
I’m A Believer is a song penned by Neil Diamond and made a forever signature classic by The Monkees way back in 1966. The song went gold in 2 days, hitting number 1 in December 1966 and was the biggest selling single of 1967. It is also one of only 40 songs to sell 10 million physical copies (source:Wikipedia). Amazing numbers for so long ago. Needless to say that success bred many attempts at duplication, of which I will note four. Don’t forget to vote for the one you like best.
First we have British singer Robert Wyatt who made it a UK hit in 1974. The band he was with had some power with Andy Summers (Police) on guitar and Nick Mason (Pink Floyd) on drums. The video is a live performance on Tops Of The Pops and was his first appearance after an accident left him a paraplegic.
Robert Wyatt
Next up we have my favourite version by Smash Mouth. Why you say? Simple, Shrek is one of my all time favourite movies. Eddie Murphy is also featured on the tune, recorded in 2001.
Smash Mouth
Third, we have the man, Neil Diamond. he sings his song live in 2008. Nicely done Neil.
Neil Diamond
And last, the original.
Smash Mouth… wow. They fell off my radar completely!
That’s not good donkey
I’ve gotta say, I thing Neil and Smashmouth do the best versions.
I’m not sure there are any Monkees songs I really like.
(Knowing by heart and liking are two different things.)
It’s a history thing. The song is not that bad, typical of the era.
Always the Monkees! My very first record was I’m a Believer by the Monkees & I used to sing into a hairbrush all the time while dancing my little ass off!