![]() He went through the roof because he felt that I had given #1 records away to another group. ![]() C I'm in love, (ooooh, ah yeah) G F D I'm a believer I couldn't leave her. the Neil Diamond-written, Dolenz-sung I’m a Believer standing as the group’scertainly Dolenz’s and quite possibly Diamond’sfinest hour. But the head of my record company freaked. Chorus G C G Then I saw her face, C G C G now I'm a believer C G C G Not a trace C G C G of doubt in my mind. “It was one of the songs that was going to be on my first album, but Donny Kirshner hears ‘Cherry, Cherry’ on the radio and said, ‘Wow, I want one like that for The Monkees!’ He called my producers, Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich – ‘Hey, does this kid have any more?’ And they played him the things I had cut for the next album and he picked ‘I’m a Believer,’ ‘A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You,’ and ‘Look Out (Here comes Tomorrow),’ and they had some huge hits. “I was thrilled, because at heart I was still a songwriter and I wanted my songs on the charts,” said Diamond. In 2008, Mojo interviewed Diamond and asked him if he’d ever resented the success that The Monkees had with his song, and the answer was a resounding “no.” Happily, Nesmith was very, very wrong: as noted above, “I’m a Believer” was a #1 hit.ĭiamond also recorded his own version of the song for his 1967 album JUST FOR YOU, but it’s fair to say that The Monkees ended up with the bigger hit. “I’m a Believer” was sung by Micky Dolenz, and at least one reason why that ended up being the case was that Michael Nesmith told producer Jeff Barry, “I’m a songwriter, and that’s no hit,” which led to Barry banning him from the studio while Dolenz recorded his vocal for the track. The song found its way into the group’s orbit through Don Kirshner, who’d been aware of the success Diamond had found with “Cherry, Cherry.” Diamond reportedly wanted country singer Eddy Arnold to record the song, so one can only imagine his surprise when the song was instead turned into a pop hit. Written by Neil Diamond, “I’m a Believer” wasn’t actually written for The Monkees. It’s the first thing Wyatt released after he fell out of a fourth-floor window and paralyzed himself from the waist down.52 years ago today, The Monkees entered the studio and began the process of recording the song that would become their second #1 hit. Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason played on it, as did future Police guitarist Andy Summers. And then Nesmith had to pretend to play “I’m A Believer” on four Monkees episodes in a row.īONUS BEATS: In 1974, the wizardly prog songwriter Robert Wyatt, formerly of the Soft Machine, released a cover of “I’m A Believer” that made it to #29 on the UK charts. The story goes that producer Jeff Barry kicked Nesmith out of the studio when Dolenz was recording his vocal. One possibly-apocryphal story says that guitarist Michael Nesmith got pissy during the recording of “I’m A Believer,” claiming that the song was just not a hit, and he should know, he’s a songwriter. Some of them were OK with the idea that they were actors on a TV show, and others were mad that they were being presented as musicians but not allowed to play music. Diamond had already recorded his own version of the song, but he wouldn’t release it until 1967.) The actual Monkees’ lack of input in their own musical careers was already bothering them. The Monkees didn’t play on “I’m A Believer,” of course. The Monkees wasn’t even a huge hit! More people bought the records than watched the show! And think how amazing it was that this goofy sitcom was working as the delivery mechanism for these incredible songs. I don’t think it’s as towering a songwriting achievement as “Last Train To Clarksville,” but it’s close. There is a lot of red involved with the video, usually associated. It’s a perfect little tension-and-release machine. Im a Believer by Smashmouth/The Monkees Its strange that the drummer is also the singer. The entire tone of the production shifts when it hits the chorus and those other Monkees come in sighing. The song itself is an economical marvel, all twangy guitar and ahh-ahh backing vocals. And all it takes is a look: “I saw her face! Now I’m a believer!” Micky Dolenz, who sang lead on “I’m A Believer,” sold the emotion of the song just as well as he’d done on “ Last Train To Clarksville.” He’s someone who’s been a hopeless wanderer, wounded and disconsolate: “What’s the use of trying? / All you get is pain / When I needed sunshine, I got rain.” But then he sees this girl, and his entire point of view does a full 180. And it happens to be an amazing song, a sharp and dazzling evocation of what it’s like to have your whole world flipped upside down. It’s friendly and unthreatening and all about love. It has a monster chorus and an organ riff so big that you could see it from space. It’s propulsive and catchy and immediate. ![]() If you’re trying to figure out the right song to give to your prefabricated mid-’60s sitcom boy band, “I’m A Believer” is your platonic ideal.
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