I'm a Believer

"I'm a Believer" is a song composed by Neil Diamond and recorded by 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,[1] becoming the last No. 1 hit of 1966 and the biggest-selling record for all of 1967. Billboard ranked the record as the No. 5 song for 1967.[2] Because of 1,051,280 advance orders, it went gold within two days of release. It is one of the fewer than forty all-time singles to have sold more than 10 million physical copies worldwide. 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/ATV Music Publishing and Universal Music Publishing Group.

"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 12, 1966
RecordedOctober 15 & 23, 1966
New York City, NY
GenrePop rock
Length2:47
LabelColgems #1002
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)

The song was No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart for four weeks in January and February 1967 and reached the top spot in numerous countries, including Australia, New Zealand,[3] Canada, and Ireland.[4]

The song appeared in four consecutive episodes of The Monkees TV show in December 1966.

History

The Monkees' recording kept the novelty hit "Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron", by the Royal Guardsmen, out of the No. 1 spot; it stayed at No. 2 for four weeks.

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".

A revised 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.

Charts
Neil Diamond
Chart (1971) Peak
position
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[5] 21
Canada RPM Top Singles[6] 61
Germany 23
Netherlands 29
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[7] 51
U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary 31
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 52

Recording

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 piano, Stan Free on Vox Continental organ, George Devens on percussion, and Buddy Saltzman on drums.[8]

The song is listed at No. 48 on Billboard's All Time Top 100.[1]

Charts and certifications

Later uses

The song was originally used in the home video version of the Coen brothers' 1984 film Blood Simple, but after licensing issues were settled, 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".[23] It was also used in the South Park episode "Chickenpox".

When Marvin Andrews scored for Rangers, or won the Man of the Match at Ibrox Stadium, the song was played.

Smash Mouth version
"I'm a Believer"
Single by Smash Mouth
from the album Smash Mouth
ReleasedAugust 14, 2001
Recorded2000
Length3:02
LabelInterscope
Songwriter(s)Neil Diamond
Producer(s)Eric Valentine
Smash Mouth singles chronology
"Then the Morning Comes"
(1999)		 "I'm a Believer"
(2001)		 "Pacific Coast Party"
(2001)

American pop rock band Smash Mouth covered the song in 2001 as part of the soundtrack to the movie Shrek, along with "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 hit No. 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reached the top 20 in New Zealand and Spain. In Australia, the cover reached No. 9 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.

Music video

The music video for Smash Mouth's version was directed by Scott Marshall. It at 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 bumps into a blond-haired girl by accident and then tries to catch up with her. However, a man with blond hair comes up as Harwell freaks out and screams. Afterwards, the girl walks into a "fairy tale convention" at a hotel. Harwell continues to follow the girl into the hotel. Once in the hotel, Harwell tries to find the girl 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 girl. However, it is a blond-haired chimpanzee, who dances with a girl dressed as a banana. With no luck, Harwell walks out of the hotel, but the girl speeds off in her red convertible. Hoping to catch up, he sneakily takes a red jacket and borrows a silver Lexus car driven by a costumed gingerbread man who is injured on 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 girl is and goes into a tent. However, he sees multiple blond-haired girls with the same red shirt on, all dancing. By the time he catches up to her, the girl goes on a boat. Harwell asks a boat captain for assistance to win the girl. The band then performs on the boat during a heavy storm. Meanwhile, Harwell and the captain are on the lookout of the girl. He finally catches her on a dock and says that she forgot her keys. Just as he is about to leave, the girl recognizes him as Steve from Smash Mouth and asks for his number. However, Harwell declines and says he has to go. Finally, the girl then chases him and yells, "Wait! Please! I love you!"

Charts and certifications

Other versions

An Italian version by Caterina Caselli "Sono Bugiarda" was a hit in Italy in 1967.

Robert Wyatt had a Top 30 hit in the UK in September–October 1974 (it reached No. 29 on the UK charts) with a version of "I'm a Believer" that features Fred Frith on violin, Andy Summers (later of the Police) on guitar, and drums by Nick Mason of Pink Floyd, who also produced the recording. It was Wyatt's first single after the June 1973 accident that left him a paraplegic.

A Finnish version by Muska "Nyt mä uskon taas" was released in 1993.

In 1995, British comedians Vic Reeves and Bob Mortimer teamed up with the band EMF for a version that reached No. 3 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 17 on the Irish Singles Chart.[38][39]

In 2010, Weezer covered the song for the soundtrack to Shrek Forever After.[40][41]

In 2019, the official trailer for Jojo Rabbit featured the German version of the song by Jack White, "Mit All Deiner Liebe".

References
  1. "The Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Songs". Billboard. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
  2. Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1967
  3. Flavour of New Zealand, 23 March 1967
  4. Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 200. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  5. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. August 14, 1971. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  6. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. August 14, 1971. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  7. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  8. 'More of the Monkees' deluxe reissue, Rhino Records 2017, booklet, Pages 17 and 20, containing personnel as listed by Monkees historian Andrew Sandoval, sourced directly from official Musicians' Union records
  9. "Go-Set Magazine Charts". poparchives.com.au. Barry McKay. January 2007. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  10. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. January 2, 1967. Retrieved May 9, 2018.
  11. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – I’m A Believer". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  12. "South African Rock Lists Website SA Charts 1969 – 1989 Acts (M)". Rock.co.za. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  13. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  14. Cash Box Top 100 Singles, February 2, 1967
  15. "Go-Set Magazine Charts". poparchives.com.au. Barry McKay. January 2007. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
  16. "RPM Top 100 Singles of 1967". Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  17. "Top 20 Hit Singles of 1967". Retrieved September 2, 2018.
  18. Musicoutfitters.com
  19. "Cash Box Year-End Charts: Top 100 Pop Singles, December 23, 1967". Archived from the original on September 30, 2018. Retrieved April 27, 2018.
  20. "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  21. "British single certifications – Monkees – I'm a Believer". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved November 1, 2019. Select singles in the Format field. Select Gold in the Certification field. Type I'm a Believer in the "Search BPI Awards" field and then press Enter.
  22. "American single certifications – The Monkees – I'm a Believer". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved November 1, 2019. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH. 
  23. Beckett, David (March 27, 2013). "Blood Simple - Director's Cut (2013) DVD". Film 365.
  24. "Australian-charts.com – Smash Mouth – I'm a Believer". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  25. "Ultratop.be – Smash Mouth – I'm a Believer" (in Dutch). Ultratip. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  26. "Offiziellecharts.de – Smash Mouth – I'm a Believer". GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  27. "Irish-charts.com – Discography Smash Mouth". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  28. "Italiancharts.com – Smash Mouth – I'm a Believer". Top Digital Download. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  29. "Dutchcharts.nl – Smash Mouth – I'm a Believer" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  30. "Charts.nz – Smash Mouth – I'm a Believer". Top 40 Singles.
  31. "Spanishcharts.com – Smash Mouth – I'm a Believer" Canciones Top 50. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  32. "Smash Mouth Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2016.
  33. "Smash Mouth Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  34. "Smash Mouth Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  35. "Listy bestsellerów, wyróżnienia :: Związek Producentów Audio-Video". Polish Airplay Top 100. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
  36. "ARIA Charts - End Of Year Charts - Top 100 Singles 2001". ARIA. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  37. "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2001 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Archived from the original on August 10, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
  38. "Official Singles Chart Top 100 02 July 1995 - 08 July 1995". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  39. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – EMF". Retrieved July 17, 2018.
  40. https://open.spotify.com/track/4YS2mOty0YOc7U0jrB3ByL?si=qgWjoM8CTfC5fnHVos4hiA
  41. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yv8728PGMpo
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