DAYDREAM BELIEVER

I have said enough about my liking The Monkees when their tv show came out over here and rushing home after my second paper round of the day to watch it over afternoon tea (dinner? for all you southern folk) learning about this song and who wrote it is fascinating to me. Davy Jones' vocal I enjoyed and Kingston Trio songwriter John Stewart offered the producers this as a song for the band and it charted at no 5 in the UK although made no. 1 in the States and stayed there for several weeks

On this day in music history: December 2, 1967 - “Daydream Believer” by The Monkees hits #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 4 weeks. Written by John Stewart, it is the third (and final) chart topping single for The Monkees. Singer and songwriter John Stewart (“Gold”) writes “Daydream Believer” while he is still a member of the folk music band The Kingston Trio. The song is brought to The Monkees by their producer Chip Douglas, after running into Stewart at party. Douglas assigns the song to Davy Jones to sing, though Jones isn’t fond of the song and is unsure that it will be a hit. “Daydream Believer” had been previously offered to We Five and Spanky & Our Gang, with both bands turning it down. The Monkees version is recorded at RCA Victor Recording Studios on June 14, 1967, with overdubs being recorded on August 9, 1967. Jazz trumpeter and bandleader Shorty Rogers writes the horn and string arrangements heard on the final track. Any doubt about its hit potential is quickly erased as soon as it’s released on November 7, 1967. Entering the Hot 100 at #33 on November 18, 1967, it leaps to the top of the chart only three weeks later. Though it is recorded during sessions for the bands’ fourth album “Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd.” it is released initially as a stand alone single. It is included on their next full length release “The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees” in May of 1968. “Daydream Believer” becomes a hit again in early 1980 when country/pop singer Anne Murray’s version tops the Adult Contemporary chart, as well as peaking at #3 on the country chart and #12 on the Hot 100. The Monkees’ version of “Daydream Believer” is re-released as a single in October of 1986, following the reunion of Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork. Also included on the greatest hits compilation “Then & Now… The Best of The Monkees”, the song is issued as the follow up to the newly recorded track “That Was Then, This Is Now” (#20 Pop). “Daydream” is remixed by producer Michael Lloyd, featuring a new percussion track added to the mix. “Daydream Believer” is certified Gold in the US by the RIAA.