You know the tune. That bouncy, cheerful piano riff starts, and suddenly everyone in the room is humming along about a "homecoming queen" and a "white knight on a steed." It’s one of those songs that feels like it’s always existed, woven into the very fabric of 1960s pop culture. But if you’ve ever wondered who wrote the song Daydream Believer, the answer isn't actually one of the four Monkees.
It wasn't Micky, Davy, Mike, or Peter.
The man behind the curtain was a prolific folk musician named John Stewart.
At the time he wrote it, Stewart was looking for an exit strategy. He had spent years as a member of The Kingston Trio, a clean-cut folk group that had seen better days. The British Invasion had arrived, and the earnest, banjo-plucking folk sound was rapidly becoming yesterday's news. Stewart was sitting in his house, surrounded by prints of Andrew Wyeth paintings for inspiration, trying to figure out how to transition into a solo career.
He didn't think he was writing a masterpiece. In fact, he later admitted he thought it was just "okay." Funny how the songs writers dismiss often end up being the ones that pay their mortgage for forty years.
The Laurel Canyon Connection
How does a folk singer’s cast-off end up in the hands of the most famous "fake" band in the world? Like most things in the 1960s music scene, it happened at a party in Laurel Canyon.
John Stewart was hanging out at the home of folk singer Hoyt Axton. Also at this party was Chip Douglas, who had recently become the producer for The Monkees. Douglas was on a mission. The Monkees were in the middle of a massive power struggle with their record label; they wanted to play their own instruments and pick their own songs. Douglas was the guy helping them find that autonomy.
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He asked Stewart if he had anything lying around. Stewart played him a few things, including this little ditty about suburban life. Douglas heard the hook and knew he had found gold.
But there was a catch. There’s always a catch.
The Word That Almost Ruined Everything
If you listen to the Monkees' version, Davy Jones sings: "Now you know how happy I can be."
That wasn't the original line. John Stewart’s original lyric was: "Now you know how funky I can be."
In 1967, "funky" didn't mean "cool" or "groovy" to the corporate suits at RCA and Colgems Records. To them, "funky" meant smelly. It meant unwashed. It meant something vaguely sexual or lower-class that they didn't want their teen idols associated with. They demanded a change.
Stewart hated it. He thought "happy" was a weak, saccharine replacement that changed the entire tone of the verse. He actually fought it for a bit. But eventually, the realization set in that a hit song with a slightly lame lyric is better than a "pure" song that never gets played. He relented. Decades later, Stewart would joke that the "happy" change was the best financial decision he ever made, as it allowed the song to sail onto the radio without a hint of controversy.
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More Than Just a "TV Band"
There’s a common misconception that The Monkees just showed up, sang over backing tracks, and went home. While that was true for their earliest hits, "Daydream Believer" was different. This was recorded during the Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. sessions—the period where the band was finally exerting control.
Every member of the group is actually on this track:
- Davy Jones delivered the iconic lead vocal.
- Micky Dolenz handled the backing harmonies.
- Michael Nesmith played the lead guitar.
- Peter Tork played that famous piano intro.
In fact, Peter Tork is the one who came up with that specific piano arrangement. Without that tinkling, walking piano line, the song might have just been another folk-pop deep cut. Instead, it became a global #1.
The Song That Kept a Career Alive
For John Stewart, the success of "Daydream Believer" was a double-edged sword. It gave him the financial freedom to record whatever he wanted for the rest of his life. He released over 40 albums and wrote more than 600 songs. He even had a massive solo hit in 1979 with "Gold," which featured Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.
Yet, no matter how many experimental folk albums he released or how many political campaigns he sang for (he was a huge supporter of Robert F. Kennedy), he was always the guy who wrote the Monkees song.
He once said that "Daydream Believer" kept him alive. It was the "standard" in his catalog. Whether it was the Anne Murray cover in 1979 or the countless commercials that used the tune, the royalties allowed him to remain a fiercely independent artist until his death in 2008.
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Why It Still Works
Why do we still care who wrote the song Daydream Believer? Why does it still show up in movies and karaoke bars?
It’s the "beautiful conundrum," as some critics call it. On the surface, it’s a bubblegum pop song. But the lyrics are actually kind of dark. It’s about a couple whose "good times are all gone." It’s about a guy looking at himself in the bathroom mirror, realizing he’s not a "white knight" and his wife isn't a "homecoming queen" anymore. They’re just two people in a suburban house trying to keep the dream alive.
That tension—the happy music masking the slightly melancholy reality of adulthood—is what gives the song its staying power. It’s a song about the gap between our daydreams and our actual lives.
Next Steps for Music History Fans
If you want to understand the real depth of the man who wrote this hit, your next step is to listen to John Stewart’s 1969 album California Bloodlines. It is widely considered one of the foundational albums of the Americana and folk-rock movements. You can also track down Stewart's own recording of "Daydream Believer" to hear how he originally intended it—"funky" lyrics and all. Seeing the contrast between his gritty, folk-focused version and the Monkees' polished pop production tells you everything you need to know about how the music industry worked in the 1960s.