Believer (Goldfrapp song)

"Believer"
Single by Goldfrapp
from the album Head First
Released6 September 2010 (2010-09-06)
Genre
Length3:43
LabelMute
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Alison Goldfrapp
  • Will Gregory
Goldfrapp singles chronology
"Alive"
(2010) 		"Believer"
(2010) 		"Thea"
(2014)

"Believer" is a song by English electronic music duo Goldfrapp from their fifth studio album, Head First (2010). The song was written and produced by Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory, with additional production by Pascal Gabriel. It was released on 6 September 2010 as the album's third and final single.

Release

The single was confirmed in July 2010 in an email to fans, where it was also confirmed that Vince Clarke and Davide Rossi would remix the single, among others. Goldfrapp performed the song on Alan Carr: Chatty Man on 22 August 2010.[1]

Critical reception

"Believer" received positive reviews from critics. In a review for Slant Magazine, Sal Cinquemani described the song as "a bit of new wave-inflected computer pop (think B-52s meets Erasure) that finds Alison's faith in Cupid restored."[2] Ian Wade of BBC Music stated that "the stupendous 'Believer', with its stadium-sized chorus, appears like a turbo-charged Fleetwood Mac."[3] Heather Phares of AllMusic commented that the song "sounds instantly familiar, but not tired or obvious",[4] and Digital Spy reviewer Nick Levine wrote that "the synths on 'Believer' bounce along like vintage Erasure."[5] The Independent's Andy Gill opined that the song, "with its childlike lyric [...] set to a basic Eighties' synth riff, is exactly in step with retro-electropop fashion."[6]

Music video

The music video for "Believer" was directed by Lisa Gunning and consists of live footage from the Head First World Tour. It premiered on YouTube on 11 August 2010.[7]

Track listing

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from the liner notes of Head First.[10]

Recording

  • Mixed at The Mix Suite UK (London)
  • Mastered at Sterling Sound (New York City)

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for "Believer"
Chart (2010) Peak
position
UK Singles (OCC)[11] 180
US Dance Club Songs (Billboard)[12] 31
US Dance Singles Sales (Billboard)[13] 6
US Hot Singles Sales (Billboard)[14] 31

References

  1. ^ "Alan Carr: Chatty Man – Series 4 – Episode 10". Channel 4. Archived from the original on 31 October 2010. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  2. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (10 March 2010). "Review: Goldfrapp, Head First". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  3. ^ Wade, Ian (12 March 2010). "Review of Goldfrapp – Head First". BBC Music. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  4. ^ Phares, Heather. "Head First – Goldfrapp". AllMusic. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  5. ^ Levine, Nick (1 April 2010). "Goldfrapp: 'Head First'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  6. ^ Gill, Andy (19 March 2010). "Album: Goldfrapp, Head First (Mute)". The Independent. Archived from the original on 7 November 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2010.
  7. ^ "'i'm a believer' on tour with goldfrapp". 11 August 2010. Archived from the original on 30 June 2013. Retrieved 23 December 2010 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ "Believer by Goldfrapp on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 2 May 2022.
  9. ^ "Believer (CD single): Goldfrapp". Amazon. United Kingdom. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  10. ^ Goldfrapp (2010). Head First (liner notes). Mute Records. CDSTUMM320.
  11. ^ "Chart Log UK (1994–2010): Gina G – GZA". Zobbel.de. Retrieved 3 March 2011.
  12. ^ "Goldfrapp Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 December 2016.
  13. ^ "Goldfrapp Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 December 2020.
  14. ^ "Goldfrapp Chart History (Hot Singles Sales)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 18 October 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2019.