Rock ‘n’ Roll Trivia

Original ‘Daydream Believer’ had unusual opening

by John Robinson

Q: I was told that the Monkees’ song “Daydream Believer” was originally recorded by the Kingston Trio.

A: Not true. I’ll explain in a bit. The original 1967 single version of the Monkees’ “Daydream Believer” kicks off with producer Chip Douglas mentioning the take of the song: “7-A.” Then Davy Jones asks, “what number is this, Chip?” to which Chip and the other Monkees impatiently shout, “7-A!” Davy then answers with “OK, I mean, don’t get excited, man. It’s just ’cause I’m short, I know.” (Davy didn’t really care for the song and was becoming more and more annoyed with all the takes.) Chip put that little exchange at the beginning of the single just for a laugh; it’s rare to find that original opening on any Monkees’ “greatest hits” or “best of” packages. As for your query, the song was written by former Kingston Trio member John Stewart, but that group didn’t record it first. Stewart’s original lyric in the second verse was “you once thought of me as a white knight on a steed, now you know how funky I can be.” The Monkees changed the word “funky” to “happy.” If they hadn’t, the song wouldn’t have held up as well as it does to this day. Monkees member Peter Tork came up with the arrangement for the song and plays piano throughout. Originally, the song “Love Is Only Sleeping” was to have been released as the next Monkees’ single, but master tapes didn’t arrive in time for the scheduled single release. In its place, they put out “Daydream Believer,” which went to No. 1 for four weeks around Christmastime 1967. It became their second largest hit, behind “I’m A Believer.” Nineteen years later, in 1986, when three of the Monkees — Micky Dolenz, Jones and Tork — went on a reunion tour, Arista Records re-released “Daydream Believer” as a single follow-up to another 1986 Monkees’ single, “That Was Then, This Is Now.” It was remixed with a different drum track and made the lower end of the Hot 100 singles chart.

More “Daydream Believer” info

1) All Monkees play on the song: along with Davy Jones’ lead vocals, Micky Dolenz is on backing vocals, Mike Nesmith on lead guitar and Peter Tork arranged the song and performs the wonderful piano riffs.
2) “Daydream Believer” was being promoted before it was even released and prematurely called “Cheer Up, Sleepy Jean.”
3) The song was recorded while the group was working on their fourth album, “Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.” but it did not appear on that one. It was released as a single in late 1967 and finally appeared in album form on their next LP, “The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees.”
4) “Daydream Believer” was the Monkees’ last No. 1 single, peaking around the Christmas/New Year holidays in 1967. It was remixed and re-released as a single in 1986, reaching No. 79.

Q: I was watching an old episode of “Happy Days” and it got me thinking about The Crew Cuts, who did the song “Sh-Boom.” Was that the only song they did?

A: You’d think so, but no. “Sh-Boom” was a hit for The Crew Cuts in 1954, a remake of the R&B version by The Chords that same year. (Written by The Chords, it was made up on the spot as they improvised in the studio. It was originally the B side to their version of Patti Page’s “Cross Over The Bridge.”) “Sh-Boom” also made the charts twice more in 1954 with versions by Stan Freberg and The Billy Williams Quartet. The Crew Cuts’ version is considered to be the first rock ‘n’ roll hit, and the first to reach No. 1. They went on to have 11 more chart singles, with 10 of them in the Top 40 from 1955-1957. (Their version of “Earth Angel” charted higher than the recording by The Penguins, even though oldies stations usually play The Penguins’ version.) The Crew Cuts were from Toronto and formed in 1952, calling themselves The Canadaires. In 1954, they changed their name to The Crew Cuts.

Q: Why did so many rock stars trash their hotel rooms?

A: Because they could get away with it — what did they have to lose? They bust things up to let off steam and because they know they have enough money to cover all damages. Plus the fact that if they need lawyers, they have enough for them, too — and if they were taken to court, managers or other staff members appeared for them; so basically, they could trash hotel rooms and not have to worry about any repercussions. Many stars of the ’60s and ’70s were notorious for hotel antics, like The Who, Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper and others — but sometimes it backfired! Ray Davies of The Kinks began to smash up his hotel room by throwing a beer bottle against the wall; but it bounced back, hit him in the head and knocked him out.

Q: Did the Carpenters start right off having hits? Were they in some other group like the Christy Minstrels or something like that before they made it big?

A: Karen and Richard Carpenter were never members of The New Christy Minstrels or any other commercially successful group before they started having hits as “The Carpenters.” Richard Carpenter began playing piano when he was 9 years old; in 1965, sister Karen joined Richard and bassist Wes Jacobs in a local group in Downey, California. The group evolved into a band titled Spectrum until Richard and Karen left in 1969 to become a duo. They signed with A&M Records and their hits began with a version of The Beatles’ “Ticket To Ride” in 1970.

Q: I have been trying and trying to find out who did the song “Give Me Just A Little More Time.”

A: That was the Chairmen Of The Board, who formed in Detroit in 1969, and that’s the song they’re most remembered for. “Give Me Just A Little More Time” was their first and biggest hit in early 1970, with lead vocals by former vocalist for the Showmen, General Johnson. Songwriting credits are listed as “Ronald Dunbar and Edythe Wayne,” which were pseudonyms for Motown writers/producers Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Eddie Holland. They had to use aliases because of litigation with their former Motown bosses. The three had left Motown and started their own record label, Invictus Records, and were still involved in a lawsuit with Motown; so they had to release that song (and others) under pseudonyms. The song sounds like a classic Motown tune and even features backing instrumentation by Motown’s studio band, The Funk Brothers. “Give Me Just A Little More Time” peaked at No. 3 and the group went on to have six hit singles, with a total of four making the Top 40 in the early ’70s.

John Robinson grew up in Stockbridge and graduated from Stockbridge High School in 1969. He’s been an author, TV host, columnist, actor, producer, emcee and radio broadcaster.  Robinson’s favorite music of all time includes surf, psychedelia, garage bands, Motown and just plain ol’ good-time rock ‘n’ roll. To read more rock ‘n’ roll trivia, “Paranormal Michigan” stories, and lots more, check out Robinson’s books on his author page at facebook.com/johnrobinsonauthor.