‘Dumb’ song was rewritten and became a hit for Williams
This week in 1980: President Jimmy Carter signed the bill for draft registration at age 18; Pope John Paul ll warned against manipulation of minds by radio and television; Harper’s Magazine was purchased by two foundations to forestall bankruptcy; and a singer from Floydada, Texas, released what was to become his 24th hit record and his 11th No. 1.
Don Williams’ 1980 No. 1, “I Believe In You,” was written by Roger Cook and Sam Hogin, but according to Cook, it was not an easy song to write.
Cook said, “I had written the song, I thought I had finished it, but one day I was just looking at it and it became very clear to me that the song was not finished! Some of the images in the song were just dumb! And as it was, nobody was ever going to record it. Then I got with Sam — we re-wrote the song and it just came together. And about that time, Don Williams’ producer called to ask if we had any songs for Don, as he was about to record. So we played the song for him and he told us right off that it could be a big hit for Don. And that’s how ‘I Believe In You’ got to Don Williams. And it was really odd that Don recorded the song just exactly like my demo — everything — even the guitar licks. I had used Phil Donnelly, an Irish guitar player on my demo, and they hired him to come in and play guitar on Don’s record session, as they wanted the same guitar licks and sound.”
Don Williams’ MCA signal “I Believe In You,” was released in July 1980 and came on the charts on Aug. 23, 1980 and was No. 1 on Oct. 18th for two weeks. It was his 24th charted song and his 11th No. 1. The single also scored inside the top 25 on the pop charts. The album, “I Believe In You” was certified as Don’s second gold album on Dec. 2, 1980 and was later named CMA’s Album of the Year.
Don Williams placed 56 songs on the country music charts between 1972 and 1992, including 17 No. 1s.
Don joined The Grand Old Opry in 1976 and was inducted into The Country Music Hall Of Fame in 2010. He died in 2017 at age 78.
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