"I Don't Believe You" is a song by American recording artist
Pink
Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
. It was released as the sixth single from her fifth studio album, ''
Funhouse
A funhouse or fun house is an amusement facility found on amusement park and funfair midways and is where patrons encounter and interact with various devices designed to surprise, challenge, and amuse them. Unlike thrill rides or dark rides, f ...
''.
Music and lyrics
"I Don't Believe You" is set in
common time
The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note val ...
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
In a musical composition, a chord progression or harmonic progression (informally chord changes, used as a plural) is a succession of chords. Chord progressions are the foundation of harmony in Western musical tradition from the common practice ...
.
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 ighs 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 Magazine praised the song, notably its sparse electric guitar riff and Pink's "phenomenal vocal turn that is both vulnerable and accusatory", while ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' 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'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' 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.
Music video
The music video for "I Don't Believe You", directed by
Sophie Muller
Sophie Luise Elisabeth Muller (born 31 January 1962) is a British music video director who has directed more than 300 music videos. She won a Grammy Award for Annie Lennox's 1992 '' Diva'' video album, and an MTV Video Music Award for Lennox's so ...
, was shot in September 2009 in Los Angeles, California. The music video premiered in 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 dining room, 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 "
Funhouse
A funhouse or fun house is an amusement facility found on amusement park and funfair midways and is where patrons encounter and interact with various devices designed to surprise, challenge, and amuse them. Unlike thrill rides or dark rides, f ...
" on ''
Jimmy Kimmel Live!'' She also performed the song on February 5, 2010 on ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show
''The Oprah Winfrey Show'', often referred to as ''The Oprah Show'' or simply ''Oprah'', is an American daytime syndicated talk show that aired nationally for 25 seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in Chicago, Illinois. Produced ...
''. The song was also performed on the
Funhouse Tour
The Funhouse Tour was the fourth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Pink. The tour supported her fifth studio album, ''Funhouse'' (2008). The tour visited Europe, Australia and North America. According to Pollstar, the Funhouse Tour (200 ...
.
Track listing
Digital download and Australian CD single
#"I Don't Believe You" (album version) – 4:35
#"I Don't Believe You" (music video)
German CD single
#"I Don't Believe You" (album version) – 4:35
#"I Don't Believe You" (
live in Australia) – 4:14
Credits and personnel
Credits adapted from CD single line cover and
Tidal
Tidal is the adjectival form of tide.
Tidal may also refer to:
* ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple
* Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim
* TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music
* Tidal (servic ...
.
;Personnel
*
Pink
Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
– songwriting, vocals
*
– songwriting, production, bass, guitar, record engineering
*
Shellback – acoustic guitar, percussion
*
Henrik Janson – arranger, conductor
* Ulf Janson – arranger, conductor
* Stockholm Session Strings – strings
* Al Clay – engineering
* John Hanes – engineering
* dag lundquist – engineering
* Chris Galland – assistant engineering
* Doug Tyo – assistant engineering
* Tim Roberts – assistant engineering
* Tommy Anderson – assistant engineering
*
Serban Ghenea
Șerban Ghenea (born October 13, 1969) is a Grammy award-winning Romanian-Canadian audio engineer and mixer.
Early life and education
Ghenea was born in Bucharest, Romania in 1969. In 1976 he moved to Montreal with his family. He later attended ...
– mixing
*
Tom Coyne Tom Coyne may refer to:
* Tom Coyne (writer), American writer and professor
* Tom Coyne (broadcaster) (1930–2015), British television presenter
* Tom Coyne (music engineer) (1954–2017), American mastering engineer
* Thomas Coyne (cricketer) ( ...
– mastering
;Management
* Pink –
A&R
* Craig Logan – A&R
* Rogen Davies – management
Charts
Certifications
Release history
References
{{authority control
2009 singles
Music videos directed by Sophie Muller
Pink (singer) songs
Songs written by Pink (singer)
Songs written by Max Martin
Rock ballads
Black-and-white music videos
2008 songs
LaFace Records singles
Sony Music singles
Torch songs
2000s ballads