From the 1960s to the 1980s, Diamond was one of the more successful pop music performers, scoring a number of hits. As critic William Ruhlmann writes, "as of 2001, he claimed worldwide record sales of 115 million copies, and as of 2002 he was ranked third, behind only Elton John and Barbra Streisand, on the list of the most successful adult contemporary artists in the history of the Billboard chart."[1] As of May 2005 he has sold 120 million records worldwide, including 48 million records in the U.S.[2]
Though his record sales declined somewhat after the 1980s, Diamond continues to tour successfully, and maintains a very loyal following. Diamond's songs have been recorded by a vast array of performers from many different musical genres.
Diamond was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1984, and then in 2000 was given its Sammy Cahn Lifetime Achievement Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the early part of 2011.
In 2008 Neil Diamond scored his first ever Billboard number one album with "Home Before Dark", the album also became his first studio album to get to number one in the UK.
I'm A Believer
Neil Diamond Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Meant for someone else but not for me
Love was out to get me
That's the way it seemed
Disappointment haunted all my dreams
Then I saw her face
Now I'm a believer
I'm in love
I'm a believer
I couldn't leave her if I tried
I thought love was more or less a giving thing
Seems the more I gave the less I got
What's the use in trying
All you get is pain
When I needed sunshine I got rain
Then I saw her face
Now I'm a believer
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
I'm in love
I'm a believer
I couldn't leave her if I tried
The lyrics to Neil Diamond's song I'm A Believer talk about a person who has lost faith in love due to bad experiences. They believe that love is only true in fairy tales and it's not meant for them. The singer feels that love is out to get them, and all they experience is disappointment and pain. However, everything changes when they see the face of someone special. The moment they lay eyes on this person, they become a believer in love. There's not a trace of doubt in their mind, and they find themselves falling in love. They even admit that they couldn't leave this person if they tried.
The song talks about how love can change a person's perspective towards everything. Before they fell in love, the singer believed that love only existed in fairy tales and was not meant for them. However, after falling in love with someone, all their doubts vanished. They learned that love is real, and it's worth finding. Moreover, the song talks about the pain of unrequited love. The singer believed that the more they gave, the less they received. They were always trying to find sunshine but all they ever found was rain. But, everything changed when they met the right person.
Overall, the song I'm A Believer conveys how love can change a person's outlook towards life. It's about the great feeling of finding love and the pain of rejection. The lyrics are relatable and give a positive message that true love is worth finding.
Line by Line Meaning
I thought love was only true in fairy tales
I believed love was just an imaginary concept that existed only in tales.
Meant for someone else but not for me
I believed that love was meant for others to experience, but not me.
Love was out to get me
I believed that love was an adversary, always trying to harm me.
That's the way it seemed
My experiences with love reinforced my belief that it was against me.
Disappointment haunted all my dreams
I was consistently disappointed in love, and this disappointment affected me even in my dreams.
Then I saw her face
Seeing the woman's face was the turning point that changed my mind on love.
Now I'm a believer
I now believe in love, and my heart is open to its possibilities.
Not a trace of doubt in my mind
I am now certain in my belief and trusting of love.
I'm in love
I have found a deep connection with someone and am in love.
I couldn't leave her if I tried
The love I have for this woman is so strong, I could never imagine leaving her.
I thought love was more or less a giving thing
My belief was that love was about giving to others rather than receiving it oneself.
Seems the more I gave the less I got
Despite giving love, I received less back in return.
What's the use in trying
I questioned the point of trying to give love when it seemed pointless.
All you get is pain
Instead of happiness or love, my efforts only brought me pain.
When I needed sunshine I got rain
When I was looking for happiness and love, I received disappointment and sadness instead.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Neil Diamond
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@mungojerry311
Nothing can beat The Monkee's version, but this one by the songwriter himself is pretty good.
@mbrand19971
Neil once said he pretty much didn't show interest recording that song let along sing it live. It's evident he wrote a pop classic which he felt this was the worse song he written but in the ensuing years he realize he wrote a great pop song after all which next to Sweet Caroline this is by far among his best written tunes.
@theophilos0910
The Monkeys recorded this Neil Diamond hit song layer that year in Nov 1966 with Micky Dolenz (formerly Corky The Circus Boy) as lead singer -
@the45prof98
Note that this was recorded in 1967, after the 1966 Monkees release.
@d.a.elliottjr.367
I think he recorded it yet again in the 70s or 80s & put it on a track of one of his Columbia albums.
@noahboat580
Its kinda funny because, my dad bought a 45 collection. And it was a great collection, to where i found not one, but 2 45 copies of the monkees version of this. Didnt know Neil Diamond did it first
@the45prof98
Note that this was recorded in 1967, after the 1966 Monkees release.
@baritonfelix
Sorry for being a doubting Thomas, but do you have a good source for the 1967 recording date? I somehow think it's more likely that this was done around the same time as the Monkees version, given that the arrangements are very similar and Jeff Barry got a producer credit on both versions. In any case, it was probably the big success of the Monkees single that made them hold this back until 1971. Also, Neil signed with Uni Records in 1967, which may have complicated matters.
@the45prof98
I don't have an actual recording date for Neil's version, but multiple sources give 1967 as the year. Here's the SecondHandSongs page: https://secondhandsongs.com/performance/8897/versions
@baritonfelix
@The45Prof Thanks for clarifying. Interestingly, the track was already included on the 1967 Bang album Just for You. It seems that Bang issued this as a single in 1971 only to cash in on Neil's recent successes on his new label. He probably would have stopped it if he could have.