Songfacts®:

• John Hiatt wrote "Have A Little Faith In Me" around 1985 during a transitional stage when he was newly sober. The affirms his commitment to his loved ones, asking for just a little faith in return. In 1986, Hiatt married his wife Nancy. The song was released on his album Bring The Family the following year.
• When he played this song at a record company showcase in 1987, Hiatt explained that he grew up listening to the DJ Bill Allen, known as "The Hossman" on WLAC in Nashville. Allen played a lot of soul music that Hiatt really connected with - he loved how these singers could "get out of themselves" in their songs. That's what he was going for on "Have A Little Faith In Me."
• "Have A Little Faith In Me" wasn't all that popular when it was first released but it became John Hiatt's signature song, a showcase at his concerts and his top streaming track. He released a popular live version on his 1994 album Hiatt Comes Alive at Budokan?
  
  Hiatt earned a fair-sized fanbase but is particularly popular among musicians, many of whom cover his songs. One badge of honor: Bob Dylan recorded his song "The Usual."
• Hiatt had a killer band - Ry Cooder on guitar, Nick Lowe on bass and Jim Keltner on drums - for the Bring The Family album, but he didn't use them on this track. They tried recording it as a unit but it just wasn't coming together, so Hiatt did it solo on piano and nailed it in one take.
• Hiatt released a new version on his 1998 album The Best Of John Hiatt that earned Grammy nominations for Best Rock Song and Best Male Rock Vocal Performance. He was nominated for 10 Grammys in his career but never won.
• A very moving song, "Have A Little Faith In Me" shows up in lots of movies and TV shows. Movies include:
  
  Away from Here (2014)
  New Year's Eve (2011)
  Love Happens (2009)
  My Best Friend's Girl (2008)
  Phenomenon (1996)
  Look Who's Talking Now (1993)
  Benny & Joon (1993)
  
  TV shows include:
  
  The Goldbergs ("The Lost Boy" - 2015)
  The Office ("Stress Relief" - 2009)
  Alias ("Reckoning" - 2001)
  Dawson's Creek ("The Kiss" - 1998)
• Mandy Moore covered this song in 2003 for her album Coverage. She's far from the first woman to cover a John Hiatt song. Notable selections include Bonnie Raitt version of "Thing Called Love" and Rosanne Cash's take on "The Way We Make A Broken Heart."