Nostalgic Clip Of The Monkees’ Hit I’m A Believer’

Jul 11, 2020 by apost team

There are musicians who had a major effect on the world of music without having had decades-long careers. One such band is the American rock band The Monkees. There's no doubt you'd recognize their most popular song, the classic 1966 hit I'm A Believer, which Smash Mouth revived in 2001 for Shrek. Relive the 1960s by taking a look at the band's nostalgic music video.

Surprisingly, however, I'm A Believer wasn't an original Monkees song. Neil Diamond wrote and recorded the still-recognizable hit in 1966, according to SongFacts. Diamond didn't score a hit with it, but not because he didn't perform it well. This was at an early point in Neil Diamond's career, and he just wasn't well-known enough for it to go anywhere at the time.

The Monkees, on the other hand, were what we'd consider a boy band today. In fact, although no one at the time knew what a boy band was, they became hugely popular thanks to I'm A Believer. It's probably safe to say that The Monkees were one of the world's first boy bands, as this page from Pace University argues.

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During this time, the British Invasion was hitting the United States. There was a national obsession with all things British, and fans rabidly followed English bands and actors. Of course, the Beatles are the most famous of all British invaders. The phenomenon was so huge that TV shows of the time often featured an American child sporting an English accent.

The Monkees may not be headed to an arena in your town anytime soon. But these lovable musicians and their many hits still influence music fans today. Just look at Smash Mouth who hit number 24 on the Billboard charts with their version.

Check out the video for the song that made them so famous, then be sure to pass it on to keep this version of the hit track alive. And let us know: what's your favorite version of the song?