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Thursday, July 28, 2011
Daydream Believer
I was sorting through my Monkee box the other day looking for a CD, but I found a book that was laden with earmarks and pages hanging loose from a lot of wear. It was the book Monkee-Mania by Glenn A. Baker that I carted everywhere back when I was young. I opened the book and was immediately taken back to the days when Davy and the boys reigned over my world.
I actually unearthed a piece of Monkee background that I didn't know. I was reading about the wildly popular song Daydream Believer. It stems from an interview in the book with Davy. Here's an excerpt from the book:
"We'd done twelve songs and the thirteenth was Daydream Believer. I said, "that's terrible." I was a baritone and it was in the wrong key for my voice. I'd been in the studio all day, I was tired and I'm singing these words about twelve times, "cheer up sleepy Jean, oh what can it mean to a daydream believer and a homecoming queen." I kept asking Chip (Chip Douglas, producer and bassist) what the words meant and he said "don't worry, just sing them." I said O.K. ... I'll sing it until I get it right. So Chip says, "all right one more time, Daydream Believer" and I started it and I failed and I failed and I failed. Hank Cicalo, the engineer, had his own way of numbering takes so he could find them, he'd call them 1A or 2A, like that. Anyway, all of a sudden he says "7A" over the talkback and I wasn't listening so I said "what number is this?" and they said "7A!" in unison. That kicked me on a bit and I got it down but you can tell from the vocal that I was pissed off."
I was amazed.
First, I had never assumed that Davy was angry while singing that iconic song. That proves that he is very professional and left a world unaware of his true feelings. Not many people are able to move on and keep working. I think that is a sign of Davy's true character.
After reading this, I had to crack out my old CD's and listen for any signs of a temper. My husband listened in and was impressed. We couldn't really discern any hints of anger, except a few enunciated words here and there. I am not convinced that even is a sign. My music teacher used to harp on us when we wouldn't hit all the sounds. Mrs. O'Hare would have loved him!
Second, I never understood why the Monkees all chimed in at the beginning with "7A!". I thought it was part of an act. I like the beginning a lot more now that I can envision the scene. I feel like you get a glimpse of the guys being themselves.
Third, I was surprised to discover that Peter "cites Daydream Believer as one of the few tracks that features playing that he is proud of... 'I can identify with it because I played the piano lick on it and I feel like I made my mark because on Anne Murray's version her pianist plays my lick'."
Finally, I was confused by the words to the song for a long time when I was a girl and I ended up concocting my own meaning. It makes me feel a little better that Davy questioned them once too.
Were you surprised?
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