With Diamond rocking out on the acoustic rhythm guitar and the other Monkees chiming in with an endearing "Ahh," Monkees fan (along with the rest of the nation) couldn't get enough of the song's ecstatic joy and the song became Monkees' second hit, following in the steps of "Last Train to Clarksville." Dolenz sang, "Then I saw her face, now I'm a believer. Not a trace, of doubt in my mind," with earnest marvel before swears, "I'm in love, and I'm a believer!" Kirshner asked Diamond if he had any other tune like that in-store, and Diamond responded with "I'm a Believer."Ĭatchy, twangy and bursting at its seams with the irresistible energy of youthful love, Micky Dolenz delivered the song perfectly, filling the role of someone a desolate, disappointed loner whose world turns upside down as he falls in love at first sight - literally. The Monkees producer Don Kirshner had heard Diamond's "Cherry Cherry" on the radio and realized that the friendly, fun loving riffs would fit the Monkees' vibe just right. He always wanted to be a popular singing artist.Written by Neil Diamond, "I'm a Believer" was reportedly intended for country singer Eddy Arnold - you can imagine Diamond's surprise when the Monkees' version of the song launched instead into a pop sensation. RICHARD SINCLAIR: In The Wilde Flowers with Robert, I remember doing things like Chuck Berry numbers, so “I’m A Believer” wasn’t anything unusual from Robert. Then I produced Rock Bottom.ĭAVE MACRAE: Was I surprised Robert was doing a Monkees song? Working with Robert, surprises were the norm! He has great mental energy, always looking for new ways to express his ideas. We were all holed up in the same hotel there in 1968. NICK MASON: I met Robert at UFO, then we did some gigs together – we certainly spent time together in New York when Soft Machine were touring with Hendrix. Simon Draper at Virgin, he saw this and he called my bluff, saying “Would you do a pop song?” I’d intended to do “Last Train To Clarksville”, ’cause I like that, but I got muddled up. ROBERT WYATT: I’d said in NME or Melody Maker that I really liked pop music – to me, it’s the folk music of the industrial age, it’s what people sing and dance to on a Saturday night. “That well-known saying – well, not that well-known, because I made it up – ‘we live and learn, but in that order, unfortunately.’” But we all learn from our mistakes,” he says, mock-philosophically. “If you’re going to do it, do it properly, like Wilko Johnson… I just thought, note to self, don’t do that anymore. The irrepressible Wyatt wouldn’t have had it any other way, though – the only reservation he has about the track is his own “jigging about” when miming on TV. An appearance on Top Of The Pops led to arguments with the show’s producer and threats of a ban, then Virgin refused to release his follow-up single. But rather than hindering him creatively, his paralysis allowed the drummer to put down his sticks and concentrate on singing, keyboards and songwriting, crafting the experimental, pastoral Rock Bottom, produced by Mason and featuring Fred Frith and Richard Sinclair.įar from starting a more commercial era in his career, though, things didn’t run smoothly after the release of “I’m A Believer”. Wyatt has been in a wheelchair since June 1, 1973, when he fell out of a window at a Maida Vale party.
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