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SONG HOME YOUR VIEWS Reason To Believe Tim Hardin Tim Hardin attained a modicum of success in the '60s as a songwriter working out of Greenwich Village. Reason To Believe comes from his debut album, Tim Hardin I, released on the Verve label in 1966 when he was just 25. Song facts Composer Tim Hardin Genre Folk Album Tim Hardin I Year of release 1966 With lyrics like "Knowing that you lied, straight-faced, while I cried", even an upbeat melody cannot mask the song's mournful tone. And while Bobby Darin's positive spin gave us slightly more Reason To Believe, it is Hardin's husky, almost cracking, voice that makes the words sound heartfelt. Follow-up album Tim Hardin II came a year after I, before he switched to Columbia for Bird On A Wire and Painted Head. 25 years after his death, Hardin's albums have come to be recognised as classics of the folk/rock genre. Though he played Woodstock in 1969, Tim Hardin sadly never reached the heights he could have as a performer. A heroin addiction picked up in Vietnam and crippling stage fright led to increasingly erratic live performances. It was left to other artists to win acclaim on the back of Hardin's tracks. Bobby Darin took If I Were A Carpenter into the top ten in 1966 and Rod Stewart, Joan Baez and Paul Weller have all recognised the quality of his writing. Eventually, drugs and health problems caused Tim to stop writing and recording altogether. After a brief period of recovery in England, he returned to LA in 1975 where he lived as a recluse until his death from an overdose in 1980 aged just 39. Other versions Bobby Darin covered a number of Hardin's songs and Reason To Believe made #6 in 1966. Listen to it here and compare to the original. His music to me sounds like the struggle of a man trying desperately to ignore his demons. Penny, Warwick READ MORE COMMENTS... Make a comment Your Name and Town/City: Your Message: Songwriting tips Tim Hardin wrote beautiful lyrics. More on how to improve your own. Test your knowledge Test yourself with our quick quiz on Tim Hardin and his music. TAKE THE CHALLENGE! Newsletter sign-up Sign up for updates on new songs, documentaries and live events Like this song? Try these... Cold Cold Heart Hank Williams Same Old Rock Roy Harper DON'T MISS Doves Special guests on Dermot's show this week What's on Radio 2 Documentaries Find out more about current and forthcoming documentaries on Radio 2.

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