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TL;DR:

  • The piano intro of The Monkees’ “Daydream Believer” was created by a member of the band.
  • A member of another band is the only credited writer of “Daydream Believer.”
  • The song became a hit twice in the United Kingdom.
The Monkees' Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Mike Nesmith, and Micky Dolenz at a piano
The Monkees’ Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Mike Nesmith, and Micky Dolenz | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

The piano riff from The Monkees‘ “Daydream Believer” was created by a member of the group. Subsequently, he said the riff was “sparklingly original.” Another member of the band revealed what he thought about singing the track over and over.

Peter Tork said The Monkees’ ‘Daydream Believer’ came from their ‘mixed-mode’ period

During a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, The Monkees’ Peter Tork discussed “Daydream Believer.” “This comes from what I called the ‘mixed-mode’ period,” he said. “‘Mixed’ was us and some pros in the studio.”

Tork discussed the track’s opening piano riff. “With ‘Daydream Believer,’ I was on the piano and I came up with this opening lick which I thought was just sparklingly original,” he revealed. “When you play it today, everyone thinks of ‘Daydream Believer.'” While Tork created the riff, AllMusic reports The Kingston Trio’s John Stewart is credited as the song’s sole writer.

How Davy Jones felt about singing the track and other Monkees songs over and over

Davy Jones provided vocals for the song. During a 2008 interview with the Herald-Tribune, Jones said he had no issue singing the song again and again. “That’s my job. I always get a thrill being on stage,” Jones said. “That’s my reward for being Davy Jones from The Monkees. I only have to talk at the airport and people turn around and go, ‘It’s Davy Jones.’ Who wouldn’t love that?”

Jones discussed his feelings about other Prefab Four songs. “My band is cool; they’re all sober,” he said. “There’s no messing about. And when we go out and sing ‘Daydream Believer,’ ‘I’m a Believer,’ ‘Last Train to Clarksville,’ ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday,’ ‘Valleri,’ and ‘I Want to Be Free,’ all these tunes, that’s what it’s all about.”

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How ‘Daydream Believer’ performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“Daydream Believer” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks, staying on the chart for a total of 16 weeks. It lasted longer on the chart than any of the group’s other No. 1 singles. The tune appeared on the album The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees, which reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200. The album remained on the chart for 50 weeks.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Daydream Believer” hit No. 5 in the U.K. during the 1960s, staying on the chart for 17 weeks. In 2012, the song charted again at No. 69 for one week. On the other hand,  The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees never charted there.

“Daydream Believer” was a big hit and it wouldn’t be the same without Tork and Jones.

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