“baby don’t you like this beat? / i made it so you’d sleep with me”

[larryhammer]

TIL that The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer” and UB40’s “Red Red Wine” have something in common: they were both written by Neil Diamond.

(IAB was day-job work as a Brill Building songwriter, while RRW was written for himself. And no, his version of RRW wasn’t remotely reggae—but it was covered by a Jamaican rocksteady singer, and it was that version that UB40 gave a pop-reggae cover, unaware that the credited N. Diamond wasn’t a local.)

---L.

Subject quote from HOT TO GO!, Chappell Roan.

Comments

[sovay]

TIL that The Monkees’ “I’m a Believer” and UB40’s “Red Red Wine” have something in common: they were both written by Neil Diamond.

I did not know that, either.

And no, his version of RRW wasn’t remotely reggae—but it was covered by a Jamaican dancehall singer, and it was that version that UB40 gave a po-reggae cover, unaware that the credited N. Diamond wasn’t a local.)

Huh! How's the transitional version?

[larryhammer]

It's an uptempo dance number with the vocals lingering across the beats. (I brainfarted in the post: it's rocksteady, not dancehall.)

BTW, I assume you knew that Phil Collins started out in show business as a child actor? Among other roles, he played the Artful Dodger in a West End production of Oliver, before deciding to quit acting to focus on drumming.

[oracne]

Fascinating!