Behind the Songs: Don't Believe

A selection of quotes from The Psychedelic Furs on the song "Don't Believe".

Richard Butler: "I think we chose that song [as the first single for Made Of Rain] because it sounded like, you know, if people picture in their minds or ears what a typical Psychedelic Furs song sounds like. I think that might be kind of what it would sound like, that one." (BBC6 Music 2020)

Tim Butler: "It was a song I'd written that had a verse and a chorus. And I sent it to Richard and he said to me, 'Yeah, I like the verse part but write another chorus.' So I was [inaudible] away writing a different – not riff, but chorus, but we go to the studio and just started playing the verse riff. It came together pretty quickly. I think it's some of the last tracks we recorded as well [for Made Of Rain]." (Interview with Kyle Meredith, 2020)

Tim Butler: "I think that one is the most – the one that most harkens back to the early sort of aggression of The Furs; circa 'India,' the first album." (Interview with Kyle Meredith, 2020)

Richard Butler: "That was a song written with Tim. It was an idea that [inaudible] had, but we decided that we only really liked the first part. So really the whole band weighed in, and it became really a band composition. In that we came up with other parts for it in the studio as a band." (Out Of The Box (Q104.3) 2020)

Interviewer: "Tell me about the song 'Don't Believe,' which has a very interesting opening line: 'The money's got the medicine and you can't believe in anything.'"

Richard Butler: "Well, that's about the health care system - big pharma and all that. It's just saying that it's difficult to believe in anything." (Songfacts 2020)

Richard Butler: "I think 'President Gas' was the only time I've been that scathing in my narrative, although I think 'Don't Believe' is pretty scathing on [Made Of Rain]." (Spin 2020)

Interviewer: "'President Gas,' from 1982, has the lyric 'It's sick, the price of medicine,' and on 'Don't Believe,' on [Made Of Rain], you sing, 'Money's got the medicine.' I take it you're not a big fan of the healthcare system in America."

Richard Butler: "No, I'm not. Not at all. And sadly, the Tory government seems to be dismantling the National Health Service in England, slowly. And I thought the National Health Service was a great institution. I wouldn't mind paying extra taxes for healthcare." (Tidal 2020)

Tim Butler: "At the moment 'Don't Believe' is my favorite [on Made Of Rain] because it harkens back to the force and sound of a song like 'India', guitar-wise, vibe-wise." (Uncut 2020)

Interviewer: "I'm loving the new songs. And while there's a very different feel between 'Come All Ye Faithful', 'No-One', 'You'll Be Mine' and 'Don't Believe', the latter I have to say is classic Furs from the opening bars, even before Richard's voice comes in."

Tim Butler: "Err, yeah, I think so. Some of it's more classic, but I think the sound of the whole thing was influenced over the long hiatus we had by the music around us, so of course it's going to seep into what you write, and I think it's very current but still very much Furs."

Interviewer: "I agree, and those first four releases from [Made Of Rain] suggest that wide range. Are those tracks fairly indicative of the LP as a whole?"

Tim Butler: "Yeah, I think everyone will be very pleasantly surprised and we're very, very happy with it. It's a typical Furs album in that it goes from all-out rockers to ballads and back again. That keeps you interested. If an album's all 'balls to the wall' or all laidback, you tend to lose interest. But hopefully this will keep people interested from beginning to end." (WriteWyattUK 2020)

Interviewer: "What are your favorite songs to play on Made Of Rain?"

Rich Good: "'Don't Believe', 'No-One', 'Ash Wednesday'… 'This'll Never Be Like Love'. Again, 'all of them' would be an accurate answer." (Post-Punk.com 2022)

Photo: Reed Davis