher's Wife...
" and a moderate hit unlike the United States. The single peaked at number sixteen on the UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
, number ninety-eight in Germany, number seventy-four in the Netherlands and number forty-six in Sweden.
Live performances
Houston performed "I Believe in You and Me" at Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
on December 14, 1996. Houston also sang the song on the National Lottery Show, broadcast lIve on BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in the United Kingdom on March 15, 1997.
The song was performed optionally on her 1998 European Tour
The European Tour (Whitney Houston)
The European Tour was a 10-dates concert tour in Europe only by American singer Whitney Houston. The tour started in Halle, Germany on June 20, 1998 and ended in Aschaffenburg, Germany on July 11, 1998 before the release of her fourth studio album My Love Is Your Love.-Setlist:#"I'm Every...
. In My Love Is Your Love World Tour
My Love Is Your Love World Tour
-Additional notes:*During opening night, June 22nd in Chicago, IL; after Houston performed "I Will Always Love You" she closed the show with two encore's, "My Love Is Your Love" and "Step by Step"...
in 1999, it was performed as the first song of 'Movie Medley'. The performance of the song in Sopot, Poland was broadcast live on Polish TV channel, TVP1, on August 22, 1999. Houston performed the song along with "I Will Always Love You" as a part of medley on Arista Records
Arista Records
Arista was an American record label. It was a wholly owned subsidiary of Sony Music Entertainment and operated under the RCA Music Group. The label was founded in 1974 by Clive Davis, who formerly worked for CBS Records...
25th Anniversary Celebration, taped at the Shrine Auditorium
Shrine Auditorium
The Shrine Auditorium is a landmark large-event venue, in Los Angeles, California, USA. It is also the headquarters of the Al Malaikah Temple, a division of the Shriners.-History:...
in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
on April 10 and later broadcast on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, May 15, 2000. The performance on the show was released on the same titled DVD and VHS in June 2000. In four years, the similar medley performance of the show was done as part of a tribute to Clive Davis
Clive Davis
Clive Davis is an American record producer and music industry executive. He has won five Grammy Awards and is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a non-performer. From 1967 to 1973 he was the President of Columbia Records. He was the founder and president of Arista Records from 1975...
, who received a special award for outstanding contribution to the music industry, on the 16th World Music Awards on September 15, 2004.
Live cover versions by other artists
CeCe WinansCeCe Winans
Priscilla "CeCe" Marie Winans Love is an American Gospel singer, who has won numerous Grammy and Stellar Awards.-Early life:CeCe Winans was born in Detroit, Michigan, to David and Delores Winans, on October 8, 1964...
performed the song to tribute to Whitney Houston, the first ever recipient of the Triumphant Spirit Award at the 10th annual Essence Awards, taped on April 4, 1997 and broadcast later on Fox TV, May 22, 1997. At the 12th annual Soul Train Music Awards
1998 Soul Train Music Awards
The 12th Annual Soul Train Music Awards were held on February 27, 1998 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA. Puff Daddy was the top nominee with five nominations, other top nominess included Janet Jackson, Aaliyah and Maxwell....
on February 27, 1998, the song was performed by Kenny Lattimore
Kenny Lattimore
Kenny Lattimore is an American R&B singer. Among his most popular hits were "Never Too Busy" and "For You".- Early career :...
and Terry Ellis
Terry Ellis
Terry Lynn Ellis is an African-American R&B singer best known for her work with the quartet En Vogue.-Biography:...
as part of a musical tribute to Houston, who was honored with the Quincy Jones Award for outstanding career achievements in the field of entertainment on the ceremony. Kim Burrell
Kim Burrell
Kimberly Burrell is an American gospel singer from Houston, Texas. She calls her musical style jazz gospel. Though she is comparatively new to the gospel music industry, having only performed since 1989, she has quickly become one of the most influential voices in the genre, often named as "this...
sang the jazzy version of the song to tribute to Houston, who was honoree in entertainment field, and received a standing ovation on The 2010 BET Honors, taped at the Warner Theatre
Warner Theatre (Washington, D.C.)
The Warner Theatre is a theater located at 513 13th Street, N.W. in Downtown Washington, D.C.. The basement level is at 1299 Pennsylvania Avenue.-History:...
on January 16 and later aired on BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
, February 1, 2010.
Chart positions
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Black Singles (Billboard Billboard (magazine) Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis... ) |
40 |
| Chart (1997) | Peak position |
| Canada (RPM Top 100 Singles RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... ) |
59 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (1997) | Position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 33 |
| U.S. Adult Contemporary Singles | 11 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B Singles | 29 |
| U.S. Soundtrack Singles | 5 |
Certifications
| Region | Provider | Certification |
|---|---|---|
| United States | RIAA Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
Platinum |
External links
- I Believe in You and Me at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...