Reception
"When You Believe" received a mixed review from David Browne, an editor from Entertainment Weekly. He gave it a C-, and wrote " so much sap, maple trees will be jealous." He called the song's religious aspect "insipid" and felt its inspirational message felt forced and generic. The song performed moderately in the United States, despite a performance of The Oprah Winfrey Show and the 71st annual Academy Awards. It peaked at number 15 on the Hot 100 and number three on Billboard's Adult Contemporary Chart. On March 24, 1999, after fluctuating in the US charts, the song was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting shipments of over 500,000 units. In Canada, the song debuted on the RPM Singles Chart at number 66 on the RPM issue dated December 7, 1998, and peaked at number 20 on the chart issue dated January 25, 1999. It was present on the chart for a total of ten weeks.
The song performed moderately in Australia, where it entered at number 25 on the ARIA Singles Chart during the week of December 6, 1998. It remained on the chart for 14 weeks, spending its last week on the chart at number 50; it was certified gold by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), denoting shipments of over 35,000 units. In New Zealand, it peaked at number eight on the singles chart, and spent nine weeks fluctuating in the singles chart. "When You Believe" experienced its highest charting in Europe. In Belgium, it reached number five on the Flanders Ultratop 50, and peaked at number four and spent 20 weeks on the Wallonian Ultratop 40. During the week of December 5, 1998, "When You Believe" entered the Dutch Top 40 at number fifty-four. The song spent twenty-one weeks on the singles chart and was peaked at number four. Due to strong single sales, the song entered the Finnish Singles Chart at number 10, however, it only spent one week in the chart. In France, the song entered the French Singles Chart at number 14 on December 5, 1998 and eventually peaked at number five. After spending 20 weeks fluctuating in the singles chart, it was certified silver by the Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique (SNEP). In Germany, it peaked at number eight on the German Singles Chart and was certified gold by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie, denoting shipments of over 250,000 units. The song peaked at number seven in Ireland, where it spent 11 weeks in the Irish Singles Chart.
In Norway, "When You Believe" entered at number three on the VG-lista chart and peaked at number two, spending three consecutive weeks at the position. It was certified platinum by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) and spent 15 weeks on the chart. The song peaked at number two in Sweden and Switzerland, spending 20 and 24 weeks on the singles charts, respectively. The IFPI certified the song platinum in Sweden and gold in Switzerland. "When You Believe" experienced high charting in the United Kingdom. It peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart during the week of December 19, 1998 and spent 14 weeks on the chart. As of 2008, sales of the song in the UK are estimated at over 265,000 units.
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Famous quotes containing the word reception:
“Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody’s face but their own; which is the chief reason for that kind of reception it meets in the world, and that so very few are offended with it.”
—Jonathan Swift (1667–1745)
“To the United States the Third World often takes the form of a black woman who has been made pregnant in a moment of passion and who shows up one day in the reception room on the forty-ninth floor threatening to make a scene. The lawyers pay the woman off; sometimes uniformed guards accompany her to the elevators.”
—Lewis H. Lapham (b. 1935)
“But in the reception of metaphysical formula, all depends, as regards their actual and ulterior result, on the pre-existent qualities of that soil of human nature into which they fall—the company they find already present there, on their admission into the house of thought.”
—Walter Pater (1839–1894)