Chords for John Stewart interview on writing "Daydream Believer"
Tempo:
150 bpm
Chords used:
B
A
C
D
Db
Tuning:Standard Tuning (EADGBE)Capo:+0fret
Start Jamming...
[N] I clearly remember the day I wrote Daydream Believer.
I had a music [B] room with Wyeth prints on the wall and I would just go in there and [E] write
all day, every day.
[D]
And [A] it started out as [C] a [D]
[E] suburbia trilogy.
And there was a song called, [A]
[G] Do you have a place [A]
I can [D] hide?
And there was another song [Db] called The Ballad of Charlie [F] Fletcher.
And then there was [B] Daydream Believer.
And [C] I remember going [B] to bed that night and thinking, [E] all I did today [G] was write Daydream [N] Believer.
And I almost [F] scrapped it because [Em] I'm ADD and [Fm] little funny [Bb] things [F] irritate me.
[A] You know what [B] can it [E] mean to [B] a
That drove me crazy.
[A] I thought, to a doesn't belong in there.
[B] What [E] can it mean?
And I [B] thought, no [A] one's going to do that song because of the [Eb] tour.
Is that crazy?
What [C] happened is I [Bb] was at a party [Eb] with Chip Douglas, [Db] who was one of the guys who [B] auditioned
for Dave's part.
[N]
And [Ab] he was now producing [C] The Monkees.
He said, I'm [G] producing The Monkees, [A] got new songs for The Monkees.
And I said, yes I do.
I played him Daydream Believer.
He [Ab] said, I have to have a cassette of that immediately.
So I went home, I made [D] the cassette, drove it to him in town.
[Db] And he called [C] three days later and said, [Bb] well, they want to do it, [A] but they're going [Dbm] to change
one of the [Bb] lyrics.
Because the lyric, the [E] original lyric is, now you know how funky [A] I can [Gb] be.
[Db] And he said, RCA won't [B] let Davey say funky.
[F] And I'm getting [G] haughty now.
I'm getting [Bb] Mr.
Integrity.
[B] And I said, well, what do they want to do?
And he said, they want him to sing, now you know [Db] how happy I can be.
I [Ab] said, oh, [C] jeez, that [F] even makes sense.
So let me [C] put it to you this way, John.
If [Db] he can't sing happy, they won't do it.
[Ab] And I said, [Db]
happy's working [C] real good for [B] me right now.
Exactly [A] what I said to him.
[D] And I went back to New York [C] about a month later when they were [Eb] recording it.
And we were sitting in the [Bb] booth, and [C] Davey, they were [Db] all there.
And he [D] was playing back.
And I said, [Ab] shit, this [A] sounds like a hit.
And he'd play again.
He said, oh, this sounds like [G] a hit.
And it turned out to be a number one around the world.
[C] Around [Eb] the world.
[N]
[Eb] And since then, U2 did it, [Db] and then one [B] of their worldwide [Bb] tours.
The [D] Edge did it as a solo, and the Four Tops did it.
[C] And now it's the commercial for [B] eBay [Db] that's
played every [F] time you turn on the TV.
And when I do it in a show, I [Db] say, there was a time when I'd turn on the [Ab] radio,
[N] [C] and I'd hear a hit of [D] mine.
It only happened once, but [B] it happened.
And that doesn't happen [C] anymore.
Now it's when I turn on the [F] TV, I hear a hit of mine.
[B] And that [Eb] song, that [Ab] song has, [Eb]
I won't say [D] paid the rent.
I'll say that song has kept me alive [N] for all these [F] years.
[B]
[D] I have an award from BMI that was, how [G] many, two million airplays?
Or [D] four?
I don't know.
[Fm]
Four?
But [F] it's [Ab] been very good to me.
[B] But you know, it proves that you don't know a hit until it's a hit.
I played it for We [Bb] Five, they passed.
Spanky and our gang, they [A] passed.
[B] I used to do it in [Bb] the middle of my show.
[A] No one reacted [F] to it until [A] the Monkees did it.
[G] And then it just, [A] it was gone.
It was just into the ether, you know?
I had a music [B] room with Wyeth prints on the wall and I would just go in there and [E] write
all day, every day.
[D]
And [A] it started out as [C] a [D]
[E] suburbia trilogy.
And there was a song called, [A]
[G] Do you have a place [A]
I can [D] hide?
And there was another song [Db] called The Ballad of Charlie [F] Fletcher.
And then there was [B] Daydream Believer.
And [C] I remember going [B] to bed that night and thinking, [E] all I did today [G] was write Daydream [N] Believer.
And I almost [F] scrapped it because [Em] I'm ADD and [Fm] little funny [Bb] things [F] irritate me.
[A] You know what [B] can it [E] mean to [B] a
That drove me crazy.
[A] I thought, to a doesn't belong in there.
[B] What [E] can it mean?
And I [B] thought, no [A] one's going to do that song because of the [Eb] tour.
Is that crazy?
What [C] happened is I [Bb] was at a party [Eb] with Chip Douglas, [Db] who was one of the guys who [B] auditioned
for Dave's part.
[N]
And [Ab] he was now producing [C] The Monkees.
He said, I'm [G] producing The Monkees, [A] got new songs for The Monkees.
And I said, yes I do.
I played him Daydream Believer.
He [Ab] said, I have to have a cassette of that immediately.
So I went home, I made [D] the cassette, drove it to him in town.
[Db] And he called [C] three days later and said, [Bb] well, they want to do it, [A] but they're going [Dbm] to change
one of the [Bb] lyrics.
Because the lyric, the [E] original lyric is, now you know how funky [A] I can [Gb] be.
[Db] And he said, RCA won't [B] let Davey say funky.
[F] And I'm getting [G] haughty now.
I'm getting [Bb] Mr.
Integrity.
[B] And I said, well, what do they want to do?
And he said, they want him to sing, now you know [Db] how happy I can be.
I [Ab] said, oh, [C] jeez, that [F] even makes sense.
So let me [C] put it to you this way, John.
If [Db] he can't sing happy, they won't do it.
[Ab] And I said, [Db]
happy's working [C] real good for [B] me right now.
Exactly [A] what I said to him.
[D] And I went back to New York [C] about a month later when they were [Eb] recording it.
And we were sitting in the [Bb] booth, and [C] Davey, they were [Db] all there.
And he [D] was playing back.
And I said, [Ab] shit, this [A] sounds like a hit.
And he'd play again.
He said, oh, this sounds like [G] a hit.
And it turned out to be a number one around the world.
[C] Around [Eb] the world.
[N]
[Eb] And since then, U2 did it, [Db] and then one [B] of their worldwide [Bb] tours.
The [D] Edge did it as a solo, and the Four Tops did it.
[C] And now it's the commercial for [B] eBay [Db] that's
played every [F] time you turn on the TV.
And when I do it in a show, I [Db] say, there was a time when I'd turn on the [Ab] radio,
[N] [C] and I'd hear a hit of [D] mine.
It only happened once, but [B] it happened.
And that doesn't happen [C] anymore.
Now it's when I turn on the [F] TV, I hear a hit of mine.
[B] And that [Eb] song, that [Ab] song has, [Eb]
I won't say [D] paid the rent.
I'll say that song has kept me alive [N] for all these [F] years.
[B]
[D] I have an award from BMI that was, how [G] many, two million airplays?
Or [D] four?
I don't know.
[Fm]
Four?
But [F] it's [Ab] been very good to me.
[B] But you know, it proves that you don't know a hit until it's a hit.
I played it for We [Bb] Five, they passed.
Spanky and our gang, they [A] passed.
[B] I used to do it in [Bb] the middle of my show.
[A] No one reacted [F] to it until [A] the Monkees did it.
[G] And then it just, [A] it was gone.
It was just into the ether, you know?
Key:
B
A
C
D
Db
B
A
C
[N] _ _ _ I clearly remember the day I wrote Daydream Believer.
_ I had a music [B] room with Wyeth prints on the wall and I would just go in there and [E] write
all day, every day.
_ _ [D]
And [A] it started out as [C] a _ [D] _
[E] suburbia trilogy. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ And there was a song called, [A] _
[G] Do you have a place [A]
I can [D] hide?
And there was another song [Db] called The Ballad of Charlie [F] Fletcher.
And then there was [B] Daydream Believer.
And [C] I remember going [B] to bed that night and thinking, [E] all I did today [G] was write Daydream [N] Believer.
_ _ And I almost [F] scrapped it because [Em] I'm ADD and [Fm] little funny [Bb] things [F] irritate me. _
[A] You know what [B] can it [E] mean to [B] _ a_
That drove me crazy.
[A] I thought, to a doesn't belong in there.
[B] What [E] can it mean?
_ And I [B] thought, no [A] one's going to do that song because of the [Eb] tour.
Is that crazy? _
What [C] happened is I [Bb] was at a party [Eb] with Chip Douglas, [Db] who was one of the guys who [B] auditioned
for Dave's part.
[N] _ _ _
And [Ab] he was now producing [C] The Monkees.
He said, I'm [G] producing The Monkees, [A] got new songs for The Monkees.
And I said, yes I do.
_ _ I played him Daydream Believer.
He [Ab] said, I have to have a cassette of that immediately.
_ So I went home, I made [D] the cassette, drove it to him in town. _ _
[Db] And he called [C] three days later and said, [Bb] well, they want to do it, [A] but they're going [Dbm] to change
one of the [Bb] lyrics.
_ Because the lyric, the [E] original lyric is, now you know how funky [A] _ _ I can [Gb] be. _
[Db] And he said, RCA won't [B] let Davey say funky. _
[F] _ And I'm getting _ [G] haughty now.
I'm getting _ [Bb] Mr.
Integrity.
_ [B] And I said, well, what do they want to do?
And he said, they want him to sing, now you know [Db] how happy I can be.
I [Ab] said, oh, [C] _ _ jeez, that [F] even makes sense.
So let me [C] put it to you this way, John. _
If [Db] he can't sing happy, they won't do it.
_ [Ab] And I said, [Db] _
happy's working [C] real good for [B] me right now.
_ Exactly [A] what I said to him.
[D] And I went back to New York [C] about a month later when they were [Eb] recording it.
And we were sitting in the [Bb] booth, and [C] Davey, they were [Db] all there.
And he [D] was playing back.
And I said, [Ab] shit, this [A] sounds like a hit.
And he'd play again.
He said, oh, this sounds like [G] a hit. _
And it turned out to be a number one around the world.
[C] _ Around [Eb] the world.
[N] _ _ _
_ _ [Eb] And since then, U2 did it, [Db] and then one [B] of their worldwide [Bb] tours.
The [D] Edge did it as a solo, and the Four Tops did it.
[C] And now it's the commercial for _ [B] eBay [Db] that's
played every [F] time you turn on the TV.
And _ when I do it in a show, I [Db] say, there was a time when I'd turn on the [Ab] radio,
[N] _ _ [C] and I'd hear a hit of [D] mine.
It only happened once, but [B] it happened.
_ And that doesn't happen [C] anymore.
Now it's when I turn on the [F] TV, I hear a hit of mine.
[B] _ And _ _ that [Eb] song, _ that [Ab] song has, _ [Eb]
I won't say [D] paid the rent.
I'll say that song has kept me alive [N] _ _ for all these [F] years.
_ _ [B] _ _ _ _
_ _ [D] I have _ an award from BMI that was, how [G] many, two million airplays?
_ Or [D] four?
I don't know.
[Fm] _
_ Four?
But [F] it's _ [Ab] been very good to me.
_ _ [B] But you know, it proves that you don't know a hit _ until it's a hit.
I played it for We [Bb] Five, they passed.
Spanky and our gang, they [A] passed.
[B] I used to do it in [Bb] the middle of my show.
[A] No one reacted [F] to it until [A] the Monkees did it.
_ [G] And then it just, [A] it was gone.
It was just into the ether, you know?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ I had a music [B] room with Wyeth prints on the wall and I would just go in there and [E] write
all day, every day.
_ _ [D]
And [A] it started out as [C] a _ [D] _
[E] suburbia trilogy. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ And there was a song called, [A] _
[G] Do you have a place [A]
I can [D] hide?
And there was another song [Db] called The Ballad of Charlie [F] Fletcher.
And then there was [B] Daydream Believer.
And [C] I remember going [B] to bed that night and thinking, [E] all I did today [G] was write Daydream [N] Believer.
_ _ And I almost [F] scrapped it because [Em] I'm ADD and [Fm] little funny [Bb] things [F] irritate me. _
[A] You know what [B] can it [E] mean to [B] _ a_
That drove me crazy.
[A] I thought, to a doesn't belong in there.
[B] What [E] can it mean?
_ And I [B] thought, no [A] one's going to do that song because of the [Eb] tour.
Is that crazy? _
What [C] happened is I [Bb] was at a party [Eb] with Chip Douglas, [Db] who was one of the guys who [B] auditioned
for Dave's part.
[N] _ _ _
And [Ab] he was now producing [C] The Monkees.
He said, I'm [G] producing The Monkees, [A] got new songs for The Monkees.
And I said, yes I do.
_ _ I played him Daydream Believer.
He [Ab] said, I have to have a cassette of that immediately.
_ So I went home, I made [D] the cassette, drove it to him in town. _ _
[Db] And he called [C] three days later and said, [Bb] well, they want to do it, [A] but they're going [Dbm] to change
one of the [Bb] lyrics.
_ Because the lyric, the [E] original lyric is, now you know how funky [A] _ _ I can [Gb] be. _
[Db] And he said, RCA won't [B] let Davey say funky. _
[F] _ And I'm getting _ [G] haughty now.
I'm getting _ [Bb] Mr.
Integrity.
_ [B] And I said, well, what do they want to do?
And he said, they want him to sing, now you know [Db] how happy I can be.
I [Ab] said, oh, [C] _ _ jeez, that [F] even makes sense.
So let me [C] put it to you this way, John. _
If [Db] he can't sing happy, they won't do it.
_ [Ab] And I said, [Db] _
happy's working [C] real good for [B] me right now.
_ Exactly [A] what I said to him.
[D] And I went back to New York [C] about a month later when they were [Eb] recording it.
And we were sitting in the [Bb] booth, and [C] Davey, they were [Db] all there.
And he [D] was playing back.
And I said, [Ab] shit, this [A] sounds like a hit.
And he'd play again.
He said, oh, this sounds like [G] a hit. _
And it turned out to be a number one around the world.
[C] _ Around [Eb] the world.
[N] _ _ _
_ _ [Eb] And since then, U2 did it, [Db] and then one [B] of their worldwide [Bb] tours.
The [D] Edge did it as a solo, and the Four Tops did it.
[C] And now it's the commercial for _ [B] eBay [Db] that's
played every [F] time you turn on the TV.
And _ when I do it in a show, I [Db] say, there was a time when I'd turn on the [Ab] radio,
[N] _ _ [C] and I'd hear a hit of [D] mine.
It only happened once, but [B] it happened.
_ And that doesn't happen [C] anymore.
Now it's when I turn on the [F] TV, I hear a hit of mine.
[B] _ And _ _ that [Eb] song, _ that [Ab] song has, _ [Eb]
I won't say [D] paid the rent.
I'll say that song has kept me alive [N] _ _ for all these [F] years.
_ _ [B] _ _ _ _
_ _ [D] I have _ an award from BMI that was, how [G] many, two million airplays?
_ Or [D] four?
I don't know.
[Fm] _
_ Four?
But [F] it's _ [Ab] been very good to me.
_ _ [B] But you know, it proves that you don't know a hit _ until it's a hit.
I played it for We [Bb] Five, they passed.
Spanky and our gang, they [A] passed.
[B] I used to do it in [Bb] the middle of my show.
[A] No one reacted [F] to it until [A] the Monkees did it.
_ [G] And then it just, [A] it was gone.
It was just into the ether, you know?
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _