Something to Believe In (Poison song)

"Something to Believe In"
Single by Poison
from the album Flesh and Blood
B-side Ball and Chain
Released September 4, 1990
Recorded 1990
Genre Glam metal, hard rock
Length 5:29
Label Capitol
Producer(s) Bruce Fairbairn
Poison singles chronology
"Unskinny Bop
(June 27, 1990)
"Something to Believe In"
(September 4, 1990)
"Ride the Wind"
(January 21, 1991)

"Something to Believe In" is a power ballad by American Glam metal band Poison, being the 2nd single from their 1990 (see 1990 in music) album Flesh & Blood. "Something to Believe In" was also released on the Best of Ballads & Blues album in 2003, with alternate lyrics (part 2).

The song peaked at number 4 in the US Billboard Hot 100, number 5 on the Mainstream rock charts,[1] number 35 in the UK[2] and #44 on the Australian charts. It was the last Top 10 on Billboard chart for the band to date.

This song was dedicated to James Kimo Maano, a security guard and best friend of Bret Michaels who had died some time earlier.

The cover art for the single depicts a tattoo on Bret Michaels's arm of a cross with the words "Something to Believe In". The tattoo artist, according to Michaels, had been drinking and spelled "believe" incorrectly putting the "e" before the "i". It was attempted to be corrected by adding a rose to the cross that covered the misspelling, but Michaels was never satisfied with the results. In the first season of the reality show Rock of Love, Michaels goes to a tattoo shop where the tattoo artist properly touches up the tattoo.

Content

The song emphasizes several different events in footages, such as the televangelism scandals of the late 1980s, the thoughts of a crippled Vietnam veteran and how he can never get rid of the memories of "a war he can't forget,", the recent death of a friend and seeing the homeless on a street at night, dimly lit by a neon sign that once spelled out "Jesus Saves" and how it seems that the lessons of yesterday are forgotten on the world of today.

Chart performance

Peak positions

Chart (1990-1991) Peak
position
Australian ARIA Charts 44
Canadian RPM Top Singles 3
New Zealand Singles Chart 38
UK Singles Chart 34
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 4
U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks 5

End of year charts

End of year chart (1991) Position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3] 78

References

  1. "Allmusic (Poison charts and awards) Billboard singles".
  2. "Poison chart stats". Archived from the original on 2012-07-31.
  3. "Billboard Top 100 - 1991". Retrieved 2009-09-15.

This song was written prior to James Kimo Maano death and was written for a friend of Bret Michaels' uncle and good friend of his, this info was given during a radio interview at FM 104.1 KHOP in morning show. The song was later dedicated also later to James Kimo Maano.