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"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. It was recorded by American singers Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey and was released as the soundtrack's first single in 1998 (see 1998 in music); it was also the first single from Houston's album My Love Is Your Love and the second from Carey's compilation album #1's. It was a commercial success but is best known for the media speculation concerning Houston and Carey's alleged rivalry.

About the record

Babyface, who was known for producing some of the biggest successes in contemporary music, was enlisted as the song's producer 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. The protagonists of this ballad recall tough times that have them questioning their faith: they have prayed for many nights to God but those prayers seem to remain unanswered, 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.

"When You Believe" was nominated for the 1999 Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals, losing to "I Still Have That Other Girl" by Burt Bacharach and Elvis Costello. 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. Additionally, the song received several nominations and wins from motion picture award committees. It won the 1999 Academy Award for Best Original Song and was nominated by the Golden Globes for Best Original Song — Motion Picture. It also received a Golden Satellite Award nomination for Best Original Song in a Motion Picture.

The single's video 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 large choir. A few variations of the song exist, including an extended version with a longer intro and bridge which can be found on The Prince of Egypt soundtrack, a television track, and an instrumental version.

One of the features of the songs is when Carey and Houston sing a section of the song in thirds; they have done this live, and still kept in tune.

Controversy

Houston and Carey, who had previously not really met, became friends during the song's recording process. The media reported that the two had clashed over who would be credited first, who would sing first, and who would have a greater part (ultimately, Houston received all three honors). Carey denied any friction and stated that she voluntarily yielded the longer parts and credits to Houston. She had been in disagreement with the producers of The Prince of Egypt as she wanted to be involved in the writing and production of the song, but the producers did not want her to.

Conflict also arose between Stephen Schwartz and Babyface after Schwartz left Babyface's name off the submission sheet for the Academy Awards when the song had been nominated for Best Original Song. 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. Carey and Houston performed Babyface's version of the song live at the Academy Awards ceremony in 1999.

Chart performance

Years of media speculation of a feud between Houston and Carey led to expectations that a duet would be a great hit and break many chart records, especially as they were successive record-holders for a single with the most weeks at number one, but "When You Believe" peaked at fifteen on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. It fitted a trend of Carey singles during this period of high sales but low airplay, and most of Houston's singles before and after the release of "When You Believe" were not as successful as her earlier releases. It remained on the Hot 100 for nineteen weeks and reached the top five on Billboard's Adult Contemporary chart, and it was both Houston and Carey's first single to appear on the new Top 40 Tracks chart. It was certified gold by the RIAA, and was ranked ninety-ninth on the Hot 100 1999 year-end charts.

The single was more successful outside the U.S. It reached the top five in the United Kingdom and most of continental Europe, and was also a top twenty success in Australia, but only reached the top forty in Canada.

• Whitney Houston singles
• Mariah Carey songs
• 1998 singles
• Best Song Oscar songs