Actors - When You Believe

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	Actors - When You Believe

"When You Believe" is a song originally composed by Stephen Schwartz, and later refurbished by writer-producer Babyface, as the theme to the film The Prince of Egypt
. The song is performed by Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey and was released in 1998 (see 1998 in music) as the soundtrack's first single. The song was also the first single from Houston's My Love Is Your Love
and the second from Carey's #1's.) Inspite of its critical and commercial successes, it is best known for the media speculation concerning its duet, as Carey and Houston were formerly believed to have been enemies prior to this recording.

Song information

The song, originally written by Stephen Schwartz, was solely produced by Babyface, popular for producing some of the biggest successes in contemporary music, to make it more friendly to pop markets. One of his more notable changes was completely removing the song's original Hebrew spoken section and replacing it with a new bridge. In this inspirational ballad, Carey and Houston recall tough times that have them questioning their faith; although they have prayed for many nights to God, their prayers seem to have been done in vain, and they wonder if they are wasting their time. Nevertheless, they realize that although times may be difficult, "there can be miracles, when you believe" in God.

The video of this song shows Houston and Carey in a dark studio accented by Egyptian settings, backdrops, and scenes inspired by The Prince of Egypt. The video ends as the room is illuminated, and the two singers are joined by a larger-than-life choir. The video has never been released on VHS or DVD. The DVD of the film, however, does include a short clip of Carey and Houston in the studio recording the song.

There are no remixes of this song, but a few variations of the song exist, including an extended version with a longer intro and bridge that can be found on the Prince of Egypt soundtrack, a television track, and an instrumental version.

Official remixes/versions list

"When You Believe" (album version) (from the #1's/My Love Is Your Love
albums).
"When You Believe" (album version) (from the Prince of Egypt soundtrack with an extended intro and bridge).
"When You Believe" (instrumental).
"When You Believe" (TV track).

Controversy

Houston and Carey, who had previously not really met, became friends during the song's recording process. Even when the recording process had been confirmed by both parties, there were reports that Carey and Houston had clashed over who would be credited first, who would sing first, and who would have a greater part. Ultimately, Houston got all three honors. Carey denied any friction and stated that she voluntarily yielded the longer parts and credits to Houston. Carey had had some disagreements concerning the song, as she had originally wanted to be involved in the writing and production, but however was denied by the producers of The Prince of Egypt.

Although controversy between Carey and Houston was non-existent and the result of media speculation, real controversy did ensue between Stephen Schwartz and Babyface. Schwartz had left Babyface's name off the submission sheet for the Oscars when the song had been nominated for Best Original Musical in 1999. Schwartz had argued that Babyface should not receive Oscar credit as his version of the song (with Carey and Houston) contained additional musical elements (such as the new bridge) which had not been part of the original as heard in the film. Ironically, Carey and Houston performed Babyface's version of the song live at the Oscars in 1999.

Awards

To date, the commercial single of "When You Believe", has sold nearly 500,000 copies, and thus, the song has been awarded the Gold single certification by the RIAA for shipments of at least 500,000 commercial singles. "When You Believe" was also nominated for the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, but lost to Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello for "I Still Have That Other Girl". As Carey is part Latin, Houston and Carey were also nominated for Outstanding Performance of a Song for a Feature Film at the ALMA Awards, but they did not win.

The song also received several nominations and wins from motion picture award commitees. The song won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1999. Similarly, it was nominated by The Golden Globes for Best Original Song - Motion Picture, but did not win. The Golden Satellite Awards nominated it for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture, but it also did not win.

[ Visit the complete Wikipedia entry for When You Believe ]

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