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Daydream Believer

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"Daydream Believer"
Song
B-side"Goin' Down"

"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, "Daydream Believer" was recorded by Canadian singer 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 a 1971 version by John Stewart himself.

The Monkees version

Background

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 performance

Weekly charts

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 Billboard Hot 100
number one single
December 2–23, 1967 		Succeeded by

John Stewart version

Background

John Stewart ultimately recorded his own version of "Daydream Believer" for his 1971 album The Lonesome Picker Rides Again. It stood in stark contrast to the popular Monkees single: it was slower and more folkish, and contained many lyrical differences. Most notably, it restored "funky" to where "happy" had been inserted, and referred to the shaving razor as "old" rather than "cold". Also, in refrains near the end, he repeatedly substituted words to mock the established lyrics, beginning with "...to a Lonesome Picker and a homecoming queen," then "...to an old surfer drummer and a homecoming queen," then "...to old Nashville Carter and a homecoming queen," and ultimately "...to a daydream deceiver and an old closet queen." In interviews, Stewart described that he originally envisioned the song as demonstrating the process of a relationship where at the start, both parties are in an idealistic haze, but later artifice falls away and each are confronted with their real selves, thus it's this point where love is really proven. Hence his initial insistence on the adjective "funky," as if to suggest his lover has grown to accept his less-pleasant aspects.

Anne Murray version

"Daydream Believer"
Song
B-side"Do You Think Of Me?"

Background

Anne Murray recorded a cover version of "Daydream Believer" and included it on her Platinum-certified 1979 album, I'll Always Love You. The following year, Murray's single became her eighth number 1 hit 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 2007 album, Anne Murray Duets: Friends and Legends.

Chart performance

Weekly charts

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 Billboard Adult Contemporary (chart) number-one single
March 1, 1980 		Succeeded by
"Give It All You Got" by Chuck Mangione
Preceded by RPM Country Tracks
number-one single
March 22, 1980[7] 		Succeeded by

Other versions

See also

References

  1. ^ "You can tell from the vocal that I was pissed off!" Davy Jones, The Monkees Tale, Last Gasp Press, 1986
  2. ^ a b c norwegiancharts.com The Monkees - Daydream Believer
  3. ^ "The Monkees - Daydream Believer". ultratop.be. Retrieved 2013-03-05.
  4. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 176.
  5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 242.
  6. ^ "RPM Country Tracks for March 15, 1980". RPM. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
  7. ^ "RPM Country Tracks for March 22, 1980". RPM. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
  8. ^ "RPM Country Tracks for March 29, 1980". RPM. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
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