This article needs additional citations for verification .(April 2022) |
"I'm a Believer" | ||||
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![]() US single cover | ||||
Single by the Monkees | ||||
from the album More of the Monkees | ||||
B-side | "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" | |||
Released | November 1966 [1] | |||
Recorded | October 15 and 22–25, 1966 [1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:47 | |||
Label | Colgems | |||
Songwriter(s) | Neil Diamond | |||
Producer(s) | Jeff Barry | |||
The Monkees singles chronology | ||||
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Official audio | ||||
"I'm a Believer" (2006 Remaster) on YouTube |
"I'm a Believer" is a song written by Neil Diamond and recorded by American band the Monkees in 1966 with the lead vocals by Micky Dolenz. The single, produced by Jeff Barry, hit the number-one spot on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for the week ending December 31, 1966, and remained there for seven weeks [3] becoming the last number-one hit of 1966 and the biggest-selling single for all of 1967. Billboard ranked the record as the number-five song for 1967. [4] While originally published by Screen Gems-Columbia Music (BMI), it is now published by Stonebridge Music/EMI Foray Music (SESAC), with administration passed to Sony Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group.
The song topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in January and February 1967. Also, it reached number one in several other countries, including Australia, New Zealand, [5] Canada, and Ireland. [6]
Billboard described the song as "an easy-go dance mover" that "will hit with immediate impact". [7] Cash Box said the single is a "medium-paced rocker [that] is full of the group's top-notch harmonies and is laced with infectious sounds." [8] Record World said it was "sensational." [9]
The song was featured in four consecutive episodes of the television series The Monkees in December 1966. The members of the Monkees later performed it live during domestic and overseas tours at that time and many years later at reunion concerts.[ citation needed ]
Diamond also suggested the song to the Fifth Estate, who recorded it as a 1967 album cut to follow up their hit "Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead".
Diamond recorded his own version of the song for his second album, Just For You , in 1967. This version became a minor chart hit in 1971. A new recording by Diamond, featuring additional lyrics, appears on his 1979 album September Morn . Diamond also performed it in a duet with Linda Ronstadt as part of a medley of his songs on an episode of The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour in 1970.
Neil Diamond
Chart (1971) | Peak position |
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Canada RPM Adult Contemporary [10] | 21 |
Canada RPM Top Singles [11] | 61 |
Germany | 23 |
Netherlands | 29 |
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [12] | 51 |
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary | 31 |
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 | 52 |
Session guitarist Al Gorgoni (who played on "The Sound of Silence" and later on "Brown Eyed Girl") had worked on Diamond's "Cherry, Cherry" and also contributed to "I'm a Believer." Other personnel on the record include Sal DiTroia on rhythm guitar, Neil Diamond on acoustic guitar, Russ Savakus on bass, George Butcher on electric piano, Stan Free on organ, George Devens on tambourine, and Buddy Saltzman on drums. [13]
The song is listed at number 48 on Billboard 's All Time Top 100. [3] In 2021, it was listed at number 341 on Rolling Stone 's "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" [14]
The Monkees
Additional personnel
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
All-time charts
|
}
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Netherlands | — | 100,000 [28] |
Norway (IFPI Norway) [29] | Silver | 25,000 [29] |
Spain (PROMUSICAE) [30] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
United Kingdom Original release | — | 750,000 [31] |
United Kingdom (BPI) [32] 2005 release | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
United States (RIAA) [33] | Gold | 4,000,000 [34] |
Summaries | ||
Worldwide | — | 10,000,000 [31] |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
This section needs additional citations for verification .(July 2022) |
"I'm a Believer" | ||||
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Single by Smash Mouth | ||||
from the album Shrek: Music from the Original Motion Picture and Smash Mouth | ||||
Released | August 13, 2001 | |||
Length | 3:02 | |||
Label | Interscope | |||
Songwriter(s) | Neil Diamond | |||
Producer(s) | Eric Valentine | |||
Smash Mouth singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"I'm a Believer" on YouTube |
American pop rock band Smash Mouth covered the song in 2001 as part of the soundtrack to the movie Shrek , along with their previous Grammy-nominated hit "All Star." The band also released the song on its self-titled album. Eddie Murphy, portraying the character Donkey, also performed a rendition of the song in the film. The song was chosen for its opening line, "I thought love was only true in fairy tales," which matched the fairy tale theme of the film. Subsequently, the song was played as exit music for the Broadway musical adaptation of the film for comic effect. (Weezer also had a version of the song at the end of Shrek's 2010 sequel Shrek Forever After , which was inserted into the musical's finale a year into its run.) The Smash Mouth version peaked at number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top 20 in New Zealand and Spain. In Australia, the cover reached number nine on the ARIA Singles Chart, received a Platinum certification for sales exceeding 70,000 and came in at number 36 on ARIA's year-end chart for 2001.
The music video for Smash Mouth's version was directed by Scott Marshall. It first depicts the band performing in a tent; then, the scene switches to them walking out of a movie theater, complete with cardboard advertisements of Shrek and the characters. Then, lead vocalist Steve Harwell accidentally bumps into a blond-haired woman and tries to catch up with her. However, a man with blond hair comes up as Harwell freaks out and screams. Afterward, the woman walks into a "fairy tale convention" at a hotel. Harwell continues to follow the woman into the hotel. Once in the hotel, Harwell tries to find the woman by looking through different rooms. However, there are short clips from Shrek each time he opens the door. Finally, he tries one more door and thinks it is the woman. However, a blond-haired chimpanzee is dancing with a woman dressed as a banana. With no luck, Harwell walks out of the hotel, but the woman speeds off in her red convertible.
Hoping to catch up, Harwell sneakily takes a red jacket and borrows a silver Lexus car driven by a costumed gingerbread man who is injured and using crutches. Then, Harwell winks at the camera as the chase begins. While driving, he throws the jacket up and into the street. He then stops at a party where the woman is and goes into a tent, the same one where the band's performance takes place). However, he observes several similar blonde-haired women, all dancing and wearing the same red shirt. Harwell somehow recognizes the woman again and catches up with her just as she boards a boat. He asks the boat captain for assistance, and the band performs on the boat during a heavy storm. Meanwhile, Harwell and the captain search for the woman. Finally, he catches her on a dock and informs her that she forgot her keys. Just as he is about to leave, the woman recognizes him as Steve from Smash Mouth and asks for his number. However, Harwell declines and says he has to go. The woman then chases him and yells, "Wait! Please! I love you!"
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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Australia (ARIA) [52] | Platinum | 70,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [53] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Region | Date | Format(s) | Label(s) | Ref. |
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Australia | August 13, 2001 | CD | Interscope | [54] |
Japan | September 19, 2001 | Universal Music Japan | [55] |
An Italian cover by Caterina Caselli, "Sono bugiarda" ("I'm a liar"), was released in 1967. It was used in Ridley Scott's 2021 biopic House of Gucci . [56] [57]
British Canterbury scene musician Robert Wyatt issued a cover version of the song as a single on the Virgin label in 1974. The record was produced by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason and reached number 29 on the UK Singles Chart. [58] Wyatt performed the song on BBC's Top of the Pops in September of that year. [59] [60]
The song was also covered by EMF with Vic and Bob (Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer) in 1995 and reached number three on the UK Singles Chart. [61]
The song appeared in the Yugoslav Black Wave film When I Am Dead and Gone directed by Živojin Pavlović. The song appears in the singing competition scene, performed by singer Predrag Jovanović, who would later gain prominence as a member of the German band Jane and Yugoslav band Dʼ Boys. [62]
The song was initially used in the home video version of the Coen brothers' 1984 film Blood Simple , but after licensing issues were settled, it was replaced in the 2001 director's cut of the film by the song used in the theatrical version, Four Tops' "It's the Same Old Song." [63]
American rock band Weezer performed a cover for the 2010 animated film Shrek Forever After . In 2018 Hot Dad performed a cover for Shrek Retold . [64]
Smash Mouth is an American rock band from San Jose, California. The band was formed in 1994 and was originally composed of Steve Harwell, Kevin Coleman (drums), Greg Camp (guitar), and Paul De Lisle (bass). With Harwell's departure in 2021, De Lisle is now the only original member. They are known for their songs "Walkin' on the Sun" (1997), "All Star" (1999), and "Then The Morning Comes" (1999), as well as a cover of The Monkees' "I'm a Believer" (2001).
Astro Lounge is the second studio album by American rock band Smash Mouth, released on June 8, 1999 by Interscope Records. It includes the single "All Star", which is widely considered as the group's signature song and topped the US Billboard Hot 100. Three other singles were also released from the album, including "Waste", "Then the Morning Comes", and a cover version of The Four Seasons's "Can't Get Enough of You Baby".
Smash Mouth is the third studio album by American rock band of the same name. It was released on November 27, 2001 by Interscope Records. It is notable in that it was their first album with new drummer Michael Urbano and its release was delayed a few months due to the death of Steve Harwell's infant son and the September 11 attacks. The album was eventually certified Gold by the RIAA for sales in excess of 500,000 in the U.S.
"I'm Every Woman" is a song by American singer Chaka Khan, released in September 1978 by Warner Bros. as her debut solo single from her first album, Chaka (1978). It was Khan's first hit outside her recordings with the funk band Rufus. "I'm Every Woman" was produced by Arif Mardin and written by the successful songwriting team Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. The single established Chaka's career outside the group Rufus, whom she would leave after their eighth studio album, Masterjam, was released in late 1979.
"All Star" is a song by the American rock band Smash Mouth from their second studio album, Astro Lounge (1999). Written by Greg Camp and produced by Eric Valentine, the song was released on May 4, 1999, as the first single from Astro Lounge. The song was one of the last tracks to be written for Astro Lounge, after the band's record label Interscope requested more songs that could be released as singles. In writing it, Camp drew musical influence from contemporary music by artists like Sugar Ray and Third Eye Blind, and sought out to create an "anthem" for outcasts. In contrast to the more ska punk style of Smash Mouth's debut album Fush Yu Mang (1997), the song features a more radio-friendly style.
"Daydream Believer" is a song composed by American songwriter John Stewart shortly before he left the Kingston Trio. It was originally recorded by the Monkees, with Davy Jones singing the lead. The single reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1967, remaining there for four weeks, and peaked at No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. It was the Monkees' third and last No. 1 hit in the U.S.
"Valleri" is a song written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart for the Monkees. The single peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent two weeks at #1 on the Cash Box chart in early 1968, and reached #1 in Canada and #12 in the UK.
"I'm Too Sexy" is a song by British pop band Right Said Fred, released in July 1991 by Tug Records as their debut single from their first album, Up (1992). The song was written by band members and brothers Fred Fairbrass and Richard Fairbrass with Rob Manzoli and peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart. Outside the United Kingdom, it topped the charts in seven countries, including Australia, Canada, Ireland, and the United States. James Lebon directed the music video for the song, featuring various clips of models walking on the catwalk. In 2023, Billboard magazine ranked "I'm Too Sexy" among the 500 best pop songs of all time.
"Walkin' on the Sun" is a song by American rock band Smash Mouth from their first album, Fush Yu Mang (1997). Released as their debut single in June 1997, the song was Smash Mouth's first major single, reaching No. 1 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay chart. It was also a success abroad, peaking at No. 3 in Canada and Iceland, No. 5 in Italy and Spain, and No. 7 in Australia, where it is certified platinum for shipments exceeding 70,000 units.
"Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" is a song written by American musician Neil Diamond, whose recording of it on Bang Records reached number 10 on the US pop singles chart in 1967. The song enjoyed a second life when it appeared on the 1994 Pulp Fiction soundtrack, performed by rock band Urge Overkill. Other versions have been recorded by Cliff Richard (1968), Jackie Edwards (1968), the Biddu Orchestra (1978), and 16 Volt (1998).
"Why Can't We Be Friends?" is a song by American funk band War, from their 1975 studio album of the same name. It has a simple structure, with the phrase "Why can't we be friends?" being sung four times after each two-line verse amounting to forty-four times in under four minutes. The song reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the summer of 1975, and uniquely features each band member singing their own verse. It was played in outer space when NASA beamed it to the linking of Soviet cosmonauts and U.S. astronauts for the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project. Billboard ranked it as the No. 23 song of that year.
"Don't Turn Around" is a popular song written by Albert Hammond and Diane Warren. It was originally recorded by American singer Tina Turner and released as the B-side to her 1986 hit single "Typical Male". It has since been included on Turner's compilation album The Collected Recordings: Sixties to Nineties (1994), as well as featuring in the Tina musical since 2018.
"Tell It Like It Is" is a song written by George Davis and Lee Diamond and originally recorded and released in 1966 by Aaron Neville. In 2010, the song was ranked No. 391 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
"Soul Man" is a 1967 song written and composed by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, first successful as a number 2 hit single by Atlantic Records soul duo Sam & Dave, which consisted of Samuel "Sam" Moore and David "Dave" Prater. In 2019, "Soul Man" was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry as "culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress. It was No. 463 in "Top 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" by Rolling Stone in 2010 and No. 458 in 2004.
"Winchester Cathedral" is a song by the New Vaudeville Band, a British novelty group established by the song's composer, Geoff Stephens, and was released in late 1966 by Fontana Records.
"Then the Morning Comes" is a song by American band Smash Mouth. It was released in September 1999 as the second single from the band's second studio album, Astro Lounge. The song was a successful follow-up to the international hit "All Star" in several nations, peaking at number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number two in Canada, number 17 in Iceland and number 22 in New Zealand.
"Georgy Girl" is a song by the Australian pop/folk music group The Seekers. It was used as the title song for the 1966 film of the same title. Tom Springfield, who had written "I'll Never Find Another You", composed the music and Jim Dale supplied the lyrics. The song is heard at both the beginning and end of the film, with markedly different lyrics. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song but the prize went to "Born Free".
"A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You" is a song written by Neil Diamond, recorded by the Monkees in 1967 and released as a single on the Colgems label. The lead vocal was Davy Jones' first on a Monkees single. The single reached No. 1 on the Cashbox Top 100 chart, while on the Billboard Hot 100 it reached No. 2, with "Somethin' Stupid" by Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra keeping it from the top spot.
"Can't Get Enough of You Baby" is a song written by Denny Randell and Sandy Linzer and first recorded by the Four Seasons in 1965 for their album Working My Way Back to You and More Great New Hits. The protopunk band? and the Mysterians recorded it in 1967 for their second album Action. Their version reached No. 56 on the Billboard Hot 100 when it was released as a single.
The discography of Smash Mouth, an American rock band, consists of seven studio albums, four compilation albums, 19 singles and 13 music videos. Their first studio album, Fush Yu Mang, was released in 1997. It peaked at number 19 in the US and was certified platinum two times by the RIAA. A single from the album, "Walkin' on the Sun", peaked at number 1 on the US Adult Top 40 and Alternative Songs charts and at number 3 in Canada. In 1999, Smash Mouth released their second studio album, Astro Lounge. Helped by the singles "Can't Get Enough of You Baby", "All Star", and "Then the Morning Comes", the album peaked at number 6 in the US and was certified platinum three times by the RIAA. "All Star" peaked at number 1 on the US Adult Top 40 chart and also reached the top five on the US Billboard Hot 100, US Alternative Songs, Australia, and Canada charts. "Then the Morning Comes" peaked at number 2 on the US Adult Top 40 and Canada charts.
It sold over three million in America in its first two months on the market, and over 750,000 in Britain on the RCA label... Global sales are estimated at around ten million