The Monkees – Daydream Believer

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Every month on Ukulele Cosmos, a song is selected for all comers to interpret and post their version. This month it’s Daydream Believer. The chords on Alligator Boogaloo are, as always, passable rather than definitive. So I’ve taken it on myself to add a few bits and pieces.

Daydream Believer was written by John Stewart who was a member of the folk band The Kingston Trio (one of the inspirations behind the film A Mighty Wind). The song is a shameless Beatles rip-off; it has the same chord sequence in the verse as Here, There and Everywhere (released a year earlier).

The piano intro fits surprisingly well on the uke (thanks to the G note pivot).

You could even play the whole verse in a similar fashion. If you’re just sticking to the chords, using an Am9 chord in place of the Am7 in the Boogaloo version is very effective.

Another couple of bits you might want to include are the little guitar lick after “…never rings” (with a little added harmony):

And the trumpets before the chorus:

Buy The Monkees – Greatest Hits US UK