Music

4 Monkees Songs Neil Diamond Wrote

Neil Diamond released one of The Monkees' songs with vocals by Davy Jones. This song was not released until years after Jones' death.

by Matthew Trzcinski

Published on March 17, 2023

2 min read

4. ‘I’m a Believer’

While The Monkees gave the world many great songs, “I’m a Believer” is possibly their most famous track. It’s appeared in films like Shrek and Lady Gaga’s House of Gucci. It’s been covered by Smash Mouth, Weezer, MonaLisa Twins, and Robert Wyatt. The tune is fantastic, and decades of shifting musical trends haven’t changed that.

According to The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits, The Monkees’ manager, Don Kirshner, wanted a follow-up to “Last Train to Clarksville” that would sell even more copies. He called his friend Jeff Barry looking for a new song for the Prefab Four. Barry gave him “I’m a Believer,” which he was working on with the then-upcoming Diamond. The rest is history.

3. ‘A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You’

Of The Monkees’ songs that reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100, “A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You” is probably the most neglected. That’s a shame because the track’s 1960s sunshine pop groove is impeccable. You can also hear echoes of Diamond’s early hit “Cherry, Cherry” in this tune, and that’s one of the highest compliments you can give any song.

2. ‘Love to Love’

“Love to Love” is a song with an unusual history. This tune features vocals from Davy Jones. Jones died in 2012, but the tune didn’t appear on Monkees studio album until they released Good Times! in 2016.

During a 2016 interview with Entertainment Weekly, The Monkees’ Peter Tork discussed how “Love to Love” came together following Jones’ death. “It’s a Neil Diamond song and it was recorded with Davy,” he said. “We got to mix it and Micky and I sang backups.

“After John Lennon died, The Beatles released a song that John had left behind and the other three made a record around that,” he said. “They reported that, ‘Well, we just pretended John had stepped out for a cup of tea.’ In a sense, this was the same. ‘Well, Davy isn’t here at the moment, but we’re carrying on.’ It’s not like we pretended that he was still alive. It wasn’t ghoulish. We just sang what we had to sing.”

1. ‘Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)’

“Look Out (Here Comes to Tomorrow)” wasn’t a hit like “I’m a Believer” or “A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You.” Nor does it have the interesting backstory of “Love to Love.” Despite this, “Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)” is still a great album track.

It’s about an interesting topic: looking to the future. The lyrics prominently mention a character named Mary. One can only wonder if it’s the same Mary from The Monkees’ “Mary, Mary.” Jones’ vocals are great on this one, and you can hear elements of Diamond’s singing style.