Unbelievable (EMF song)

Single by EMF

"Unbelievable" is a song written and recorded by British band EMF, originally appearing on their debut album, Schubert Dip (1991). It was released as a single in the UK in October 1990 by Parlophone, peaking at number three on the UK Singles Chart on 1 December 1990. It was the 30th best selling single of 1990 in the UK, and a top 10 hit also in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden. In the United States, "Unbelievable" hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100 in 1991. The song was produced by Ralph Jezzard, and contains samples of US comedian Andrew Dice Clay and a Black Panther Party member shouting "What the fuck?" Its music video was directed by Josh Taft.

Guitarist and principal songwriter of the band, Ian Dench, has stated that the melody to the song came into his head as he was riding on his bike. Singer James Atkins had suggested to do Chicago house and Detroit techno, but Dench went for crossover indie/dance music. The band made a four track demo and were invited to London by the record labels. Instead the band suggested that they should come to witness the band perform live in the Forest of Dean. Virgin, Island and EMI wanted to sign them. In his review of Schubert Dip, AllMusic editor Alex Henderson described the song as "so insanely infectious", remarking its "dizzying infectiousness". Upon the release, J. D. Considine from The Baltimore Sun felt the group's material appeals as much to the brain as the body, so that songs such as "Unbelievable" "end up danceable, hummable, and utterly irresistible." Larry Flick from Billboard declared it as a "insinuating, Manchester influenced rave. Scratchy, neopsychedelic guitar riffs nicely contrast track's hip hop groove, promising extensive exposure here at both club and radio levels." John Earls from Classic Pop called it "mighty". Annette Petruso from The Michigan Daily stated that the boys from the Forest of Dean "have created an undeniably perfect pop single with the ultra simple, ultra catchy and ultra overplayed "Unbelievable"." Andrew Collins from NME complimented it as a "special record", writing, "It's their first, and it's crunchier than the breakfast cereal Start. Sex flavoured bass, hoppity drums, unfettered guitar, and a shouting sample that might be stupid old Andrew Dice Clay for all I know — yes, it's got the lot. Drenched in all the same juices that make PWEI so cool, it even sounds like five people were involved in its construction. I believe."

A music video was produced to promote the single, directed by American music video director Josh Taft. It received heavy rotation on MTV Europe.

The song was ranked no. 31 on VH1's "100 Greatest One Hit Wonders" in 2002 and no. 98 on VH1's "100 Greatest Songs of the 90s" in 2007. Australian music channel Max placed it at number 547 in their list of "1000 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2011. Rolling Stone listed "Unbelievable" at number 12 in their "20 Biggest Songs of the Summer: The 1990s" list in July 2014. In 2020, Cleveland. com listed it at number 41 in their ranking of the best Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 song of the 1990s.