Believer (Imagine Dragons song)

"Believer" is a song by American pop rock band Imagine Dragons. The song was released on February 1, 2017 through Interscope Records and Kidinakorner as the lead single from the band's third studio album, Evolve (2017).[3] It was written by Dan Reynolds, Wayne Sermon, Ben McKee, Daniel Platzman, Justin Tranter and its producers Mattman & Robin.

"Believer"
Single by Imagine Dragons
from the album Evolve
A-side"Thunder"
ReleasedFebruary 1, 2017 (2017-02-01)
Genre
Length3:24
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Mattman & Robin
Imagine Dragons singles chronology
"Levitate"
(2016)		 "Believer"
(2017)		 "Thunder"
(2017)
Music video
"Believer" on YouTube

"Believer" peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, becoming the band's third top ten single after "Radioactive" and "Demons" It also reached the top ten in Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Switzerland. The song played heavily on advertisements such as for Nintendo's movie trailers and television shows.[4][5] The song was used in the season finale for the first season of the CW’s Riverdale. It became the fifth best-selling song of 2017 in the United States and one of the best-selling singles of all time.[6] On January 8, 2019, another version of the song was released, featuring American rapper, Lil Wayne.[7]

Background

In March 2017, Dan Reynolds told People that the song was inspired by his experiences with ankylosing spondylitis in 2015. He said that, "The meaning of the song is really reflecting on specific things in my life that were painful, whether it was anxiety and dealing with crowds, feeling overwhelmed by that or the success of the band, disease, going through depression—anything that was a source of pain in my life. And just rising above that, finding a place of perspective where I could be appreciative of the pain in my life and make it my greatest strength."[8]

Composition

According to sheet music published at Sheetmusicdirect.com, "Believer" is a moderato tempo of 125 beats per minute. Written in cut time, the song is in the key of B♭ minor. Dan Reynolds' vocal range spans from A♭2 to D♭4 during the song.[9]

Music video

The official music video for the song was released on March 7, 2017, on the Imagine Dragons YouTube account, and was directed by Matt Eastin. It features a boxing match between Reynolds and Dolph Lundgren, with some scenes showing what seems to be a young Dan drawing on his notepad in scenes. Dan is losing, and he says that he wants to stop, but Dolph replies "We can't." It ends with Reynolds barely conscious, while Young Dan is revealed to have sketched a symbol identical to the one on Reynolds' chest, the "Evolve" symbol. As of January 2021, the video has over 1.8 billion views and over 15 million likes. It is currently the most-viewed and most-liked video on the band's YouTube channel. It is also the 20th most-liked video on the platform.[10][11]

Commercial performance

"Believer" reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100, and topped the Billboard Hot Rock Songs (29 weeks so far),[12] Alternative Songs (13 weeks so far),[13][14] and Adult Pop Songs (6 weeks).[15] Among component charts, it also topped Rock Airplay,[16] Rock Streaming Songs,[17] Rock Digital Sale Songs,[18] and Top TV Commercials Charts.[19] It also topped the Canada Alternative Rock Chart.[20] "Believer" broke the 14-year-old record for the most spins on the Mediabase Alternative chart.[21] "Believer" has reached the top ten in Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Switzerland, and the United States.

"Believer" was the number one song on several Billboard year-end charts, including the Hot Rock Songs chart, the Rock Airplay chart, and the Alternative Songs chart.[22][23][24] The song was the fifth best-selling song of 2017 in the United States, selling 1,598,000 copies in the year.[6]

Live performances

The first televised performance of "Believer" was during the March 22, 2017 episode of ABC late-night talk show Jimmy Kimmel Live!.[25] They then performed the song at BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend. "Believer" was performed again during the 2019 College Football Playoff National Championship halftime show.[26]

Grammy Award-winning singer Michelle Williams performed the song on the second US series of The Masked Singer.[27]

Track listing
Digital download[28]
No.TitleLength
1."Believer"3:24
2."Believer" (featuring Lil Wayne)3:41
Digital download – Kaskade Remix[29]
No.TitleLength
1."Believer" (Kaskade Remix)3:10

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[106] 3× Platinum 210,000
Austria (IFPI Austria)[107] Platinum 30,000
Belgium (BEA)[108] Platinum 30,000*
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[109] Diamond 160,000
Canada (Music Canada)[110] 7× Platinum 560,000
Denmark (IFPI Denmark)[111] Platinum 90,000
France (SNEP)[112] Diamond 233,333
Germany (BVMI)[113] Platinum 400,000
Italy (FIMI)[114] 4× Platinum 200,000
New Zealand (RMNZ)[115] Platinum 30,000
Norway (IFPI Norway)[116] 3× Platinum 180,000
Portugal (AFP)[117] 2× Platinum 20,000
Spain (PROMUSICAE)[118] Platinum 40,000
Sweden (GLF)[119] 2× Platinum 80,000
United Kingdom (BPI)[120] 2× Platinum 1,200,000
United States (RIAA)[121] 5× Platinum 1,598,000[6]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Notable usage in media

See also

References
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