Believe

Christmas Carols Explained, #13

To use a train metaphor, we’re switching tracks right here for a second so we can pick something from the 21st Century. Not because the 21st Century has produced a glut of worthy music, but because this particular offering always hits me right in the heart.

I was in Spain for 2004 so I didn’t see “The Polar Express” in theaters. I do know that Josh Groban had a few belters on different movie soundtracks back then, including “Remember Me” on the album for “Troy,” and “Believe” for this one. I recently covered “The Polar Express” over on the channel.

While that book and this song are directly about the Christmas holiday and Santa Claus, the lyrics are applicable to the true core of Christmas, which is Jesus Christ Himself. “You have everything you need, if you just believe” is a simple and powerful message that I appreciate. Even the split between the brother and sister over whether they should believe, and the parents’ hope that the children would hold onto that faith, can work as a metaphor for believing in Christ as life goes on.

That idea, combined with the optimistic and hopeful melody, has made this song a recent favorite in the Christmas rotation. While Groban performed it, the song itself was written by Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri, and they won a Grammy for it later.