"Daydream Believer" is a song composed by John Stewart shortly before he left the Kingston Trio. The song was originally recorded by The Monkees, with Davy Jones singing lead vocals. The single hit the number one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1967, remaining there for four weeks, and peaked at number five in the UK Singles Chart. It was The Monkees' last number one hit in the U.S. It was recorded by Anne Murray in 1979, whose version reached #3 on the U.S. country singles chart and #12 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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| "Daydream Believer" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Monkees | ||||
| from the album The Birds, The Bees & the Monkees | ||||
| B-side | "Goin' Down" (non-LP track) | |||
| Released | October 30, 1967 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | June 14, 1967 and August 9, 1967 | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 3:07 | |||
| Label | Colgems | |||
| Writer(s) | John Stewart | |||
| Producer | The Monkees Chip Douglas |
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| The Monkees singles chronology | ||||
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Producer Chip Douglas introduced the Monkees to the song. It was recorded during the sessions for their 1967 album Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. but was ultimately included on their 1968 album The Birds, The Bees & the Monkees (it proved to be bandmember Peter Tork's only appearance on the album). All four Monkees appear on the track, with Michael Nesmith on lead guitar, Peter Tork on piano (he also came up with the arrangement), and Micky Dolenz on backing vocals. Davy Jones wasn't sure of the song's potential at first, and admitted later that he'd recorded the vocal with a hint of annoyance at the ongoing takes.[1] His feelings changed when the song became a hit.
John Stewart's original lyrics in the second stanza were "You once thought of me as a white knight on a steed, Now you know how funky I can be". When the Monkees recorded the song, "funky" was changed to "happy."
The song is also known for its humorous opening:
In 1986, three of the four Monkees (Dolenz, Jones, and Tork) mounted a successful reunion tour and had a major hit with the newly recorded "That Was Then, This Is Now." Arista Records, who owned the Monkees' masters at the time, re-released "Daydream Believer" as a followup single, re-mixed with a heavier drum track by Michael Lloyd (who had produced "That Was Then, This Was Now"). The re-released single was a minor hit the second time out, garnering some brief airplay on Top 40 radio stations of the day.
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Singles Chart [2] | 7 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 1 |
| Japanese Oricon Singles Chart | 4 |
| Norwegian VG-lista Singles Chart [2] | 2 |
| Swiss Singles Chart [2] | 10 |
| UK Singles Chart | 5 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
| Japanese Oricon Singles Chart[3] | 29 |
| Preceded by "Incense and Peppermints" by Strawberry Alarm Clock |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single December 2–23, 1967 |
Succeeded by "Hello, Goodbye" by The Beatles |
| "Daydream Believer" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Anne Murray | ||||
| from the album I'll Always Love You | ||||
| Released | December 1979 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Genre | Country pop | |||
| Length | 2:26 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Writer(s) | John Stewart | |||
| Producer | Jim Ed Norman | |||
| Anne Murray singles chronology | ||||
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Anne Murray included it on her 1979 album, I'll Always Love You. The following year her single peaked at number one on the U.S. Adult Contemporary chart, and number twelve on the pop chart.[4] In addition the Anne Murray version peaked at number three on the country chart.[5] She re-released the song as a duet with Nelly Furtado on her 2008 album, Anne Murray Duets: Friends and Legends.
| Chart (1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Top Singles | 17 |
| Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 3 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 1 |
| Preceded by "Give It All You Got" by Chuck Mangione |
Billboard Adult Contemporary (chart) number-one single March 1, 1980 |
Succeeded by "Give It All You Got" by Chuck Mangione |
| Preceded by "Years" by Barbara Mandrell[6] |
RPM Country Tracks number-one single March 22, 1980[7] |
Succeeded by "My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys" by Willie Nelson[8] |
Numerous other artists have covered the song:
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