"Do You Believe in Love?" by Huey Lewis and the News

Top 10 Alert!

Song#:  0910
Date:  02/06/1982
Debut:  77
Peak:  7
Weeks:  17
Genre:  Pop, Rock



Pop Bits:  Originally dubbed Huey Lewis and the American Express, this group was formed from members of two Bay Area bands Clover and Soundhole. Lead by Lewis, the group recorded a disco single in 1979 called "Exo-Disco" (backed with the lite-funk "Kick Back"), which was a send-up of the theme from the movie "Exodus" (a #2 hit in 1961 by Ferrante & Teicher). The single went nowhere, but it sparked attention at Chrysalis Records who signed the group. Of course the American Express company had issues with the group name so they changed it to Huey Lewis and the News and then issued a self-titled debut album in 1980. The LP sank like a stone but Chrysalis gave them another chance and they came up with the album "Picture This." Luckily, this first single caught fire and became their first Top 10 hit. The album would reach #13 and go gold.

ReduxReview:  I've always liked this song. I'm not sure why I didn't buy it back in the day. As a high schooler, I was probably lacking money. The doo-wop harmonies and hooky chorus are sweet and easy to digest while Lewis' gruff voice provides a nice edge. This group is often derided these days, but they really did have some smart singles and this is one of their best.

ReduxRating:  8/10

Trivia:  Double Shot!  1) Huey Lewis's former country-rock band Clover recorded some LPs in the US but then moved over to the UK to see if they could take off there. They didn't, but the band (minus Lewis) would serve as Elvis Costello's backing band for his debut LP "My Aim Is True" in 1977.  2) When in the UK, Clover recorded with producer John "Mutt" Lange, who would go on to be a major producer for acts like Def Leppard and Shania Twain. Lang wrote this song for his band Supercharger who recorded it for their 1979 album "Body Rhythm." At the time it was called "We Both Believe in Love." Huey Lewis, who was kind of goaded into recording the poppy tune, made a few changes and they covered the song as "Do You Believe in Love?"

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