Different Drum - wikipedia Different Drum This article is about the song written by Michael Nesmith. For the Linda Ronstadt album, see Different Drum ( album ). For the record label, see A Different Drum. `` Different Drum '' Single by The Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt from the album Evergreen, Volume 2 B - side `` I 've Got to Know '' Released September 1967 Format 7 '' single Genre Baroque rock Length 2 : 45 Label Capitol Songwriter ( s ) Mike Nesmith Producer ( s ) Nick Venet The Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt singles chronology `` One for One '' ( 1967 ) `` Different Drum '' ( 1967 ) `` Up to My Neck in High Muddy Water '' ( 1968 ) `` One for One '' ( 1967 ) `` Different Drum '' ( 1967 ) `` Up to My Neck in High Muddy Water '' ( 1968 ) `` Different Drum '' is a song written by Mike Nesmith in 1965 and originally recorded by the northern bluegrass band the Greenbriar Boys and included on their 1966 album, Better Late than Never !. The song first became popular in 1967 when recorded by the Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt, who took their version of `` Different Drum '' to # 12 on the Cash Box Top 100, # 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and # 16 in Record World magazine. The song did best in New Zealand, where it reached # 5. In 1972, Nesmith recorded his own version of his song. `` Different Drum '' has since been covered by other artists over the years. Contents 1 Mike Nesmith version 2 The Stone Poneys version 3 Chart history 3.1 Weekly charts 3.2 Year - end charts 4 Other versions 5 References 6 External links Mike Nesmith version The song reached a wider audience when Mike Nesmith rushed through a version of it in a comedy bit while pretending to be Billy Roy Hodstetter, in the Monkees television show episode `` Too Many Girls '', which aired in December 1966. Davy Jones mentions this during the commentary track on some DVDs of this episode. The song tells of a pair of lovers, one of who wants to settle down, while the other wants to retain a sense of freedom and independence. Its narrator is the lover who wants to remain free, telling the other that `` we 'll both live a lot longer '' if they part ways now. Nesmith later rerecorded the song for his 1972 LP And the Hits Just Keep on Comin '. His version contains four verses, as opposed to the three in Ronstadt 's version. The Stone Poneys version The song is best known for the 1967 version credited to the Stone Poneys featuring a vocal performance by a young and up - and - coming singer named Linda Ronstadt. The song was Ronstadt 's first hit single, reaching number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 as well as number 12 on the Cash Box magazine singles chart. ( It went to number 1 in the Los Angeles market and number 6 in Detroit. ) Ronstadt 's version flips the gender references in Nesmith 's original lyrics, replacing `` girl '' with `` boy '' when describing her lover, but still referring to him being `` pretty ''. The Stone Poneys had initially intended to record an `` acoustic ballad version '' of the song, but producer Nick Venet opted for a more complex instrumental approach, using an arrangement by Jimmy Bond ( who also played bass ), guitarist Al Viola, drummer Jim Gordon, strings led by Sid Sharp, and harpsichord played in baroque style ( and largely improvised during the recording ) by Don Randi. As a result, Ronstadt was the only member of the Stone Poneys who actually performed on the record. The album rendition offers a different stereo mix than the hit single, including a longer harpsichord bridge. Ronstadt later commented that she had been surprised and `` completely confused '' by the changed approach to the song, and that even years later she perceived `` fear and a lack of confidence '' in her performance. Nesmith, on the other hand, said that Ronstadt 's performance of his song `` infused it with a new level of passion and sensuality ''. In later live performances of the song, Nesmith would often sing the closing verse in the same singing style as the Ronstadt version. Chart history Weekly charts Chart ( 1967 - 68 ) Peak position Australia ( Go - Set ) 9 Canada RPM Top Singles 18 New Zealand ( Listener ) 5 US Billboard Hot 100 13 US Cash Box Top 100 12 Year - end charts Chart ( 1968 ) Rank Australia 39 US ( Joel Whitburn 's Pop Annual ) 110 Other versions The song has been covered by many artists. The Poppy Family with Susan Jacks Pete Burns Flying Emus Susanna Hoffs with Matthew Sweet The Jayhawks The Lemonheads Me First and the Gimme Gimmes The Pastels Victoria Shaw Sara Watkins Paul Westerberg P.P. Arnold Gina Jeffreys La Sera The Lennon Sisters Skeeter Davis Carrie Underwood Sarah White References Jump up ^ Gendron, Bernard ( 2002 ). Between Montmartre and the Mudd Club : Popular Music and the Avant - Garde. University of Chicago Press. ISBN 978 - 0 - 226 - 28737 - 9. Jump up ^ Flavour of New Zealand, 15 March 1968 Jump up ^ `` Too Many Girls ''. The Monkees. Season 1. Episode 15. 1966 - 12 - 19. NBC. Jump up ^ Show 44 - Revolt of the Fat Angel : Some samples of the Los Angeles sound. ( Part 4 ) : UNT Digital Library Jump up ^ CMT.com : Linda Ronstadt : Biography ^ Jump up to : Marc Myers, `` Linda Ronstadt 's ' Different Drum ' : She and songwriter Michael Nesmith talk about her first hit '', The Wall Street Journal, October 31, 2013. Jump up ^ Go - Set National Top 40, 21 February 1968 Jump up ^ `` Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada ''. Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2017 - 05 - 15. Jump up ^ Flavour of New Zealand, 15 March 1968 Jump up ^ Joel Whitburn 's Top Pop Singles 1955 - 1990 - ISBN 0 - 89820 - 089 - X Jump up ^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, February 3, 1968 Jump up ^ `` Go - Set Magazine Charts ''. www.poparchives.com.au. Barry McKay. January 2007. Retrieved 10 July 2017. Jump up ^ Whitburn, Joel ( 1999 ). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin : Record Research Inc. ISBN 0 - 89820 - 142 - X. External links Linda Ronstadt and The Stone Poneys Alternate take on Different Drum Linda Ronstadt Stone Poneys albums The Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt Evergreen, Volume 2 Linda Ronstadt, Stone Poneys and Friends, Vol. III Studio albums Hand Sown... Home Grown Silk Purse Linda Ronstadt Do n't Cry Now Heart Like a Wheel Prisoner in Disguise Hasten Down the Wind Simple Dreams Living in the USA Mad Love Get Closer What 's New Lush Life For Sentimental Reasons Canciones de Mi Padre Cry Like a Rainstorm, Howl Like the Wind Mas Canciones Frenesí Winter Light Feels Like Home Dedicated to the One I Love We Ran A Merry Little Christmas Hummin ' to Myself Collaborations Trio Santiago Trio II Western Wall : The Tucson Sessions Adieu False Heart Compilations Different Drum Greatest Hits Greatest Hits, Volume 2 The Very Best of Linda Ronstadt Mi Jardin Azul : Las Canciones Favoritas Duets Hit singles `` Different Drum '' `` Long, Long Time '' `` You 're No Good '' `` When Will I Be Loved '' `` Heat Wave '' `` Love Is a Rose '' `` The Tracks of My Tears '' `` That 'll Be the Day '' `` Blue Bayou '' `` It 's So Easy '' `` Poor Poor Pitiful Me '' `` Tumbling Dice '' `` Back in the U.S.A. '' `` Ooh Baby Baby '' `` Just One Look '' `` Alison '' `` How Do I Make You '' `` Hurt So Bad '' `` I Ca n't Let Go '' `` I Knew You When '' `` What 's New ? '' `` Somewhere Out There `` Do n't Know Much '' `` All My Life '' `` When Something Is Wrong With My Baby '' `` Walk On '' Related topics Discography Mr. Plow Book The Lemonheads Evan Dando Vess Ruhtenberg Devon Ashley Ben Deily Corey Loog Brennan John Strohm Doug Trachten Jesse Peretz Juliana Hatfield Nic Dalton Dave Ryan Patrick Murphy Karl Alvarez Bill Stevenson P. David Hazel Studio albums Hate Your Friends ( 1987 ) Creator ( 1988 ) Lick ( 1989 ) Lovey ( 1990 ) It 's a Shame About Ray ( 1992 ) Come on Feel the Lemonheads ( 1993 ) Car Button Cloth ( 1996 ) The Lemonheads ( 2006 ) Varshons ( 2009 ) EPs and compilations Favourite Spanish Dishes ( 1990 ) The Best of the Lemonheads : The Atlantic Years ( 1998 ) Singles `` Luka '' `` Different Drum '' `` Gonna Get Along Without Ya Now '' `` Mrs. Robinson / Being Around '' `` Into Your Arms '' Related articles Discography Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Different_Drum&oldid=812552104 '' Categories : 1965 songs 1967 singles Linda Ronstadt songs 1990 singles The Lemonheads songs Matthew Sweet songs Song recordings produced by Nick Venet Songs written by Michael Nesmith Baroque pop songs Capitol Records singles Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Français 日本 語 Edit links This page was last edited on 28 November 2017, at 14 : 05. 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Question: who sang you and i travel to the beat of a different drum
Answer: the northern bluegrass band the Greenbriar Boys