"I Believe in You" is a pop-dance song performed by Australian singer Kylie Minogue and written by Kylie Minogue and Scissor Sisters members Jake Shears and Babydaddy. It was produced by Shears and Babydaddy, and received an overall positive reception from music critics when it was released as the first single from Minogue's second greatest hits compilation, Ultimate Kylie, in December 2004. In the upbeat eurodance song, Minogue describes how she believes in her lover rather than anything else.

The single peaked at number two in the United Kingdom and at number six in Australia. The song became a dance club hit in the United States, peaking at number three on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in 2005 and earning a nomination for a 2006 Grammy Award in the "Best Dance Recording" category.

Composition and recording

"I Believe in You" is an upbeat disco love song, which features the use of synthesizers and keyboards. The lyrics of the song, co-written by Minogue, describe how she does not believe in anything except her lover. Written and recorded for Ultimate Kylie during the summer of 2004 in London, the song takes its inspiration from disco and 80s new wave electro-pop music (and has been described as similar to 80s-era New Order). The song opens with a keyboard playing the choral melody. This melody is maintained throughout the song, except for occasional pauses for Minogue's verses. As the song continues, drums and synth strings are added into the background, which continue through the whole song. The refrain features Minogue singing a high octave chorus with strings and a thumping beat in the background. "I love it," Minogue says about the song. "It does everything it's meant to do and then some."

The collaboration with Shears and Babbydaddy was seen as unlikely by many, including Minogue. "When the idea of working together came up I thought, 'well, I love their album but that is not the music I make'. However, we got on immediately; we were on the same wavelength," she said.

Critical reception

"I Believe in You" received a positive response from most music critics. A review by Mark Edwards from Stylus Magazine called the song "a masterpiece" and "a fabulous return to form" from her previous album, Body Language, which was not well reviewed by some music critics. Joey Rivaldo, in a review for About.com, said the song was "perfect for radio" and praised it for is "nice laid back pop sound." Rivaldo also said that "although it has taken a while for many to catch on to this tune, looking back, many say it was well worth the wait." In his review, Rivaldo gave the song three out of five stars. In another review for About.com, Jason Shawahn called the song "one of the finest euro disco confections to come down the pike since the glory days". Virgin.net called the song a "rather demure and stylish collaboration" with Jake Shears and Babbydaddy, and said that "while it may all lack any really enticing hooks (or particularly interesting lyrics), it's still quite an enchanting record" due to its "pulsing analogue bassline and kick drum combo."

"I Believe in You" was nominated for an ARIA Award in Australia for "Best Pop Release" in 2005, and Minogue garnered a nomination for "Best Female Artist", providing her with an ARIA Award nomination for the eighth consecutive year. The song was also nominated for a 2006 Grammy Award in the "Best Dance Recording" category, providing Minogue with a Grammy nomination in that category for the fourth consecutive year.

Chart performance

"I Believe in You" debuted on radio on 14 October 2004, and was released on 6 December 2004 in the United Kingdom and debuted and peaked at number two on the UK singles chart, outsold in its first week of sale by the charity single "Do They Know It's Christmas?" by Band Aid 20. It remained in the top ten for four weeks, but it spent six weeks at number one on the airplay chart, and seventeen weeks on the chart in total.

In Australia, the single peaked at number six, and was certified gold in 2005. In most European countries, the song was a top ten hit on both the singles and airplay charts. In France, the song made a poor chart showing, which was mainly due to the fact that the single was not made commercially available until the following year, and at the time of its initial release, could only be purchased as an import single.

In the United States, the single did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100, but did peak at number three on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and number four on the Billboard Hot Dance Airplay chart. The single returned Minogue to popularity in the American dance market (her last single, "Chocolate", did not chart on any Billboard issues). However, the song did not gain popularity outside of the dance music market.

Music video

"I Believe in You" featured a futuristic music video that was directed by Vernie Yeung. The video features Minogue in a studio filled with colourful neon lights. There are four main sequences; the first two take place in a large sphere enclosed by neon lights, the third is simply Minogue dancing before a psychedelic flash of swirling colours, and the final scene is with a troupe of dancers, each wearing illuminated costumes of different colours. As the video concludes, the four scenes are intercut and gradually fade, including additional shots of the dancers, and Minogue in the second sphere wearing the same clothes and having the same hairstyle as in the first sequence. Minogue wears three costumes during the course of the video, has two different hairstyles, and one sequence shows her with glitter around her eyes.

The music video was noted for using high-end visual effects, which were done by Soho-based company The Mill, who enhanced the light bars on the spheres which Minogue is enclosed in. As the video progresses a new sphere is added around Minogue each verse, and a new light for each sphere is added as well. Glow effects were used on the dancers in the fourth sequence of the video to make Minogue stand out.

Released to music video channels in November 2005, the video was a hit, charting at number one for three weeks on MTV Europe's top twenty countdown and at number two on the UK TV airplay chart. The complete version of "I Believe in You" featured in the music video has been released commercially through CD singles and digital downloads, and some include remixes by Mylo and Skylark. The video was released commercially on the Ultimate Kylie companion DVD, released in December 2004.

Remixes

Three official remixes were commissioned to promote the song. Mylo created two remixes, the Mylo Vocal and the Mylo Dub, which use the song's original vocals over a new bassline constructed with synthesizers and some electric guitar. The remixes received positive reviews from music critics. About.com stated that the remix provides the song with an "electro trip", commenting that it is "the perfect mix for all the Mixshow DJs out there." Skylark's mix features a kick beat and according to About.com is "more geared toward the clubs" as it is more "underground" than Mylo's remixes.

All three remixes were included on the CD single and offered through downloads in December 2004. The remixes achieved chart success in Brazil, where they reached number one on the dance music chart, and in the United States.

B-side

"B.P.M." was released as the B-side to the commercial single release of "I Believe in You". The song was produced by Richard Stannard and Julian Gallagher (collectively known as BiffCo), and was written by Minogue, Stannard and Gallagher. The song had gone through many incarnations; it began as an instrumental track written by Stannard and Gallagher titled "Sunset River", and when the two began working with Minogue, lyrics were added and changes were made to the music. Originally recorded during the Body Language album sessions in 2003, the song was not released until the release of Ultimate Kylie a year later. "B.P.M." was one of the many songs that were considered to be added to the album as a new track, but was released as a B-side to "I Believe in You" instead. In 2005, American singer Janis Ian recorded a cover version of the song. Ian's version, however, remains unreleased.

Formats and track listings

These are the formats and track listings of major single releases of "I Believe In You". European CD single 1
(876 3332; Released on 6 December 2004)

1. "I Believe in You" – 3:22
2. "B.P.M." – 4:13

European CD single 2
(816 9310; Released on 6 December, 2004)

1. "I Believe in You" – 3:22
2. "I Believe in You" (Mylo Vocal mix) – 6:02
3. "I Believe in You" (Skylark mix) – 7:57
4. "I Believe in You" music video

European 12" single
(816 9316; Released on 6 December, 2004)

1. "I Believe in You" – 3:22
2. "I Believe in You" (Mylo dub) – 6:02
3. "I Believe in You" (Skylark mix) – 7:57

Australian CD single
(022012; Released on 6 December, 2004)

1. "I Believe in You" – 3:22
2. "B.P.M." – 4:13
3. "I Believe in You" (Mylo Vocal mix) – 6:02
4. "I Believe in You" (Skylark mix) – 7:57
5. "I Believe in You" music video

Personnel

The following people contributed to "I Believe in You":

• Kylie Minogue - vocals
• Jake Shears, Babydaddy - production
• Mark Aubrey - engineering
• Jeremy Wheatly - mixing
• Ashley Phase - mastering

Charts

Chart (2004)	Peak position
Australian Singles Chart	6
Austrian Singles Chart	4
Belgian Singles Chart	13
Dutch Top 40	10
French Singles Chart	35
German Singles Chart	12
Irish Singles Chart	9
New Zealand Singles Chart	29

Chart (2004)	Peak position
Norwegian Singles Chart	13
Swedish Singles Chart	16
Swiss Singles Chart	6
UK Singles Chart	2
Chart (2005)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot Dance Airplay Chart	4
US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Chart	3

Notes and references

External links

• Kylie.com — official website.
• "I Believe in You" lyrics