"I Believe in You and Me" is a song written by
Sandy Linzer and
David Wolfert in 1982. The song was first recorded and released by the R&B group
The Four Tops, who released it as a single from their album One More Mountain (1982). While it failed to reach the US
Top 40, it became a moderate hit for the group on the US
BillboardR&B chart, peaking at number 40 in early 1983.
In 1996, R&B/pop singer
Whitney Houston recorded a cover of the song for her film The Preacher's Wife and released it as a single. Following its release, the song became a top 5 pop and R&B hit in the US, also peaking on music charts worldwide.
History and composition
The original version recorded by The Four Tops was a moderate success, charting at number 40 on the US Billboard'sHot Black Singles chart.[1]
Due to the bigger success of the Whitney Houston version, "I Believe in You and Me" is most popularly known as a Whitney Houston song.
Shortly before the death of Four Tops lead singer
Levi Stubbs in 2008, who was sidelined from the group due to complications of a stroke, and confined to a wheelchair, appeared with the other members of The Four Tops, and
Aretha Franklin, and sang "I Believe In You and Me" live onstage in Detroit, in his final television appearance on From The Heart: The Four Tops 50th Anniversary Special (2004) on
PBS.[2][3]
"I Believe in You and Me" is a slow tempo R&B song with strong
gospel influences. Written in the key of
B major then modulates to
C major, the beat is set in
common time and moves at a slow 66 beats per minute. Houston's vocals in the song spans from the low note of G3 to the high note of A5.[6]
Critical response
J. D. Considine of The Baltimore Sun called the song "the Designated Hit
Ballad" and added "[it] is pretty much what we've come to expect from Houston ― a slow,
Streisand-esque build-up, a subtle sense of drama and a big, full-voiced payoff in the final chorus."[7] Also American magazine
Billboard gave the song a positive review, saying "As she did with
Dolly Parton's '
I Will Always Love You,' Houston redefines the composition with a soaring, glass-shattering performance that will leave her legions of fans breathless."[8] While reviewing the soundtrack, Elysa Gardner of Los Angeles Times wrote described it as "a cheesy classic in the tradition of 'I Will Always Love You,' with an instantly familiar melody and a poignant,
bolero-like arrangement."[9] A reviewer from Music Week commented, "More serious schmaltz from The Preacher's Wife sountrack. Clearly destined for the Top 20 and anyone with a chocolate box heart."[10] In his review for the soundtrack,
Neil Strauss from The New York Times praised the song as one of "the year's most virtuosic pop ballads."[11]
Commercial performance
"I Believe in You and Me", the first single from The Preacher's Wife Soundtrack, debuted at number seven and number six, on the US
Billboard Hot 100 and
Hot R&B Singles charts, the issue date of December 28, 1996, respectively.[12][13] Four weeks later, on January 25, 1997, it was released in the R&B marketplace as a
two-sided single with "Somebody Bigger Than You and I" from the soundtrack. It peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot R&B chart, staying on the chart for 20 weeks.[14] The following week, it also reached a peak of number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Houston's 16th top five hit.[15] The song entered the
Billboard Adult Contemporary chart at number 19, the issue date of December 14, 1996 and peaked at number two, making it her 21st top ten hit of the chart, the issue date of March 1, 1997.[16][17] The song was ranked thirty-three on the 1997 Billboard Year-end Hot 100 Singles chart.[18] Additionally, "I Believe in You and Me/Somebody Bigger Than You and I" two-sided single placed at position number twenty-nine on the 1997 Billboard Year-end Hot R&B Singles chart.[19] On the Billboard Adult R&B Songs list, the song peaked at number one staying there for four weeks.[20]
Worldwide, it was released as the second single from the soundtrack after "
Step by Step". The single peaked at number 16 on the
UK Singles Chart,[22] number 59 in Canada and number 46 in Sweden.
Music video
The music video for Houston's version of the song was filmed in
Fishkill,
New York. It uses the single version produced by
David Foster, which features a different arrangement from the jazz version produced by Houston and
Mervyn Warren. The scenery is set in a wintery forest with her singing as she is surrounding with trees decorated with Christmas lights, live orchestration and lightning flashes. Scenes from the movie are intercut in the video.
CeCe Winans performed the song to tribute to Whitney Houston, the first ever recipient of the Triumphant Spirit Award at the 10th annual Essence Awards, taped on April 4, 1997 and broadcast later on
Fox TV, May 22, 1997.[31]
At the
12th annual Soul Train Music Awards on February 27, 1998, the song was performed by
Kenny Lattimore and
Terry Ellis as part of a musical tribute to Houston, who was honored with the Quincy Jones Award for outstanding career achievements in the field of entertainment on the ceremony.[32][33]
Kim Burrell sang the jazzy version of the song to tribute to Houston, who was honoree in entertainment field, and received a standing ovation on
The 2010 BET Honors, taped at
the Warner Theatre on January 16 and later aired on
BET, February 1, 2010.[34][35]
Usher performed this song in the CBS special "Grammy presents: We Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston".[36]
American R&B singer,
David Peaston, won a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist, also recorded the song for his Mixed Emotions album (1991).[37]