Micky Dolenz’s Solo Cover of The Monkees’ ‘I’m a Believer’ Is Supposed to Sound Like The Everly Brothers
Micky Dolenz rerecorded The Monkees‘ “I’m a Believer” for one of his albums. Dolenz said his country cover is supposed to sound like The Everly Brothers. Subsequently, Dolenz revealed his thoughts about the new version of the song.
The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz made an album because a producer ‘kept hounding’ him after they met
In 2012, Dolenz released his solo album Remember. During a 2012 interview with HuffPost, Dolenz discussed the origin of the album. “This album was envisioned to some degree by [producer/arranger] David Harris,” Dolenz recalled. “He came to me, I didn’t go to him.”
“We met years and years ago, and he kept hounding me — ‘I really, really am a fan, I really love your voice, I really think we can do a great album,'” Dolenz added. “Finally, I met up with him and we started chatting, and out of those conversations came this idea of an audio scrapbook. I started telling him these stories, and we decided, this is a great idea for a concept.”
What Micky Dolenz thought of his country version of The Monkees’ ‘I’m a Believer’
Dolenz said all of the songs on Remember were new versions of songs that impacted his life. For example, Dolenz covered Three Dog Night’s “Just An Old Fashioned Love Song” because he turned down the chance to record that song first. One of the tracks on Remember is a solo version of “I’m a Believer.”
During a 2012 interview with Music Radar, the singer was asked what it was like to cover himself. “That’s a good question, as I always had my doubts about it,” Dolenz replied. “The way I got around it was by not forcing it. I always wanted to do a country, kind of Everly Brothers version of it. It turned out great. I’m really happy with everything on the album.”
How the original version of ‘I’m a Believer’ performed on the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom
The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer” became a huge hit in the United States. The track topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks, staying on the chart for 15 weeks in total. The song appeared on the album More of the Monkees. The album was No. 1 for 18 of its 96 weeks on the Billboard 200.
The Official Charts Company reports “I’m a Believer” was a hit in the United Kingdom as well. The song was No. 1 in the U.K. for four weeks, remaining on the chart for 18 weeks. Meanwhile, More of the Monkees topped the U.K. chart for two weeks and lasted on the chart for 25 weeks altogether.
“I’m a Believer” was a huge hit and Dolenz eventually put his solo spin on it.
