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Daydream Believer
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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's last number one hit in the U.S.
ucer Chip Douglas introduced The Monkees to the song.
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Encyclopedia
"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's last number one hit in the U.S.
The Monkees
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. 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", removing any sense of contrast or meaning to the lyric.
Probably the most famous part of the song is the humorous opening:
Chip Douglas: "7A" (referring to the take of the song)
Davy Jones: "What number is this, Chip?"
Chip Douglas and others (annoyed): "7A!"
Davy Jones: "Okay. I mean, don't get excited, man. Just 'cause I'm short, I know."
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.
Cover versions
Numerous other artists have covered the song:
- John Stewart himself recorded the song on his solo albums The Lonesome Picker Rides Again 1971 and Airdream Believer 1995. He also included it in live performances right up to his death.
- The Four Tops covered the song on their 1968 album Yesterday's Dreams.
- 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, number three on the country chart, and number twelve on the pop chart. She re-released the song as a duet with Nelly Furtado in her 2008 Anne Murray Duets: Friends and Legends album.
- The Timers, a Japanese rock band led by singer-songwriter Kiyoshiro Imawano, covered the song in 1989. Their version sung in Japanese gained huge commercial success, reaching number-two on that country's charts.
- In 1998, all girl Japanese punk-rock band Shonen Knife also performed the song in original lyrics on their album Happy Hour.
- A version of the song performed by Mary Beth Maziarz can be found on the second Dawson's Creek soundtrack, Songs From Dawson's Creek Volume 2, as well as on Mary Beth Maziarz's CD A More Perfect World. This version of the song was played three times on the WB teen drama: in episodes #3-19 "Stolen Kisses," #4-23 "Coda," and #5-01 "The Bostonians." It is a favorite especially of Dawson and Joey fans, or "DJers." (In #3-19 "Stolen Kisses" the Monkees version of the song is also used in a karaoke duet between Dawson and Joey.)
- Verbal Warning currently performs a punked-up version of the song in their live set.
- U2 performed the song live on their PopMart Tour. At the Los Angeles show on June 21, 1997, Davy Jones made a guest appearance onstage to sing with the band.
- Lee Mead performed the song on the BBC television series Any Dream Will Do.
- British pop duo Robson and Jerome released this song in the 1990s.
- On the 3rd season of America's Got Talent, contestants The Wright Kids performed a shorter version of "Daydream Believer".
- English girl group Atomic Kitten released a cover of this song on their 2004 album.
Other uses
- The Monkees version of the song has been used in an advertising campaign for eBay which began in 2005. Alluding to a line from the song's chorus, "Oh, what can it mean ...", the campaign features the slogan, "Whatever it is, you can get it on eBay." .
- A change in lyrics has also made it usable in an advertisement for Evergreen liquid grass feed, around 30 seconds long, shown around early 2006.
- In late 2005, the Finnish national railway company VR Group also used the song in their advertising campaign with Finnish lyrics.
- The song has become widely used by English football fans, who substitute their own lyrics -- for instance, "Cheer Up Peter Reid" during Sunderland's 1996 promotion season, which even entered the top 40. It may also be used in a derogatory manner against opposition teams. In Northern Ireland the song is used by Glentoran and Linfield fans both with derogatory lyrics. It is also used by Swansea City fans towards their rivals Cardiff City. The Swans' current version is ironically directed towards the Cardiff manager "Davey Jones".
- Part of the song has also been used on a recent Dominick's commercial starting with the chorus and by Vons supermarket.
- The song was also featured in the 2008 music simulation game Wii Music.
Chart positions
The Monkees version
| Chart (1967) | Peak
position |
|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 | | Irish Singles Chart | 1 | | Norwegian VG-lista Singles Chart | 2 | | Japanese Oricon Singles Chart | 4 | | Austrian Singles Chart | 7 | | Swiss Singles Chart | 10 | |
| Chart (1981) | Peak
position |
|---|
| Japanese Oricon Singles Chart | 29 | |
Anne Murray version
| Chart (1980) | Peak
position |
|---|
| U.S. Billboard AC | 1 | | U.S. Billboard Country | 3 | | U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 12 | |
The Timers version
| Chart (1989) | Peak
position |
|---|
| Japanese Oricon Singles Chart | 2 | |
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