I Don't Believe You
Encyclopedia
"I Don't Believe You" is a song by American recording artist Pink
. It was released as the sixth single from her fifth studio album, Funhouse
.
and played in the key of A-flat major. The guitar and piano are used for the background music, while Pink's voice follows the A♭ —Fm7
—Cm
—D♭—A♭ chord progression
. Pink explained on her website that, lyrically, the song is about pleading for reconciliation, and is her favourite song from Funhouse "because it's just so naked. It's like taking a deep breathe and saying, 'Here I am. Take me. Take your best shot'." She went on to explain that:
praised the song, its sparse electric guitar riff, and Pink's "phenomenal vocal turn that is both vulnerable and accusatory", while New York Times reporter Jon Caramanica claimed "I Don't Believe You" swells like a classic soul ballad, as Pink pleads for a lover to reconsider walking away. On another side, Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone
magazine gave a negative review, claiming the song is a "goopy ballad", which makes the singer sound like "just another big-voiced chart-buster", and that she has shown more personality on previous singles.
& Canada
, the track has sold around 115,000+ in digital downloads, but failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100
, making I Don't Believe You her only single from Funhouse not to have higher charting. In Australia, the song reached number twenty-three on the sales chart and was the number-one most added track to the radio on its debut week of release. In the Europe, "I Don't Believe You" reached top forty in most countries with its highest peak in Portugal, where the song reached number one.
, was shot in September 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The music video premiered on October 2009. The video is in black and white, it features Pink in the wedding dress she wore to her actual wedding to Carey Hart in 2006, and a diamond encrusted wedding gown as she searches for her lover, to no avail. Scenes include her lying down in the dress, rollerblading around what appears to be the inside of a church (The Los Angeles Theater), singing to an empty wedding dinnerroom, crying over an empty wedding album and singing to herself in front of the mirror.
" on Jimmy Kimmel Live
. She also performed the song on February 5, 2010 on The Oprah Winfrey Show
. The song was also performed on the Funhouse Tour
.
Pink (singer)
Alecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
. It was released as the sixth single from her fifth studio album, Funhouse
Funhouse (Pink album)
Funhouse is the fifth studio album by American singer-songwriter Pink, released by LaFace Records worldwide in October 2008. Upon its release, the album reached number one on the charts in 6 countries including Australia, New Zealand, Netherlands and United Kingdom, while debuting at number two in...
.
Background
Musically, the song is a mid-tempo pop ballad, set in common timeCommon 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 played in the key of A-flat major. The guitar and piano are used for the background music, while Pink's voice follows the A♭ —Fm7
F (musical note)
F is a musical note, the fourth above C. It is also known as fa in fixed-do solfège.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of Middle F is approximately 349.228 Hz. See pitch for a discussion of historical variations in...
—Cm
C (musical note)
C or Do is the first note of the fixed-Do solfège scale. Its enharmonic is B.-Middle C:Middle C is designated C4 in scientific pitch notation because of the note's position as the fourth C key on a standard 88-key piano keyboard...
—D♭—A♭ chord progression
Chord progression
A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...
. Pink explained on her website that, lyrically, the song is about pleading for reconciliation, and is her favourite song from Funhouse "because it's just so naked. It's like taking a deep breathe and saying, 'Here I am. Take me. Take your best shot'." She went on to explain that:
"The first thing that comes to my mind with I Don't Believe You is me standing in the vocal booth listening... Actually in the control room listening to this song, tears running down my face, just like 'fuck, really?' It's the vulnerable weak side of me that I don't let out very often. And it's [sighs], yeah it's that song. And I love it, I love it. I just love it, it's very near and dear to me."
Critical reception
Jonathan Keefe from Slant MagazineSlant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
praised the song, its sparse electric guitar riff, and Pink's "phenomenal vocal turn that is both vulnerable and accusatory", while New York Times reporter Jon Caramanica claimed "I Don't Believe You" swells like a classic soul ballad, as Pink pleads for a lover to reconsider walking away. On another side, Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine gave a negative review, claiming the song is a "goopy ballad", which makes the singer sound like "just another big-voiced chart-buster", and that she has shown more personality on previous singles.
Chart performance
"I Don't Believe You" is Pink's single with the lowest peak in the United Kingdom. It failed to reach the top forty due to physical single was cancelled. In the U.S.United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
& Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, the track has sold around 115,000+ in digital downloads, but failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard 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...
, making I Don't Believe You her only single from Funhouse not to have higher charting. In Australia, the song reached number twenty-three on the sales chart and was the number-one most added track to the radio on its debut week of release. In the Europe, "I Don't Believe You" reached top forty in most countries with its highest peak in Portugal, where the song reached number one.
Music video
The music video for "I Don't Believe You", directed by Sophie MullerSophie Muller
Sophie Muller is a British music video director, noted for her long-time collaborations with artists like Sophie Ellis-Bextor, No Doubt, Sade, Shakira, Shakespears Sister, Garbage, Blur, Annie Lennox and Eurythmics.-Background:...
, was shot in September 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The music video premiered on October 2009. The video is in black and white, it features Pink in the wedding dress she wore to her actual wedding to Carey Hart in 2006, and a diamond encrusted wedding gown as she searches for her lover, to no avail. Scenes include her lying down in the dress, rollerblading around what appears to be the inside of a church (The Los Angeles Theater), singing to an empty wedding dinnerroom, crying over an empty wedding album and singing to herself in front of the mirror.
Live performances
On September 16, 2009 Pink performed "I Don't Believe You" along with "FunhouseFunhouse (song)
"Funhouse" is the fifth single from American singer-songwriter Pink's fifth studio album of the same name. The track was written by P!nk, Jimmy Harry and Tony Kanal who also produced the song. It holds the title of the album and, just like most of the album's tracks, the song speaks about P!nk's...
" on Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live
Jimmy Kimmel Live! is an American late-night talk show, created and hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and broadcast on ABC.The nightly hour-long show made its debut on January 26, 2003, following Super Bowl XXXVII. Jimmy Kimmel Live! is produced by Jackhole Productions in association with ABC Studios...
. She also performed the song on February 5, 2010 on The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show
The Oprah Winfrey Show is an American syndicated talk show hosted and produced by its namesake Oprah Winfrey. It ran nationally for 25 seasons beginning in 1986, before concluding in 2011. It is the highest-rated talk show in American television history....
. The song was also performed on the Funhouse Tour
Funhouse Tour
The Funhouse Tour was the fourth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Pink. The tour supported her fifth studio album, Funhouse. The tour visited Europe, Australia and North America....
.
Charts
| Chart (2009–10) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
23 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 15 |
| Canadian Hot 100 Canadian Hot 100 The Canadian Hot 100 is a music singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine which ranks songs in Canada. The chart debuted in the Billboard issue dated June 16, 2007 and was made available for the first time via their online services on June 7, 2007... |
66 |
| Danish Singles Chart | 36 |
| Dutch Singles Charts | 23 |
| European Hot 100 | 50 |
| German Singles Chart | 17 |
| Portuguese Airplay Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
11 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 33 |
| 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 ... |
62 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Worldwide | Gold | 600,000 |
Release history
| Region | Date | Format |
|---|---|---|
| United States | October 5, 2009 | Airplay Airplay * Airplay is the amount of time a song is played on the radio.It may also refer to:* AirPlay, an audio & video streaming technology from Apple Inc.* Airplay , Foster & Graydon music project from 1980* Citroën C1, Citroën C1 Airplay... |
| Australia | October 23, 2009 | Digital download |
| United Kingdom | October 23, 2009 | Digital download |
| Germany | November 27, 2009 | CD single |