I Don't Believe in Miracles (Sinitta song)

"I Don't Believe In Miracles"
Merlin's Magical Mix cover
Single by Sinitta
from the album Wicked
Released	September 1988[1]
Recorded	1987
Genre	Dance-pop
Length	3:28
Label	Fanfare Records
Songwriter(s)	Stock Aitken Waterman
Producer(s)	Stock Aitken Waterman
Sinitta singles chronology
"Cross My Broken Heart" (1988) "I Don't Believe In Miracles" (1988) "Right Back Where We Started From" (1989)
Music video
"I Don't Believe in Miracles" on YouTube

"I Don't Believe In Miracles" is a song by American-British singer Sinitta, released in September 1988 by Fanfare Records as the first single from her second album, Wicked (1989). The song was written and produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, and was a top 30 hit in UK and Ireland. It was also her last single produced by Stock Aitken Waterman, as after this release, Sinitta moved away from working directly with them although she continued to record at PWL under the direction of mixmasters Pete Hammond, Phil Harding and Ian Curnow.^[2]

Background and writing

Sinitta disliked the song upon first hearing it, and ask not to record it, feeling its negative sentiment flew in the face of her upbeat stage persona. She also felt the lyric was at odds with her own spiritual beliefs, as she "does believe in miracles".^[2] However, noting that the song is a strong fan favourite, the singer now includes it in her live setlist.^[2] The track includes elements strongly reminiscent of the Third Movement of Symphony No. 5 by Finnish composer Jean Sibelius.^[2]

Critical reception

In her review of the song, Sarah Champion from NME commented, "Neither do I."^[3] David Gilles stated in Record Mirror that "I Don't Believe in Miracles" "sounded like quite a good SAW single", after noting Sinitta's almost full nudity on the single cover.^[4]

Chart performance

In the UK, "I Don't Believe in Miracles" debuted at number 42 on the chart edition of 24 September 1988, reached a peak of number 22 in its fifth week, and remained on the chart for a total of eight weeks.^[5] Similarly, it was a top 25 hit in Ireland where it peaked at number 21 and charted for three weeks.^[6] By contrast, it was a top two hit in Finland and a top 12 hit in Spain.^[7][8] On the Pan-Eurochart Hot 100 established by the Music & Media magazine, it debuted at number 83 on 15 October 1988, reached number 58 two weeks later, and fell off the chart after five weeks of presence.^[9]

Formats and track listings

• 7" single ^[10]

1. "I Don't Believe In Miracles" - 3:28
2. "I Don't Believe In Miracles" (Instrumental) - 3:28

• 12" single ^[11]

1. "I Don't Believe In Miracles" (Merlin's Magical Mix) - 6:15
2. "I Don't Believe In Miracles" (Instrumental Club Mix) - 4:53

Charts

1988 weekly chart performance for "I Don't Believe in Miracles"

Chart (1988)	Peak position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[9]	58
Finland (Suomen virallinen lista)[7]	2
Ireland (IRMA)[6]	21
Spain (AFYVE)[8]	12
UK Singles (OCC)[5]	22
UK Dance (Music Week)[12]	19

References

1. pwl-empire.com Archived 2009-01-22 at the Wayback Machine
2. "A Journey Through Stock Aitken Waterman: Ep 37: Love, Truth And Honesty to All Of Me on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 2022-08-30.
3. Champion, Sarah (17 September 1988). "Singles". NME. p. 13. Retrieved 31 October 2023.
4. Giles, David (17 September 1988). "45 reviewed by David Giles" (PDF). Record Mirror. London: Spotlight Publications Ltd. p. 30. ISSN 0144-5804. Retrieved 30 October 2023 – via World Radio History.
5. "Sinitta: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 1 November 2022.
6. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – I Don't Believe in Miracles". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 4 September 2023.
7. Pennanen, Timo (2021). "Sinitta". Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 (PDF) (in Finnish). Helsinki: Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava. p. 235. Retrieved 2022-07-05.
8. Muus, Diana (22 October 1988). "Weekly Update on the European Charts – Highlights" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 43. p. 29. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 1 November 2022 – via World Radio History.
9. "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 5, no. 44. 29 October 1988. p. 24-25. OCLC 29800226. Retrieved 1 November 2022 – via World Radio History.
10. discogs.com
11. discogs.com
12. "Top Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 29 October 1988. p. 31. Retrieved 28 August 2023 – via World Radio History.