Your last chance to see The Monkees.
"
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.
[2]
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.
[3] In 1972, Nesmith recorded his own version of his song. "Different Drum" has since been covered by other artists over the years.