1953 Frankie Laine: I Believe

The Rasputin of number ones, not only did 'I Believe' stay in pole position for a staggering eighteen weeks, it also got up off the canvas Rocky stylee to reclaim the top spot twice after Eddie Fisher and Mantovani both failed to deliver a KO. Such longevity must surely be born out of quality, right? Well no - no matter who is in the saddle, 'I Believe' is a sentimental gloop of 'always have faith' neo religiosity ("I believe for every drop of rain that falls, a flower grows") that walks a fine line between sincerity and parody. If it's handled with the hushed reverence of a prayer then you may get away with it, but Frankie Laine has never been one for understatement and true to form he delivers 'I Believe' with the side of the mouth snarl and urgency of a man who has three minutes to get out of Dodge. His overwrought, fists clenched passion sounds as comically overplayed today as the exaggerated face muggings of early silent film stars - Frankie believes alright, and what's more he'll execute every last motherfucker who dares to disagree. I've no idea what well of sentimentality this tapped into in 1953, but to my ears it's long since dried up.