A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You
| "A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US single label | ||||
| Single by the Monkees | ||||
| B-side | "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" | |||
| Released | March 8, 1967 | |||
| Recorded | January 21 and 24; February 4 and 6, 1967 | |||
| Studio | RCA Victor Studios, Studio B New York City | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 2:51 | |||
| Label | Colgems #1004 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Neil Diamond | |||
| Producer(s) | Jeff Barry | |||
| The Monkees singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 Japanese picture sleeve | ||||
| Official audio | ||||
| "A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You" on YouTube | ||||
"A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You" is a song written by Neil Diamond, recorded by the Monkees, and released as a single on March 8, 1967. The lead vocal was Davy Jones' first on a Monkees single.[1] The single reached No. 1 on the Cashbox Top 100 chart;[2] on the Billboard Hot 100 it reached No. 2, with "Somethin' Stupid" by Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra keeping it from the top spot.[3]
The record's B-side was Michael Nesmith's "The Girl I Knew Somewhere," which also charted on the Hot 100, peaking at No. 39.[4]
Diamond never recorded the song, as he had done with "I'm a Believer," but he did perform it during his live shows of 1967. A recording exists of one such performance at New York's Bitter End club.[5]
Personnel
[edit]Source: Headquarters: Super-Deluxe Edition 4CD set liner notes, p.16
Musicians
[edit]- Guitar: Al Gorgoni
- Organ: Arthur Butler
- Lead vocals: Davy Jones
- Guitar: Don Thomas
- Drums: Herb Lovelle
- Guitar: Hugh McCracken
- Bass guitar: Lou Mauro
- Backing vocals: Neil Diamond
- Clavinet: Stan Free
- Tambourine: Thomas Cerone
- Additional backing vocals and handclaps: Unknown
Technical
[edit]- Producer: Jeff Barry
- Engineer: Dick Bogart
- Engineer: Hank Cicalo
- Engineer: Ray Hall
- Engineer: Richi Schmitt
Reception
[edit]In March 1967, Billboard predicted that the single was "destined to become [the Monkees'] third million seller in a row."[6] Cash Box said that it was "slightly similar in sound to 'I’m A Believer.'"[7]
References
[edit]- ^ McDowell, Jay (March 15, 2024). "When Don Kirshner Went Too Far: The Story Behind "A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You" by The Monkees". American Songwriter.
- ^ Masley, Ed (January 7, 2024). "Best Monkees songs of all time: 30 classics, from their biggest hits to album tracks". The Arizona Republic.
- ^ "The Hot 100". Billboard. January 2, 2013.
- ^ Trzcinski, Matthew (December 10, 2021). "The Monkees' Mike Nesmith Reveals Why He Wrote 1 of His Biggest Songs". Showbiz Cheat Sheet.
- ^ Video on YouTube
- ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. March 18, 1967. p. 10. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. March 18, 1967. p. 14. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
Other sources
[edit]- The Monkees Tale, by Eric Lefcowitz (Last Gasp Press, San Francisco, California, 1985), ISBN 978-0-86719-338-1
- The Monkees Greatest Hits, liner notes (Rhino Records)
