"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 "

" 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 *

– songwriting, vocals *

Max Martin Karl Martin Sandberg (; born 26 February 1971),Max Martin
allmusic.com known profess ...

– 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