Born in New York City in 1941, Neil Diamond began his musical career in 1962 and went on to become one of the most influential American artists of all time. In addition to being an incredible singer, he is also a prolific songwriter. However, something many people unfamiliar with Diamond's career might not realize is that several major hit songs by other artists were actually written by him. 3 big hit songs by other artists which were written by Neil Diamond The Monkees “I’m a Believer” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZLdcSKXz5k&pp=ygUxwqBUaGUgTW9ua2VlcyDigJxJ4oCZbSBhIEJlbGlldmVy4oCdIG5laWwgZGlhbW9uZA%3D%3D "I'm a Believer" was not only The Monkees' biggest hit but also one of the most famous songs in the world released in the 60s. Neil wrote the song and gave it to the band in 1966. He was a young songwriter and his records were not yet successful. He made a deal so that he could also record a version and ended up releasing his own version in 1967. The Monkees version with Micky Dolenz on vocals became a number one hit all over the world. The single sold an estimated amount of more than 10 million copies worldwide. Neil's version, which was featured on his second album "Just For You" failed to repeat the same performance. It peaked at number 51 on the Billboard Hot 100, for example. In an interview with Mojo back in 2008, Diamond explained why he gave the song to The Monkees. "(I was) thrilled (to give the song to them). The head of my record company freaked. He went through the roof because he felt that I had given No. 1 records away to another group. I couldn't have cared less because I had to pay the rent, the Monkees were selling records, and I wasn't being paid for my records." Curiously, a few decades later, in 2001, the band Smash Mouth recorded a new version. Similar to the one made by The Monkees, the track became part of the movie "Shrek". It became a huge hit for them and presented the song to younger generations. Urge Overkill “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-TE0Jk1ZeY&pp=ygUobmVpbCBkaWFtb25kIGdpcmwgeW91J2xsIGJlIGEgd29tYW4gc29vbg%3D%3D "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon" was written and originally released by Neil Diamond on his second album "Just For You" (1967). It was a successful track and peaked at the time at number 10 on the United States Billboard Pop Singles. The famous British musician Cliff Richard even covered the track one year later. The song experienced a major resurgence and was introduced to younger generations after director Quentin Tarantino featured it in Pulp Fiction (1994). However, he selected the Urge Overkill version from their second EP, Stull, released in 1992. Uma Thurman's character famously dances to the song in one of the movie’s most iconic scenes, which was approved by Neil. He even revealed later on that he liked the Urge Overkill version. Many younger viewers might not realize that the track was written and originally recorded by Neil Diamond. Diamond once explained that in the late '60s, young girls made up a significant part of his audience, which inspired him to write the song. UB40 “Red, Red Wine” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFyNHpNlECI&pp=ygUUbmVpbCBkaWFtb25kIHJlZCByZWQ%3D "Red Red Wine" was another song written by Neil Diamond which was featured on his second album "Just For You" (1967). His original version peaked at number 62 on the United States Billboard Hot 100. But in 1983, a British Reggae band called UB40 covered the track. Besides being released as a single, it was also featured on their fourth studio album "Labour Of Love" (1983). Curiously, in the beginning they had no idea it was a song written by Diamond. They first heard the version by a classic Reggae musician called Tony Tribe. It was only after their recorded they version that the band did the research to find out who the songwriter was. Their version became a number hit in many countries. Some of them were Canada, Ireland, Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, United Kingdom and United States. In the UK, the song sold an estimated amount of more than 1.2 million copies.
