"I'm A Believer" #1 12/31/1966

The final #1 record of 1966 stayed at the top for seven weeks for the Monkees and put Neil Diamond firmly on the map as a songwriter. Even though he'd recorded the song first, Neil was very happy with the Monkees version, saying the writing royalties sure helped pay his rent. The whole group sang on the record but didn't play their own instruments, which soon became a heated point of contention between them and the TV show's musical director, Don Kirshner.