I feel like I have a special intuition for when a song is written by a famous songwriter. I’ll be thinking about a song and suddenly overcome by a desire to know who wrote it — and it always turns out to be Carol King or Jim Steinman or Max Martin or some other classic writer. A few days ago I was thinking about “Different Drum,” having recently heard The Lemonheads’ version for the first time, and I was convinced I would find that it had been written by someone famous. So I looked it up on Wikipedia and sure enough it was written my Mike Nesmith of the Monkees. One of the song’s first appearances was actually as a gag on The Monkees, as Mike pretends to be an inept folk singer:
(An aside: I know YouTube comments are the scourge of the internet and whatnot, but I find that one of the benefits of looking at more obscure material is that the comments are often quite good. One commenter here astutely points out here that Mike’s performance is particularly brilliant, given the difficulty of performing your own song so badly.)
So I admit that Mike Nesmith does not meet the criteria of “great songwriter,” but he is famous, and he did write “Mary, Mary,” and “The Girl I Knew Somewhere,” two minor Monkees classics. So I think this counts as an example of my songwriter intuition. And there’s no real argument that “Different Drum” isn’t Nesmith’s best song. It’s endured and spawned tons of great renditions. So I thought I’d go down the rabbit hole and highlight some of the versions I’ve loved over the years.
The Stone Poneys had the most famous version of “Different Drum” in 1967, with a young Linda Rondstadt on lead vocal. It hit number 13 on the Hot 100. The Stone Poneys’ version is textbook baroque ’n’ roll, full of lush strings and jaunty harpsichord. It’s super catchy, and the melody sticks with you’d despite the lack of a traditional verse-chorus structure. Linda’s got a good voice, and her her vocal, while not life changing, has a appealing, slightly vulnerable quality to it. She’s also amazingly pretty, which I’m sure didn’t hurt.
“Different Drum” is particularly memorable because of the quirky lyrics, full of odd colloquialisms (“make eyes at me,” “it’s not that I knock it,” “honey child”) and a jumble of metaphors (“travel to the beat of a different drum,” “can’t see the forest for the trees,” “pull the reins in on me”). The song is about not wanting to make a commitment to a serious relationship, and it really works so much better when delivered from a female perspective — here’s a woman who wants to enjoy her freedom and avoid a bad decision, rather than just another dude who just doesn’t want to get tied down. Linda’s version is also brilliant in that she switches the genders on the all the pronouns, but still keeps the line “I ain’t saying you ain’t pretty.” This line would be fairly unremarkable in a song addressed to a woman, when when directed at a male, it’s attention-grabbing and conjures a nuanced image of what this guy might be like — attractive but slight, not someone who really understands the full responsibility of commitment.
On the Lemonheads’ 1990 version, Evan Dando keeps the the pronouns exactly as they are on the Stone Poneys’ version. I like when singers do this. It doesn’t come off like Evan is deliberately singing the song to a man — it’s more like he’s just singing a song he likes, the way he’s always heard it on the radio, and the effect is charming. The Lemonheads’ version is also pretty raucous, with some unlikely squalls of feedback toward the end. That noisy approach isn’t usually my thing, but when someone is singing the melody to “Different Drum” over top, it suddenly becomes a lot more appealing. I should mention that Evan Dando was also very pretty, which probably didn’t hurt either.
Me First and the Gimme Gimmes included a version of “Different Drum” on their ‘60s-themed covers album Blow in the Wind. I hadn’t listened to this in years and couldn’t really remember if it was good. Turns out I’m impressed. The Gimme Gimmes play it a little extra fast, as befits a pop-punk cover, and the singer (who is awesomely named Spike Slawson) attacks the song with loose, sloppy gusto. There’s also a nice whistling bit at the end.
Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs tackle it on their ‘60s-themed covers album, Under the Covers Vol. 1. While their version is closest to the original in terms of tone and tempo, they add some unique touches. Susanna’s voice is more weathered and mature than Linda Ronstadt’s, which recasts the song from the perspective of someone whose reluctance to commit stems from experience. Matthew contributes some stellar backing vocals, completely different from any I’ve heard on other versions. The two harmonize together wonderfully, and “Different Drum” is one of the standout tracks on their album.
Finally, I saw Paul Westerberg perform “Different Drum” live at the TLA in Philly in 2005. At the same show, he also covered “If I Had a Hammer” and “I Think I Love You,” and I was pretty much beside myself with excitement at these song choices. Unfortunately, there don’t appear to be any easily accessed recordings of the performance. As I was searching for one, I was reading some Westerberg fan message boards and was surprised to find that reaction to Paul’s choice of covers on that tour was mostly negative. I forget that “Different Drum” might be considered a little poppy for the too-cool-for-school crowd. But if you look at the caliber of the artists who have covered this song and the variety of approaches that have worked, I think you’ll find it’s a keeper.