"Reason to Believe" is a song written, composed, and first recorded by American folk singer

Tim Hardin James Timothy Hardin (December 23, 1941 – December 29, 1980) was an American folk music, folk and blues music, blues musician and composer. As well as releasing his own material, several of his songs, including "If I Were a Carpenter (song), ...

in 1965. It has since been recorded by artists including

Bobby Darin Bobby Darin (born Walden Robert Cassotto; May 14, 1936 – December 20, 1973) was an American musician and actor. He performed jazz, pop, rock and roll, folk, swing, and country music. He started his career as a songwriter for Connie ...

in 1966, Karen Dalton also in 1966,

Glen Campbell Glen Travis Campbell (April 22, 1936 – August 8, 2017) was an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, actor and television host. He was best known for a series of hit songs in the 1960s and 1970s, and for hosting '' The Glen Campbell Good ...

in 1968, the

Nitty Gritty Dirt Band The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band is an American country rock band formed in 1966. The group has existed in various forms since its founding in Long Beach, California. Between 1976 and 1981, the band performed and recorded as the Dirt Band. Constan ...

in 1969,

the Carpenters The Carpenters (officially known as Carpenters) were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinct, soft, musical style, combining Karen's contr ...

in 1970, and

Rod Stewart Sir Roderick David Stewart (born 10 January 1945) is a British rock and pop singer and songwriter. Born and raised in London, he is of Scottish and English ancestry. With his distinctive raspy singing voice, Stewart is among the best-selling ...

in 1971 and 1993.

Tim Hardin version

After having had his recording contract terminated by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. It was founded on January 15, 1889, evolving from the A ...

achieved some success in the 1960s as a songwriter based in

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

. The original recording of "Reason to Believe" comes from Hardin's debut album, ''

Tim Hardin 1 ''Tim Hardin 1'' is the debut album by folk artist Tim Hardin, released in 1966 on Verve Records. History ''Tim Hardin 1'' contains one of his most well-known and frequently covered songs, " Reason to Believe"a notable hit for Rod Stewart in 1971 ...

'', recorded in 1965 and released on the

Verve Records Verve Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group (UMG). Founded in 1956 by Norman Granz, the label is home to the world's largest jazz catalogue, which includes recordings by artists such as Ella Fitzgerald, Nina Simon ...

label in 1966 when he was 25. Tim Hardin's original recording of the song is also on the soundtrack to the 2000 film '' Wonder Boys''.

The Carpenters version

The Carpenters The Carpenters (officially known as Carpenters) were an American vocal and instrumental duo consisting of siblings Karen (1950–1983) and Richard Carpenter (born 1946). They produced a distinct, soft, musical style, combining Karen's contr ...

recorded "Reason to Believe" for their second LP, '' Close to You'', in 1970. On television, the duo performed their version on ''

The 5th Dimension The 5th Dimension is an American popular music vocal group, whose repertoire includes pop, R&B, soul, jazz, light opera, and Broadway. Formed as the Versatiles in late 1965, the group changed its name to "the 5th Dimension" by 1966. Betwe ...

Travelling Sunshine Show'' on August 18, 1971 and '' Make Your Own Kind of Music'' on September 7, 1971. Richard Carpenter remixed the song for the release of the 1995 compilation, '' Interpretations: A 25th Anniversary Celebration''.

Rod Stewart versions

Background

's version appeared as the first single from his 1971 album, '' Every Picture Tells a Story'', with " Maggie May" as the B-side. "Reason to Believe" reached No. 62 on the

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

on its own before the more popular B-side overtook it on its way to No. 1 on the chart. The Hot 100 listed "Reason To Believe" as the flip side for the remaining 16 weeks of that run. Stewart's double-sided hit, which topped the Hot 100 during all five chart weeks of October 1971, held The Carpenters' "

Superstar A superstar is someone who has great popular appeal and is widely known, prominent, or successful in their field. Celebrities referred to as "superstars" may include individuals who work as actors, musicians, athletes, and other media-based profe ...

" at No. 2 during the third and fourth of those weeks. Stewart's version is noted for its instrumentation, featuring a piano, which is heard playing the slow Introduction, before Stewart 's voice is heard singing. This is followed by an electric organ, drums, and an acoustic guitar. It also features a solo violin, which is heard during the instrumental break of the bridge. The piano, along with the organ, play the Song's outro. There is a 2 second pause, before Stewart's Vocal is heard singing the bridge in Acapella, ("Someone like you"), before the piano enters, followed by the violin, the drums and the guitar, featuring a rhythm change form 2/4 to 3/4 for a few measures, before reverting back to the 2/4 rhythm, with Stewart repeating the Bridge before he stops singing, with the instruments carrying on the melody to through the song's fade. The organist was not present during the repeated Bridge session. A live version was released in 1993 on the album '' Unplugged...and Seated''. Released as the second single from the album in August 1993, it reached No. 19 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 3 on the Canadian '' RPM'' Top Singles chart. The 1993 single includes a live version of "

It's All Over Now "It's All Over Now" is a song written by Bobby Womack and his sister-in-law Shirley Womack. It was first released by The Valentinos, featuring Bobby Womack, in 1964. The Rolling Stones heard it on its release and quickly recorded a cover versio ...

", which was recorded during the ''

MTV Unplugged ''MTV Unplugged'' is an American television series on MTV showcasing musical artists usually playing acoustic instruments. The show aired regularly from 1989 to 1999 and less frequently from 2000 to 2009, when it was usually billed as ''MTV Un ...

'' performance but does not appear on the album. Altogether, the two versions of "Reason to Believe" logged a total of 41 weeks on the Hot 100, more than any other Rod Stewart song.

Charts

Weekly charts

Original version Live version

Year-end charts

Certifications

Other versions

Peggy Lee Norma Deloris Egstrom (May 26, 1920 – January 21, 2002), known professionally as Peggy Lee, was an American jazz and popular music singer, songwriter, composer, and actress, over a career spanning seven decades. From her beginning as a vocalis ...

recorded the song in 1968 for release on a 45" single along with another Hardin song, " Misty Roses". A live recording of the song by Lee from the same year was released on the album '' 2 Shows Nightly''. * Karen Dalton released a version on her album "1966".. *

Marianne Faithfull Marianne Evelyn Gabriel Faithfull (born 29 December 1946) is an English singer and actress. She achieved popularity in the 1960s with the release of her hit single " As Tears Go By" and became one of the lead female artists during the British I ...

released a version on her 1967 album "Loveinamist". *

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter and actor. From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he bega ...

released a version on his 1967 album Another Side of Rick *

Wilson Phillips Wilson Phillips is an American pop group formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The group consists of Carnie Wilson and Wendy Wilson, the daughters of Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, and Chynna Phillips, the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of ...

released a version on their 1990 Self-Titled Debut album. *

The Dillards The Dillards are an American bluegrass and country rock band from Salem, Missouri. The band is best known for introducing bluegrass music into the popular mainstream with their appearance as " The Darlings" on '' The Andy Griffith Show''. B ...

released a version on their 1968 album Wheatstraw Suite. *

Arik Einstein Arieh Lieb "Arik" Einstein ( he, אָרִיק אַייְנְשְׁטֵייְן, ; 3 January 1939 – 26 November 2013) was an Israeli singer, actor, comedian and screenwriter. He was a pioneer of Israeli rock music and was named "the voice of Is ...

released a version on his 1972 album "Yasmin".

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reason to Believe 1971 singles 1993 singles Songs written by Tim Hardin Tim Hardin songs Peter, Paul and Mary songs Rod Stewart songs Glen Campbell songs The Carpenters songs Bobby Darin songs The Youngbloods songs Scott McKenzie songs Song recordings produced by Rod Stewart Song recordings produced by Patrick Leonard Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles UK Singles Chart number-one singles Mercury Records singles Warner Records singles 1965 songs