Believer by Imagine Dragons

Click here for the lesson chart PDF

Believer is a song by American rock band Imagine Dragons. The song was released on February 1, 2017 through Interscope and KIDinaKORNER as the lead single from the band’s third studio album, Evolve.[1]

In November 2016, Dan Reynolds told People that the song was inspired by his experiences with ankylosing spondylitis in 2015. He said that, “The meaning of the song is really reflecting on specific things in my life that were painful, whether it was anxiety and dealing with crowds, feeling overwhelmed by that or the success of the band, disease, going through depression—anything that was a source of pain in my life. And just rising above that, finding a place of perspective where I could be appreciative of the pain in my life and make it my greatest strength.”[2]

The music video was released on March 7, 2017 and features a boxing match between Dan Reynolds and Dolph Lundgren. It was directed by Matt Eastin and it features what seems to be a young Dan drawing on his notepad in scenes. It is obvious that Dan is losing, and he says that he wants to stop, with Dolph replying, “We can’t,” making it sound like they are forced to fight by an upper authority. It ends with Dan barely conscious, and we get to see what young Dan sketched: a symbol identical to the one on his chest as an adult.[3]