I Believe (Frankie Laine song)
"I Believe" is a popular song written by Ervin Drake, Irvin Abraham (as "Irvin Graham"), Jack Mendelsohn (as "Jimmy Shirl") and Al Stillman in 1953.[1] The most popular version was recorded by Italian-American singer Frankie Laine, and spent eighteen weeks at No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart.[2]
"I Believe"
Background[edit]
"I Believe" was commissioned and introduced by Jane Froman on her television show, and became the first hit song ever introduced on television. Froman, troubled by the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950, asked Drake, Graham, Shirl and Stillman to compose a song that would offer hope and faith to the populace.[3] Froman's commercial recording reached No. 11 in the Billboard charts during a 10-week stay.[4] "I Believe" has been recorded by many others, and has become both a popular and religious standard.
"I Believe"
6 February 1953
30 January 1953
8 January 1953
Radio Recorders, Hollywood
2:09
Ervin Drake, Irvin Graham, Jimmy Shirl and Al Stillman
Contemporary chart performance and recordings[edit]
In the US, only the versions by Froman and Laine charted, whilst only Laine's charted in the UK.[15] It was commonplace at the time for multiple artists to record versions of a new song, and others were released. In the UK, "I Believe" entered the sheet music sales chart on 11 April 1953, and reached No. 1 on 13 June, its tenth week on chart. It spent a week at the top, and returned on 24 October for another week, with a total of two weeks at No. 1 on the sheet music chart.[16]
The Frankie Laine version was the first to be issued in the UK, in February 1953. April saw recordings by Jane Froman, Ronnie Ronalde and David Whitfield. Subsequent releases were of versions by Eve Boswell, Allan Jones, Victor Silvester and his Ballroom Orchestra, and Ethel Smith (organ). The song spent forty weeks on the sheet music sales chart, whilst Laine's recording was on the singles chart for 36 weeks.[16][9]
Quodlibet with Ave Maria[edit]
In 1972, Shawnee Music published a new arrangement of "I Believe" that includes a quodlibet with Bach/Gounod, "Ave Maria". This version is frequently performed by choirs at Christmas time.