I Still Believe
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| “I Still Believe” | |||||
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| Single by Brenda K. Starr from the album Brenda K. Starr |
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| Released | 1988 | ||||
| Format | Airplay only (U.S.) CD single (non-U.S.) |
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| Genre | Pop | ||||
| Length | 3:50 | ||||
| Label | MCA | ||||
| Writer(s) | Antonina Armato, Giuseppe Cantarelli | ||||
| Producer | E. Deodato | ||||
| Brenda K. Starr singles chronology | |||||
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"I Still Believe" is a pop-ballad song written by Antonina Armato and Giuseppe Cantarelli and originally recorded by pop singer Brenda K. Starr. It is a ballad in which the singer is confident she and her former boyfriend will never be together again, but still believes that some day it may happen. It was covered by American singer Mariah Carey.
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[edit] Brenda K. Starr version
Brenda K. Starr recorded the song for her debut album Brenda K. Starr, and it was produced by E. Deodato. The song was based on a real life relationship of one of its songwriters, Antonia Armato: Armato's former boyfriend had proposed to her, but she felt that the timing was not right. He was not pleased, and pushed her into an ultimatium: to get married or break up. Even though Armato loved her boyfriend at the time, she stuck to her convictions and the couple broke up. To deal with her emotional pain, Armato wrote the song.[citation needed]
It was released as the first single from Starr's debut album in 1988 (see 1988 in music) and peaked at number thirteen on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, becoming Starr's first and only top twenty single on the Hot 100. Its video comprises scenes of Starr singing the song in a warehouse intercut with scenes of her walking past many romantic couples. It is considered her signature song, and in 1996 (see 1996 in music) she recorded a new version of it. While the original version of the song was dance-pop, the re-recording was based on a more Latin-styled production, and parts of the song were also translated into Spanish. The original version of the song was ranked seventh on VH1's list of "40 Most Awesomely Bad Breakup Songs".
| “I Still Believe” | |||||
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| Single by Mariah Carey featuring Krayzie Bone & Da Brat from the album #1's |
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| Released | February 15, 1999 (UK) February 23, 1999 (U.S.) |
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| Format | CD single, CD maxi single, cassette single, cassette maxi single, 7" single | ||||
| Genre | Pop, R&B | ||||
| Length | 3:54 (Album/Single Version) | ||||
| Label | Sony | ||||
| Producer | Mariah Carey, Stevie J, Mike Mason | ||||
| Mariah Carey featuring Krayzie Bone & Da Brat singles chronology | |||||
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| #1's track listing | |||||
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| #1's (European editions) track listing | |||||
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| Greatest Hits (CD #2) track listing | |||||
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[edit] Mariah Carey version
Mariah Carey co-produced her cover of the song with Stevie J and Mike Mason for her eighth album, #1's, and it was released as the album's second single in 1999 (see 1999 in music). She re-recorded the song as a tribute to Starr, as she had been Starr's backing singer in the late 1980s and Starr had helped jump start Carey's career by handing a demo tape to Sony executive Tommy Mottola, who then signed Carey's first recording contract.
Unlike the preceding single from #1's, "When You Believe", "I Still Believe" enjoyed more success within the United States than elsewhere, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. Though it was Carey's first single to chart on radio airplay points alone, its airplay was relatively low while sales were much stronger. It was certified platinum by the RIAA, and was ranked thirty-sixth on the Hot 100 year-end charts for 1999. Outside the U.S. it settled in the middle of the charts, such as in Spain or the United Kingdom where it reached the top twenty. It entered the Canadian top ten, but did not reach the top forty in Australia or Germany.
[edit] Music videos and remixes
The single's video, directed by Brett Ratner, was heavily inspired by Marilyn Monroe's 1953 visit to U.S. troops in Korea for a USO show. It shows Carey (who emulates Monroe's make-up and hairstyles and Judy Garland's performance gestures) visiting an air force base and singing for soldiers as Monroe had done during the Korean War.
A remix of the song was produced by Carey and Damizza titled "I Still Believe/Pure Imagination" (formally "I Still Believe (Damizza Reemix)" [sic]). It differs significantly from the original, as it retains none of the music and only minor lyrical elements. The melody is based heavily on interpolations of the song "Pure Imagination" from the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971), and the song features rapped and sung parts by Krayzie Bone (of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony) and Da Brat.
An abbreviated version of "I Still Believe/Pure Imagination", without Da Brat and more from Krayzie Bone, can be found on Bone's album Thug Mentality 1999. A video for the remix was commissioned and directed by Carey herself, showing her as a peasant girl in a Mexican village as she tends to her goats and gathers water for her family. Bone is portrayed as a pariah of sorts in the town, in whom Carey may have a romantic interest. Da Brat takes on the role of the community gringo, as she arrives in a car with a lot of money.
Several other remixes of the song were created, and each was carefully overseen by Carey, who re-recorded her vocals for all of them. Stevie J, who co-produced the original song, enlisted the help of rappers Mocha and Amil to join Carey on a remix he was developing. Although it contains completely new musical elements (with no music derived from the original and only small lyrical elements), Carey, Stevie J and the rappers do not receive songwriting credit.
David Morales created several remixes of the song, including the "Classic Club" mix. It retains the song's original music and chord progressions with Carey's original vocals and considerable ad libs. Other remixes by Morales include "The King's Mix" and the "Eve of Souls" mix, which do not contain complete vocals of the song, and feature little more than ad libs and shouting over club beats.
The List of Versions
- I Still Believe [Album Version] 3:56
- I Still Believe [The Eve Of Souls Mix – UK Edit] *:85
- I Still Believe [Morales' Classic Club Mix] 9:06
- I Still Believe [The Eve Of Souls Mix] 10:54
- I Still Believe [The Kings Mix] 8:05
- I Still Believe [Classic Club Mix Edit] 3:52
- I Still Believe [The Kings Mix Instrumental] 8:05
- I Still Believe [Pure Imagination Remix] 4:07 (feat. Krayzie Bone)
- I Still Believe [Pure Imagination Damizza Remix] 4:33 (feat. Krayzie Bone & Da Brat)
[edit] Other Versions
In 1989, Hong Kong singer Sandy Lam covered this song in Cantonese, with the title 依然.
[edit] Audio samples
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Mariah Carey's version of "I Still Believe" From the album #1's (1998). - Problems playing the files? See media help.
[edit] Hot 100 Weekly Position (Mariah Carey Version)
| Week | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
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| Position | 69 | 56 | 56 | 23 | 21 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 11 | 21 | 28 | 43 | 47 | 63 | 68 | 79 |
[edit] Charts
- Brenda K. Starr version
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
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| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 13 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 14 |
- Mariah Carey version
| Chart (1999) | Peak position |
No. of chart topper |
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| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 4 | — |
| U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | 3 | — |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 8 | — |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Club Play | 1 (1 week) | 7th |
| U.S. Billboard Top 40 Tracks | 20 | — |
| U.S. Billboard Mainstream Top 40 | 21 | — |
| U.S. Billboard Rhythmic Top 40 | 8 | — |
| U.S. ARC Weekly Top 40 | 3 | — |
| Brazil Singles Chart | 2 | — |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 9 | — |
| Italy Singles Chart | 14 | — |
| Spain Singles Chart | 14 | — |
| UK Singles Chart | 16 | — |
| Switzerland Top 100 Singles | 31 | — |
| France Top 100 Singles | 33 | — |
| Australian ARIA Singles Chart | 54 | — |
| Germany Singles Chart | 58 | — |
