I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio Explained

"I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio" is the fourth single released from Welsh rock band Stereophonics' second studio album, Performance and Cocktails (1999), on which the song appears as the seventh track. The single was released in August 1999 and reached number 11 on the UK Singles Chart. A live version from Morfa Stadium is present on CD2 of the single. A version with Stuart Cable singing vocals can be found on CD1 on the "Hurry Up and Wait" single.^[1]

Background

In the album booklet for Performance and Cocktails, vocalist Kelly Jones revealed that he wrote the song in August 1997 after waking up from a dream. In the dream, George Harrison and Ringo Starr of the Beatles were singing "I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio" in front of Jones' parents' house. Jones also said that he originally wanted drummer Stuart Cable to sing the track so they could "keep the Ringo theme going".^[2]

Music video

The video was inspired as an homage to the cult 1969 road film Easy Rider. It shows the band as characters from the film, making a road trip through America on motorbikes.

Track listings

UK CD1^[3]

1. "I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio" (single version)
2. "The Bartender and the Thief" (bar version)
3. "The Old Laughing Lady"

UK CD2^[4]

1. "I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio" (live at Morfa Stadium)
2. "Pick a Part That's New" (live at Morfa Stadium)
3. "T-Shirt Suntan" (live at Morfa Stadium)

UK 7-inch and cassette single^{[5] [6]}

1. "I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio" (single version)
2. "The Bartender and the Thief" (bar version)

Japanese CD single^[7]

1. "I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio" (single version)
2. "The Bartender and the Thief" (bar version)
3. "Sunny Afternoon"
4. "Positively 4th Street"
5. "Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down"

Credits and personnel

Credits are taken from the Performance and Cocktails album booklet.^[2]

Recording

• Written in August 1997
• Recorded at Real World (Bath, Somerset, England)
• Mastered at Metropolis (London, England)

Personnel

• Kelly Jones – music, lyrics, vocals, guitar
• Richard Jones – music, bass
• Stuart Cable – music, drums
• Marshall Bird – keyboards
• Bird & Bush – production
• Al Clay – mixing
• Ian Cooper – mastering

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)
United Kingdom	23 August 1999		V2	[9]
	6 September 1999	7-inch vinyl		[10]
Japan	8 September 1999	CD		[11]

Notes and References

1. Hurry Up and Wait. Hurry Up and Wait (song). Stereophonics. 1999. UK CD1 liner notes. V2 Records. VVR5009323.
2. Performance and Cocktails. Performance and Cocktails. Stereophonics. 1999. UK CD album booklet. V2 Records. VVR1004492.
3. I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio. Stereophonics. 1999. UK CD1 liner notes. V2 Records. VVR5008823.
4. I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio. Stereophonics. 1999. UK CD2 liner notes. V2 Records. VVR5008828.
5. I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio. Stereophonics. 1999. UK 7-inch single sleeve. V2 Records. VVR5008827.
6. I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio. Stereophonics. 1999. UK cassette single sleeve. V2 Records. VVR5008825.
7. I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio. Stereophonics. 1999. Japanese CD single liner notes. V2 Records. V2CI 41.
8. Eurochart Hot 100 Singles. Music & Media. 16. 37. 12. 11 September 1999. 6 September 2020.
9. New Releases – For Week Starting 23 August, 1999. Music Week. 29. 21 August 1999. 22 July 2021.
10. New Releases – For Week Starting 6 September, 1999. Music Week. 23. 4 September 1999.
11. Web site: アイ・ウドゥント・ビリーブ・ユア・レディオ ステレオフォニックス. I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio Stereophonics. Oricon. ja. 31 August 2023.