If You'd Only Believe

"If You'd Only Believe" is an inspirational pop song written by Roxanne Seeman, Billie Hughes, and Jermaine Jackson. It was produced by Michael Omartian, with The Jacksons as co-producer, on their 2300 Jackson Street album.[1]

"If You'd Only Believe" was chosen as the finale song for the Jackson Family Honors television special. Michael Jackson joined his family and guest artists including Celine Dion, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, Bruce Hornsby and Dionne Warwick on stage to sing it. The show was filmed at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.[2][3]

Background

Jermaine Jackson and his brothers were making their first Jacksons album since their 1984 “Victory” album.  This album was without Michael. The Jacksons had been recording for weeks at Tito Jackson’s recording studio at his home in Encino. While CBS focused on Michael’s solo career, the label wasn’t giving The Jacksons any attention and didn’t believe they could keep having commercial success without him.

Roxanne Seeman, a songwriter Jermaine had a working relationship with,[4] had given Jermaine the song “If You’d Only Believe”, written with Billie Hughes. Jermaine called her saying he was making an album with his brothers and Michael Omartian[5] and they wanted to record the song. It was the final track on 2300 Jackson Street.

When the record label heard “If You’d Only Believe” they began giving attention and finally flew members of their promotion staff to Tito’s studio in a show of support.  The management team of Fitzgerald-Hartley approached the group after hearing some of the songs claiming “the music simply blew us away.”[6][7]

Lyrics and song structure

Geoff Brown in his book "Michael Jackson, A Life in Music" wrote:[8]

The Omartian contribution, the final track, is a Jermaine sung ballad titled “If You’d Only Believe”, a nice mid-tempo song about constancy in love and hope for the future”.

— Geoff Brown

Fred Bronson and The Jacksons quote songwriter Roxanne Seeman describing the song lyrics on their book "The Jacksons Legacy":

The verse lyrics for “If You’d Only Believe” were inspired by Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables and (the character) Jean Valjean: “I have seen love make men stagger, Prey on their weakness and wound their pride, But you won’t be touched by it’s dagger, When you’re close by my side.

— Roxanne Seeman

The structure of Billie Hughes' original version is AABCABCB, where A represents the verse, B the chorus, C the bridge.  His version was named “Only Believe”.[9][10]

For The Jacksons' recording, Michael Omartian re-arranged the sections and added a new bridge (C): ABACADAB. Jermaine sings the lead vocal on the A and B sections and Jackie on the bridge.[11][12]

Televised & live performances

The trio of Jermaine, Tito and Jackie performed "If You'd Only Believe" along with "Art Of Madness" and Nothin' (That Compares 2 U) on a Spanish television program named Sábado Noche in 1989.[13]

Jermaine Jackson also performed this song alone on January 14, 1990 in Atlanta in a tribute to Martin Luther King during King Week 90'.The song was performed again in concert on March 15, 1993, by The Jacksons, composed of Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and Randy, on the stage of the Grand Théâtre de Genève for The Evening Of The Nations.[14]

"If You'd Only Believe" was chosen as theme song and finale of "The Jackson Family Honors", TV special, which took place at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas in February 1994. The song was performed by The Jackson Family, including a standout performance by Michael Jackson and guest performers Celine Dion, Dionne Warwick, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson, Bruce Hornsby and others.[2][15] The program was broadcast on NBC three days after the taping.[16]

Other television performances

Other versions
  • Billie Hughes' version of this song appears in several television programs and on a compilation album "Songs from Santa Barbara", digitally released in 2005.[18]
  • Randy Crawford recorded a version of "If You'd Only Believe" for her "Through The Eyes Of Love" album, released in 1991.[19]

Critical reception

On May 21, 1989, Geoffrey Himes of The Washington Post wrote in his review of 2300 Jackson Street in the Pop Recordings column:[20]

“Even better is "If You'd Only Believe," the kind of slow hymn Gaye used to do. At first it seems to be addressing God, but then it addresses a lover; the echoing percussion and spacious mix are also typical Gaye tendencies”.

— Geoffrey Himes

LA Weekly, June 22, 1989 Leonard Pitts Jr.:[21]

“If You’d Only Believe” a moving evocative sing-along.  Although not nearly as solemn, it’s cut from the same “slow anthem” block as Prince’s “Purple Rain"

— Leonard Pitts Jr.

The Morning Call, September 30, 1989 Paul Willistein wrote from The Jacksons 2300 Street album:[22]

“On…If You’d Only Believe” - the brothers’ always-fine harmonies fare best” and Jermaine’s distinctive vocals make the songs where he sings lead above average."

— Paul Willistein

The Tennessean, Nashville, Tennessee, August 6, 1969, Robert K. Oerman on 2300 Jackson Street album writes:[23]

“The LP closes with the soft, anthemic masterpiece “If You’d Only Believe”.

— Robert K. Oerman

References
  1. If You'd Only Believe - The Jacksons | Song Info | AllMusic, retrieved 2020-10-17
  2. Weinraub, Bernard (1994-02-21). "The Jackson Family Reunited, Sort Of (Published 1994)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
  3. "For the record". Issuu. p. 169. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
  4. Reaching for Tomorrow - Switch | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2020-10-17
  5. Weiss, Shelly (1991-03-23). Cashbox Music Publishing. p. 14.
  6. Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1989-06-17). Billboard (PDF). Nielsen Business Media, Inc. p. 33.
  7. Bronson, Fred, The Jacksons (2017). The Jacksons Legacy. p. 208. ISBN 978-0316473736.
  8. Brown, Geoff (2010-04-07). Michael Jackson: A Life In Music: A Life in Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-257-5.
  9. Only Believe - Billie Hughes | Song Info | AllMusic, retrieved 2020-10-17
  10. "Songs from Santa Barbara by Billie Hughes". Apple Music. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
  11. "2300 Jackson Street by The Jacksons". Apple Music. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
  12. "Jackie Jackson". TIDAL Browse. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
  13. "The Jacksons en Sábado Noche (TVE1) 1989".
  14. "Les Jackson cherchent une maison à Genève". Le Matin. March 16, 1993.
  15. "If You Only Believe - Celine Dion: The Power of The Music". www.powerofthemusic.com. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
  16. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1355/is_n18_v85/ai_14895628/. Jet Magazine (Johnson Publishing co.)
  17. "Night Beat". The Atlanta Constitution. 1990-01-05. p. 42.
  18. Songs From Santa Barbara - Billie Hughes | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 2020-10-17
  19. R&R Radio & Records (PDF). 1992-02-28. p. 31.
  20. Himes, Geoffrey (1989-05-21). "POP RECORDINGS". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-10-17.
  21. "22 Jun 1989, 90 - LA Weekly at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  22. "30 Sep 1989, 74 - The Morning Call at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
  23. "6 Aug 1989, Page 196 - The Tennessean at Newspapers.com". Newspapers.com. Retrieved 2020-12-15.
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