I'm a Believer

"I'm a Believer"
US single cover
Single by the Monkees
from the album More of the Monkees
B-side"(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone"
ReleasedNovember 1966 (1966-11)[1]
RecordedOctober 15 and 22–25, 1966[1]
Genre
Length2:47
LabelColgems
Songwriter(s)Neil Diamond
Producer(s)Jeff Barry
The Monkees singles chronology
"Last Train to Clarksville"
(1966) 		"I'm a Believer"
(1966) 		"A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You"
(1967)
Official audio
"I'm a Believer" (2006 Remaster) on YouTube
The Monkees - "I'm a Believer"
16 seconds (of 2:47)
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"I'm a Believer" is a song written by Neil Diamond and recorded by the 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]

  1. ^ a b Sandoval, Andrew (2005). The Monkees: The Day-By-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation. San Diego, California: Thunder Bay Press. pp. 63–64, 65. ISBN 978-1-59223-372-4 – via the Internet Archive.
  2. ^ Stanley, Bob (September 13, 2013). "Bubblegum is the Naked Truth: The Monkees". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 276. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference bb2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1967
  5. ^ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Archived from the original on May 5, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2021.
  6. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 200. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  7. ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. December 3, 1966. p. 18. Retrieved March 2, 2021.
  8. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. December 3, 1966. p. 40. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  9. ^ "Single Picks of the Week" (PDF). Record World. December 3, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved July 11, 2023.