Different Drum

About Different Drum

"Different Drum" is a song written by Michael Nesmith in 1965 and first recorded by the northern bluegrass band the Greenbriar Boys and included on their 1966 album, Better Late than Never!. Nesmith offered the song to the Monkees, but the producers of the TV show, who had wide control over the group's musical output early on, turned him down. The song 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. more »