Daydream Believer
| "Daydream Believer" | ||||||||||
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 US single cover | ||||||||||
| Single by The Monkees | ||||||||||
| from the album The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees | ||||||||||
| B-side | "Goin' Down" | |||||||||
| Released | 25 October 1967 | |||||||||
| Format | 7" | |||||||||
| Recorded |
14 June & 9 August 1967 RCA Victor Studios Hollywood, CA | |||||||||
| Genre | ||||||||||
| Length | 2:16 | |||||||||
| Label | Colgems #1012 | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | John Stewart | |||||||||
| Producer(s) | Chip Douglas | |||||||||
| The Monkees singles chronology | ||||||||||
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"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. In 1979, the song was also recorded by Anne Murray, whose version reached number three on the U.S. country singles chart and number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100. The song has been recorded by others including John Stewart.
The Monkees version
Producer Chip Douglas was friends with John Stewart and ran into him at a party in Hollywood. Douglas told Stewart that he was now producing the Monkees and asked if he had any songs that might work for the group. Stewart offered "Daydream Believer" (which had already been turned down by the We Five and Spanky and Our Gang). When Douglas heard the song he knew it could be a hit, but, according to Stewart, RCA Records (Colgems Records distributor) had a problem with the word, "funky" (the original lyric in the second stanza was: "You once thought of me as a white knight on a steed, Now you know how funky I can be"). RCA wanted to change the word to "happy" and Douglas asked Stewart if he could live with that. At first Stewart refused because the change made no sense in the context of the song, but realizing he might have a hit song on his hands, he relented.
"Daydream Believer" 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. All four Monkees appear on the track, with Michael Nesmith on lead guitar, Peter Tork on piano (he created the catchy piano introduction) (the orchestral arrangement was created by noted jazz trumpeteer and composer, Shorty Rogers), and Micky Dolenz on backing vocals. Davy Jones was not sure of the song's potential at first, and admitted later that he had recorded the vocal with a hint of annoyance at the ongoing takes.[1] His feelings changed when the song became a hit.
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, which owned the Monkees' masters at the time, re-released "Daydream Believer" as a follow-up single, remixed 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 garnering some airplay on Top 40 radio stations.
Chart positions
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Singles Chart | 2 |
| Austrian Singles Chart [2] | 7 |
| Belgian Singles Chart (Flanders)[3] | 8 |
| German Singles Chart | 4 |
| 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 (1986) | Peak position |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 79 |
| 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 |
Anne Murray version
| "Daydream Believer" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Anne Murray | ||||
| from the album I'll Always Love You | ||||
| B-side | "Do You Think Of Me?" | |||
| Released | December 1979 | |||
| Format | 7" | |||
| Recorded | 1979 | |||
| Genre | Country pop | |||
| Length | 2:26 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Producer(s) | 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 positions
| 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] |
See also
- List of Hot 100 number-one singles of 1967 (U.S.)
- List of number-one singles of 1968 (Ireland)
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1980 (U.S.)
References
- ↑ "You can tell from the vocal that I was pissed off!" Davy Jones, The Monkees Tale, Last Gasp Press, 1986
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 norwegiancharts.com The Monkees - Daydream Believer
- ↑ "The Monkees - Daydream Believer". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 176.
- ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 242.
- ↑ "RPM Country Tracks for March 15, 1980". RPM. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
- ↑ "RPM Country Tracks for March 22, 1980". RPM. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
- ↑ "RPM Country Tracks for March 29, 1980". RPM. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
External links
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