"I Still Believe" is a song written and composed by

Antonina Armato Antonina Armato is an American songwriter, record producer, music producer and businesswoman. She is the co-founder and member of Rock Mafia, a record production/songwriting team. Antonina is credited for writing and producing for artists begi ...

and Giuseppe Cantarelli, and originally recorded by pop singer Brenda K. Starr for her eponymous second studio album, '' Brenda K. Starr'' (1987). It is a ballad in which the singer is confident she and her former boyfriend will be together again one day. It is Starr's biggest hit in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, reaching the top-twenty on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and being considered her signature song. "I Still Believe" was covered by American singer Mariah Carey, a former backup singer for Starr before she achieved success, for her '' #1's'' album in 1998 and released as a single in 1999. It was also recorded by

Cantopop Cantopop (a contraction of "Cantonese pop music") or HK-pop (short for "Hong Kong pop music") is a genre of pop music written in standard Chinese and sung in Cantonese. Cantopop is also used to refer to the cultural context of its production ...

singer

Sandy Lam Sandy Lam (; born 26 April 1966), is a Hong Kong singer, actress and album producer. She rose to fame in the 1980s as a Cantopop diva, before expanding her fan base significantly in Asia, releasing more than 30 stylistically diverse albums in C ...

in 1989.

Background and authorship/composition

After releasing her first record, '' I Want Your Love'' (1985), and not achieving success with it, Brenda K. Starr recorded "I Still Believe" as one of the songs for her self-titled second album, which was released in 1987. The song was written and composed by

and Giuseppe Cantarelli, and produced by

Eumir Deodato Eumir Deodato de Almeida (; born 22 June 1942) is a Brazilian pianist, composer, arranger and record producer, primarily in jazz but who has been known for his eclectic melding of genres, such as pop, rock, disco, rhythm and blues, classical, ...

. It is a

pop ballad A sentimental ballad is an emotional style of music that often deals with romantic and intimate relationships, and to a lesser extent, loneliness, death, war, drug abuse, politics and religion, usually in a poignant but solemn manner.J. M. Cu ...

based on a real life relationship of one of its songwriters, 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 ultimatum: 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 and composed the song in collaboration with Cantarelli.

Reception

Justin Kantor of ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

'' praised the track for being "passionately dramatic and heartfelt". It was released as the second single from Starr's self-titled album in 1988, and peaked at number 13 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100, becoming Starr's first—and only—top twenty single on the Hot 100. Its music video comprises scenes of Starr singing the song in a warehouse intercut with scenes of her walking past many romantic couples. Starr also recorded the song in Spanish, as "Yo Creo En Ti," which she released as a single. In 1998, she recorded a salsa version of the song on her album '' No Lo Voy a Olvidar,'' as "I Still Believe/Creo en Ti." The Spanish version peaked at number 20 on the ''Billboard'' Latin Tropical Airplay chart.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Mariah Carey version

Background and release

While choosing new material to record for her first compilation, '' #1's'', Mariah Carey decided to cover "I Still Believe" as a tribute to Brenda K 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

CBS Records CBS Records may refer to: * CBS Records or CBS/Sony, former name of Sony Music, a global record company * CBS Records International, label for Columbia Records recordings released outside North America from 1962 to 1990 * CBS Records (2006), founde ...

executive

Tommy Mottola Thomas Daniel Mottola (born July 14, 1948) is an American music executive, producer and author. Mottola is currently the Chairman of Mottola Media Group and was previously the Chairman and CEO of Sony Music Entertainment, parent of the Columb ...

, who had then signed Carey to her first recording contract. She explained that the song "reminds me of the fact that not long ago I was a teenage girl with nothing to my name but a demo tape, my voice, and my ability to write songs. Brenda K. Starr treated me like a 'star' and gave me a shot." During an interview for '' Entertainment Tonight,'' she further commented:

"I'm really glad that I got a chance to remake the song 'I Still Believe,' because the album is called '#1's' and this is the first song that I sang as a professional singer. I would go on the road with Brenda. I was a little skinny kid with no money that she took under her wing and she was so nice to me. I auditioned to be her back-up singer and she hired me and she used to bring me clothes and food, and she really took care of me like a big sister. A lot of people wouldn't have done that. The main thing was that she believed in me and it's really hard to get people to listen to your tapes. ..She was always real cool and helpful and supportive. I always loved this song. When I sing it now, it reminds me of those times."

"I Still Believe" was released as the compilation's second single in the United States on February 8, 1999. In the United Kingdom, the track was released as two

CD single A CD single (sometimes abbreviated to CDS) is a music single in the form of a compact disc. The standard in the Red Book for the term ''CD single'' is an 8 cm (3-inch) CD (or Mini CD). It now refers to any single recorded onto a CD of any si ...

s and a

cassette single A cassette single (CS), also known by the trademark cassingle, or capitalised as the trademark Cassette Single, is a music single supplied in the form of a Compact Cassette. The cassette single was first introduced in 1980. History The debut ...

on March 29, 1999. Carey's version derives from both pop and R&B music, being produced by Carey with Stevie J and Mike Mason. According to

EMI Music Publishing EMI Music Publishing Ltd. is a British multinational music publishing company headquartered in London, owned by parent company Sony Corporation of America. In May 2018, Sony Music Publishing agreed to increase its stake in EMI to 90%, pending ...

, the song was written in the key of

G major G major (or the key of G) is a major scale based on G, with the pitches G, A, B, C, D, E, and F. Its key signature has one sharp. Its relative minor is E minor and its parallel minor is G minor. The G major scale is: Notable composi ...

and set in a moderately slow tempo of 59

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ...

, while Carey's vocal range from G₃ to D₆.

Remixes

A remix of the song was produced by Carey and Damizza titled "I Still Believe/Pure Imagination," which was included on the CD single with the original version and three other remixes, released on February 23, 1999. 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 "Pure Imagination" is a song from the 1971 film ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory''. It was written by British composers Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley specifically for the movie. It was sung by Gene Wilder who played the character of ...

," which

Gene Wilder Jerome Silberman (June 11, 1933 – August 29, 2016), known professionally as Gene Wilder, was an American actor, comedian, writer and filmmaker. He is known mainly for his comedic roles, but also for his portrayal of Willy Wonka in ''Willy Won ...

sang, in character as

Willy Wonka Willy Wonka is a fictional character appearing in British author Roald Dahl's 1964 children's novel ''Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' and its 1972 sequel ''Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator''. He is the eccentric founder and proprietor ...

, in the 1971 film ''

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory ''Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory'' is a 1971 American musical fantasy film directed by Mel Stuart and starring Gene Wilder as Willy Wonka. It is an adaptation of the 1964 novel '' Charlie and the Chocolate Factory'' by Roald Dahl. The fi ...

,'' and the song features rapped and sung parts by

Krayzie Bone Anthony Henderson (born June 17, 1973), better known as Krayzie Bone, is an American rapper, singer, producer, and entrepreneur. He is a member of the rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Personal life Henderson comes from a fourth generation fami ...

(of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony) and

Da Brat Shawntae Harris-Dupart (born April 14, 1974), better known by her stage name Da Brat, is an American rapper. Born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, she began her career in 1992, the year she signed with So So Def Records. Her debut album '' Fun ...

. 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.'' According to Jose F. Promis of

, " e mix is, nonetheless, breezy, laid-back, and typical of mid-'90s urban/hip-hop, and features da Brat saying "lose the ego," all the while self-aggrandizing herself." 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 Amil Kahala Whitehead (born September 19, 1973) is an American former rapper and singer. She was prominent in the late 1990s as a Jay-Z protégé, and recorded the single " Can I Get A..." with him for the '' Rush Hour'' soundtrack. Amil's d ...

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 David Morales (; born August 21, 1962) is an American disc jockey (DJ) and record producer. In addition to his production and DJ work, Morales is also a remixer. David Morales has remixed and produced over 500 releases for artists including ...

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 over club beats.

Critical reception

Carey's version received mostly positive reviews from music critics. Chuck Taylor of '' Billboard'' praised the track for featuring "one of the most relaxed, breeziest vocal performances Miss Mariah has ever served up, alongside a simple arrangement that allows her voice to shine through." Taylor also noted that " e track also ably walks the line between R&B and pop: For listeners who may have lost the faith with Carey's ventures into hip-hop, this will reel them back into the fold. But it's also no step backward. Newer fans will love the less-glossy production and the soulful grip that Carey puts around this song of yearning and ache." Devon Powers of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' called it "a noteworthy cover even if you can’t recall who did it first." Stephen Thomas Erlewine of

picked the track as one of the best on her compilation ''

The Ballads Ballad is a form of narrative poetry, often put to music, or a type of sentimental love song in modern popular music. Ballad or Ballade may also refer to: Music Genres and forms * Ballade (classical music), a musical setting of a literary ballad ...

'' (2008), calling it a "mammoth hit." Meanwhile, Jose F. Promis of the same publication compared both versions, writing that Carey's version "pales somewhat in comparison to Starr's more passionate interpretation." He was positive with the "Morales' Classic Club Mix", describing it as "a standard, but well-made dance remake, ..quite smooth, with Carey giving a great vocal performance."

Chart performance

Unlike the preceding single from ''#1's'', "

When You Believe "When You Believe" is a song from the 1998 DreamWorks musical animated feature ''The Prince of Egypt''. It was written and composed by Stephen Schwartz. A pop single version of "When You Believe", with additional music and lyrics by writer-pr ...

," "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, "due to the maxi-single's packaging and marketing, which ..contained five completely distinct versions," noted Allmusic's Promis. On the radio, the song managed to reach the top-ten in three charts: the

Adult Contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...

(number eight), the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

(number three) and the

Rhythmic Rhythmic may refer to: * Related to rhythm * Rhythmic contemporary, a radio format * Rhythmic adult contemporary, a radio format * Rhythmic gymnastics, a form of gymnastics * Rhythmic (chart) The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and ...

chart (number eight), only losing the top-twenty on the Mainstream Top 40 (number 21).> The song became Carey's seventh single to top on the

Hot Dance Club Play Dance Club Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. It is a national look over of club disc jockeys to determine the most popular songs being played in nightclubs across the country. It was launched as th ...

. It was certified platinum by the RIAA, and was ranked 36 on the

Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1999 This is a list of ''Billboard'' magazine's Top Hot 100 songs of 1999. See also *1999 in music * List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1999 *List of Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles in 1999 This is a list of singles that charted ...

and 23 on her 25 Top Billboard Hit Songs list. It also entered the top ten in Canada (number nine) and Spain (number seven). Elsewhere, the song was a moderate success. It reached the top twenty on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

(number sixteen), becoming her nineteenth top twenty single. It reached the top-forty in four other countries, Belgium (Wallonia) (number twenty-five), France (number thirty-three), New Zealand (twenty-four) and Switzerland (thirty-one). In Australia, "I Still Believe" was Carey's first song to miss the top fifty since "

Forever Forever or 4ever may refer to: Film and television Films * ''Forever'' (1921 film), an American silent film by George Fitzmaurice * ''Forever'' (1978 film), an American made-for-television romantic drama * ''Forever'' (1992 film), an American ...

" had missed it there in 1997.

Music videos

The single's music video, which

Brett Ratner Brett Ratner (born March 28, 1969) is an American film director and producer. He directed the ''Rush Hour'' film series, '' The Family Man'', '' Red Dragon'', '' X-Men: The Last Stand'', and ''Tower Heist''. He is also a producer of several film ...

directed, was shot in early December 1998 and drew heavy inspiration from

Marilyn Monroe Marilyn Monroe (; born Norma Jeane Mortenson; 1 June 1926 4 August 1962) was an American actress. Famous for playing comedic " blonde bombshell" characters, she became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s and early 1960s, as wel ...

's 1953 visit to U.S. troops in Korea for a

United Service Organizations The United Service Organizations Inc. (USO) is an American nonprofit-charitable corporation that provides live entertainment, such as comedians, actors and musicians, social facilities, and other programs to members of the United States Armed F ...

show. It shows Carey (who emulates Monroe's make-up and hairstyles) visiting Edwards Air Force Base in California and singing for airmen and soldiers, while standing on a

fighter jet Fighter aircraft are fixed-wing military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat. In military conflict, the role of fighter aircraft is to establish air superiority of the battlespace. Domination of the airspace above a battlefield ...

, as Monroe had done during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

. It premiered on January 12, 1999, on MTV's ''

Total Request Live ''Total Request Live'' (known commonly as ''TRL'') was an American television program broadcast on MTV that premiered on September 14, 1998. TRL featured popular music videos played during its countdown, and was also used as a promotion tool by ...

,'' as well as on '' Entertainment Tonight.'' Mariah Carey4 Edwards Dec 1998 uncropped

In an interview during the set of the music video, Carey commented:

"Brett Rattner is directing the video and he's a good friend of mine and he's also doing some great work right now. ..We were talking and I wanted it to be a live performance and we just started going back and forth and I was saying how a lot of people in the service had written me letters and talked about various songs. 'Hero' being one of them. I remember when I put my first album out, people would write who were stationed overseas. It was in the winter of 1990, which was around the time of the
Gulf War The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a Coalition of the Gulf War, 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Ba'athist Iraq, ...
, so a lot of people were writing about listening to the album. I always used to watch old footage of performers going overseas, from
Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...
to Marilyn Monroe singing for people in the service. I thought this would be a nice thing to do. So, we're doing the video but I'm going to do some more songs if I have it in me."

The video garnered mixed reviews, while Emmanuel Hapsis of KQED Arts picked it as her eighth best video, calling it "amazing," Chuck Taylor of '' Billboard'' gave a "C" rating, writing that " eing Carey coo and kiss and flip her neck to a series of faux surprised smiles, however, does make you wonder if you're watching a music video or a glamour shoot for '' Seventeen."'' Taylor also claimed that Mariah "never looked better, but

he's He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...

too good a singer for such cheesy posturing." 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.

Formats and track listings

I Still Believe single # "I Still Believe" — 3:55 # "I Still Believe/Pure Imagination" (feat. Krayzie Bone & Da Brat - Damizza Reemix) — 4:32 # "I Still Believe/Pure Imagination" (feat. Krayzie Bone & Da Brat - Damizza Reemix A Cappella) — 4:32 # "I Still Believe" (feat. Mocha & Amil - Stevie J. Remix) — 5:04 # "I Still Believe" (feat. Mocha & Amil - Stevie J. Clean Remix) — 5:04 # "I Still Believe" (Morales' Classic Club Mix Edit) — 3:51 # "I Still Believe" (Morales' Classic Club Mix) — 9:05 # "I Still Believe" (The Eve Of Souls Mix) — 10:53 # "I Still Believe" (The Kings Mix) — 8:04 # "I Still Believe" (The Kings Mix Instrumental) — 8:05 I Still Believe EP # "I Still Believe" — 3:54 # "I Still Believe / Pure Imagination" (Damizza Reemix) — 4:31 # "I Still Believe / Pure Imagination" (Damizza Reemix A Cappella) — 4:32 # "I Still Believe" (Stevie J. Remix) — 5:04 # "I Still Believe" (Stevie J. Remix) xplicit— 5:04 # "I Still Believe" (Stevie J. Remix A Cappella) — 5:05 # "I Still Believe" (Morales Classic Club Mix) — 9:04 # "I Still Believe" (Morales Classic Club Mix UK Edit) — 6:59 # "I Still Believe" (Morales Classic Club Mix Edit) — 3:51 # "I Still Believe" (The Eve of Souls Mix) — 10:53 # "I Still Believe" (The Eve of Souls Mix UK Edit) — 8:53 # "I Still Believe" (The Kings Mix) — 8:04 # "I Still Believe" (The Kings Mix Instrumental) — 8:05

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications and sales

Release history

Other versions

* In 1988, popular Disco singer Amii Stewart covered the song for her album ''

Time for Fantasy ''Time for Fantasy'' is a studio album by Amii Stewart released in 1988. One of the ballads, "I Still Believe," which had already become a major hit for pop singer Brenda K. Starr in 1987, was also covered by Mariah Carey some ten years later. T ...

.'' * In 1989, Hong Kong singer

covered this song in Cantonese, with the title 依然 ("Still"). She also covered the English version of the song in 1990. * In 1989, Taiwanese singer Julie Sue (蘇芮) covered the song for her album ''

I've Got The Music In Me "I've Got the Music in Me" is a pop song by The Kiki Dee Band, released in 1974. It was written in 1973 by Bias Boshell, Kiki Dee Band's keyboardist. It is also the title of a Kiki Dee Band album released in 1974 and re-mastered and re-issued wit ...

.'' * In 1998,

Lynda Laurence Lynda Laurence (also spelled Lawrence, born Lynda Tucker; February 20, 1949) is an American singer. The youngest daughter of Louise and Ira Tucker, a gospel songwriter, producer, and singer, Laurence's siblings are Sundray Tucker and Ira Tuc ...

, a former member of

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...

covered the song for the album ''

Where Did Our Love Go "Where Did Our Love Go" is a 1964 song recorded by American music group the Supremes for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, "Where Did Our Love Go" was the first single by the Supr ...

,'' released by the trio Former Ladies of The Supremes in the United Kingdom. * Jamaican dancehall artist Beenie Man sampled most of the lyrics under the song "Crazy Notion" from his '' Art and Life'' album, released in 2000. *

Jane Lynch Jane Marie Lynch (born July 14, 1960) is an American actress, comedian and author. She is known for starring as Sue Sylvester in the musical comedy series '' Glee'' (2009–2015), which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award. Lynch also gained recog ...

and Darren Criss covered it in ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

,'' in a mashup with

Nicki Minaj Onika Tanya Maraj-Petty (; born December 8, 1982), known professionally as Nicki Minaj ( ), is a Trinidadian-born rapper based in the United States. She is known for her musical versatility, animated Flow (rapping), flow in her rapping, alter e ...

's " Super Bass." * Jennifer Love Hewitt covered this song while she was one of the members of

Kids Incorporated ''Kids Incorporated'' (also known as ''Kids Inc.'') is an American children's television program that began production in the mid-1980s and continued airing well into the early 1990s. It was largely a youth-oriented program with musical performan ...

in the Season 6 episode "Magic Toy Shoppe".

References

{{authority control 1988 singles 1999 singles 1980s ballads Brenda K. Starr songs Mariah Carey songs Music videos directed by Brett Ratner Pop ballads Contemporary R&B ballads Songs written by Antonina Armato 1987 songs MCA Records singles Columbia Records singles Sony Music singles