I Still Believe in You

Album: I Still Believe in You (1992)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The title track and lead single from Vince Gill's sixth studio album, this became his first #1 Country hit.
  • Gill penned the song with John Barlow Jarvis, whose other credits include the Judds hit single "Love Can Build a Bridge." It is an apologetic tune written to Gill's first wife, Sweethearts of the Rodeo singer Janis Oliver, after they'd had a squabble.

    Jarvis recalled the penning of the tune to Nashville Hype: "Vince and I talked about writing backstage at one of the CMA shows," he remembered. "We finally booked an appointment on a Sunday at my house. He forgot to tell his wife, and they had a bit of a spat about it, apparently. So he was in the mood to write a make-up song. I pretty much had the music idea fleshed out before he got there. I would say he wrote 90% of the lyrics while I wrote about 90% of the music."

    "Oh, one more thing," Jarvis added. "It wasn't a ballad at first! It was a midtempo almost Fleetwood Mac kind of thing. Vince and his producer Tony Brown wisely slowed it down. It made a big difference!"
  • Gill and Oliver divorced in 1998. Oliver told Nashville's Tennessean the tune is still a painful reminder of their past. "Some songs that come on the radio still break my heart," she admitted. "I can pretend like they don't tug at my heart or make me wistful, but there are some songs I can't listen to anymore, like 'I Still Believe in You,' because of the circumstances around them and what he told me they meant to him. To hear that now is confusing."
  • The song won the Grammy Award for Country Song of the Year in 1993. This meant that Jarvis had won a Golden Gramophone two years in a row as the 1992 winner was "Love Can Build a Bridge."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Supertramp founder Roger Hodgson

Supertramp founder Roger HodgsonSongwriter Interviews

Roger tells the stories behind some of his biggest hits, including "Give a Little Bit," "Take the Long Way Home" and "The Logical Song."

Hardy

HardySongwriter Interviews

The country hitmaker talks about his debut album, A Rock, and how a nursery rhyme inspired his hit single "One Beer."

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" Album

Arrested For Your Art - The Story Of 2 Live Crew's "Obscene" AlbumSong Writing

In the summer of 1990, you could get arrested for selling a 2 Live Crew album or performing their songs in Southern Florida. And that's exactly what happened.

Weird Al Yankovic

Weird Al YankovicFact or Fiction

Did Al play on a Beach Boys record? Did he have beef with George Lucas and Coolio? See if you can spot weird but true stories.

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien Songs

The Truth Is Out There: A History of Alien SongsSong Writing

The trail runs from flying saucer songs in the '50s, through Bowie, blink-182 and Katy Perry.

Michelle Branch

Michelle BranchSongwriter Interviews

Michelle Branch talks about "Everywhere," "The Game Of Love," and her run-in with a Christian broadcasting network.