Something to Believe In (Poison song)

"Something to Believe In" is a song by American glam metal band Poison, released as the second single from their third studio album, Flesh & Blood. "Something to Believe In" was also released on the Best of Ballads & Blues album in 2003, with alternate lyrics. The ballad peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, number five on the Billboard Album Rock Tracks chart, and number one on Canada's The Record singles chart. It was Poison's last top-10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

Background

This song was dedicated to James Kimo Maano, a security guard and best friend of Bret Michaels who had died some time earlier. The lyrics also focus on televangelism, Vietnam veterans, and poverty.
The cover art for the single depicts a tattoo on Michaels' arm of a cross with the words "Something to Believe In". The tattoo artist, according to Michaels, had been drinking and spelled "believe" incorrectly putting the "e" before the "i". It was attempted to be corrected by adding a rose to the cross that covered the misspelling, but Michaels was never satisfied with the results. In the first season of the reality show Rock of Love, Michaels goes to a tattoo shop where the tattoo artist properly touches up the tattoo.

Reception

"Something to Believe In" is widely regarded as one of Poison's best songs. In 2017, Billboard and OC Weekly ranked the song number four and number one, respectively, on their lists of the 10 greatest Poison songs.

Music video

During the filming of the video, unbeknownst to Michaels, the director had inserted footage of James Kimo Maano which was playing on a screen in front of Bret. This was done to try to draw an emotional reaction from Michaels. It worked so well that Michaels lost his composure and had to leave the set for several hours. On the final cut of the video, during the second verse, Michaels can be seen visibly holding back tears as he momentarily stops singing.