| "Believe" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single byDima Bilan | |
| from the albumProtiv pravilandBelieve | |
| Released | 26 May 2008 (2008-05-26) |
| Recorded | 2008 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:54 |
| Label |
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| Songwriters |
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| Producers |
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| Music video | |
| "Believe" onYouTube | |
| Alternative cover | |
 Belgian cover forBelieve | |
| Eurovision Song Contest 2008 entry | |
| Country | |
| Artist | |
| With | |
| Language | English |
| Composers |
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| Lyricists |
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| Finals performance | |
| Semi-final result | 3rd |
| Semi-final points | 135 |
| Final result | 1st |
| Final points | 272 |
| Entry chronology | |
| ◄ "Song #1" (2007) | |
| "Mamo" (2009) ► | |
| Official performance video | |
| "Believe" (Final) onYouTube | |
"Believe" is a song recorded by Russian singerDima Bilan written byJim Beanz and Bilan himself. Itrepresented Russia in theEurovision Song Contest 2008 held inBelgrade, resulting in the country's only ever win at the contest.
"Believe" was written byDima Bilan andJim Beanz.[1] It was recorded by Bilan, with production by Beanz andTimbaland.[2] He also recorded a Russian version titled "Все в твоих руках" ("All in your hands"), and a Spanish version titled "Creer".[3]
On 9 March 2008, "Believe" performed by Bilan competed in thefourth edition ofEvrovidenie, the national final organised byRossiya Channel (RTR) to select its song and performer for the53rd edition of theEurovision Song Contest. The song won the competition becoming theRussian entry –and Bilan the performer– for Eurovision.[4] Bilan had already represented Russia at the2006 contest, with the dark pop song "Never Let You Go", where he placed second.
Later in March 2008, a video was produced for the song. The whole team took part in the production – Dima Bilan,Evgeni Plushenko,Edvin Marton, and Yana Rudkovskaya –Dima Bilan's producer–. The action of the video starts in a hospital where a mother finds out that her son has leukaemia and needs an expensive surgery. Then the action proceeds to a bar where Bilan is watching television and finds out that a child needs help. He immediately calls his producer, Rudkovskaya, and tells her that they have to do something to raise money to help a child survive. They decide to give a charity concert with all the three participants performing. At the end of the video you can see the boy after the surgery. He smiles, gets up from the wheelchair and runs to greet the people who saved his life. Dima, Evgeni, and Edvin meet the boy with presents happy that the money raised at the concert saved a child's life. The video is strongly connected to the song delivering the message that everything is possible in this world if you only believe.
On 20 May 2008, the first semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest was held in theBelgrade Arena inBelgrade hosted byRadio Television of Serbia (RTS) and broadcast live throughout the continent. Bilan performed "Believe" eighteenth on the evening accompanied byEvgeni Plushenko –skating on artificial ice– andEdvin Marton –playing hisStradivarius violin–,[5] followingRomania's "Pe-o margine de lume" byNico andVlad and precedingGreece's "Secret Combination" byKalomira.[6] After the grand final it was revealed that it had received in its semi-final 135 points, placing third in a field of nineteen and qualifying for the final.[7]
On 24 May 2008, the grand final for the Eurovision Song Contest was held. Bilan performed again "Believe" twenty-fourth on the evening, followingSerbia's "Oro" byJelena Tomašević andBora Dugić and precedingNorway's "Hold On Be Strong" byMaria.[8]
The song won the contest, finishing first with a total of 272 points, becoming the first ever win for Russia, and the fourth for aformer Soviet Union country.Dmitriy Medvedev,president of Russia at the time, admitted that he had watched the contest and called right away to congratulate Bilan.
On 31 March 2015, Bilan performed a medley of "Believe" and "Never Let You Go" in the Eurovision sixtieth anniversary showEurovision Song Contest's Greatest Hits held in London.[9][10]
| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| Russia | May 26, 2008 (2008-05-26) |
| Germany | June 6, 2008 (2008-06-06) |
| Belgium | July 7, 2008 (2008-07-07) |
| Denmark | July 16, 2008 (2008-07-16) |
| Finland | |
| Norway | |
| Sweden |
Weekly charts[edit]
| Year-end charts[edit]
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{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)| Preceded by | Eurovision Song Contest winners 2008 | Succeeded by |
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