| "Believe" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byBrooks & Dunn | ||||
| from the albumHillbilly Deluxe | ||||
| Released | October 24, 2005 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | Arista Nashville | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producers |
| |||
| Brooks & Dunn singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Believe" is a song written byRonnie Dunn andCraig Wiseman, and recorded by Americancountry music duoBrooks & Dunn. It was released in October 2005 as the second single from their albumHillbilly Deluxe, and it won theCountry Music Association's 2006 awards for Single of the Year, Song of the Year and Music Video of the Year.[1]Rolling Stone ranked "Believe" No. 33 on its list of the 40 Saddest Country Songs of All Time in 2019.[2]
The song is a largely acousticballad accompanied byacoustic guitar andorgan. Featuring lead vocals fromRonnie Dunn, the song describes the narrator's childhood encounter with an old man whom he calls "Old Man Wrigley". He tells in the first verse of how he came to become friends with the old man after the narrator's mother would send him over to the old man's house with "things" (presumably food, groceries, newspapers, etc.). Through conversation, he discovers that Old Man Wrigley's wife and son have both died, and then asks the man how he is able to prevent himself from losing his sanity over their deaths. The old man then responds by saying that he will soon see them in Heaven whenhe dies because of his faith inGod, to which he further explains to the narrator in the first chorus.
In the second verse, the narrator tells of how he discovered that Old Man Wrigley died shortly after he moved off to college. After discovering this, he reflects on his memories of the old man, stating that he felt that the man deserved to go to Heaven ("If there was ever anybody deserved a ticket to the other side / It'd be that sweet old man…"). The song's bridge then finds the narrator asserting his own faith as well while attending Old Man Wrigley's funeral.
| Organization | Year | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academy of Country Music Awards | 2006 | Song of the Year | Won |
| Single Record of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Video of the Year | Nominated | ||
| CMT Music Awards | 2006 | Music Video of the Year | Nominated |
| Group or Duo Video of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Most Inspiring Video of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Country Music Association Awards | 2006 | Single of the Year | Won |
| Music Video of the Year | Won |
R&B singerJennifer Hudson performed the song on the 2010CBS television specialACM Presents: Brooks & Dunn – The Last Rodeo. Hudson subsequently recorded the song as the final track on her second studio album, 2011'sI Remember Me.
Brooks & Dunn re-recorded the song together withKane Brown for their 2019 albumReboot. This version reached number 42 on theBillboardHot Country Songs chart.[3]
They also re-recorded the song together withJelly Roll for their 2024 albumReboot II. They performed this song on the58th Annual Country Music Association Awards.[4] After their performance, their version impacted country radio on December 9, 2024.
"Believe" debuted at number 49 on the U.S.Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart for the week of October 22, 2005.
| Chart (2005–2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| CanadaCountry (Radio & Records)[5] | 21 |
| USHot Country Songs (Billboard)[6] | 8 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[7] | 60 |
| USBillboardPop 100 | 95 |
| Chart (2006) | Position |
|---|---|
| USCountry Songs (Billboard)[8] | 27 |
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United States (RIAA)[9] | Platinum | 1,000,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||