Angeles market and No. 6 in Detroit.) Ronstadt's version flips the gender references in Nesmith's original lyrics, replacing "girl" with "boy" when describing her lover, but still referring to him being "pretty". The Stone Poneys had intended to record an "acoustic ballad version" of the song, but producer Nick Venet opted for a more complex instrumental approach, using an arrangement by Jimmy Bond (who also played bass), guitarists Al Viola and future Eagles co-founder Bernie Leadon drummer Jim Gordon, strings led by Sid Sharp, and harpsichord played in baroque style (and largely improvised during the recording) by Don Randi. As a result, Ronstadt was the only member of the Stone Poneys who performed on the record. The version that was released was the second take, with no overdubbing. The album rendition offers a different stereo mix from the hit single, including a longer harpsichord bridge. Ronstadt later commented that she had been surprised and "completely confused" by the changed approach to the song, and that even years later she perceived "fear and a lack of confidence" in her performance. Nesmith, on the other hand, said that Ronstadt's performance "infused it with a new level of passion and sensuality". In later live performances of the song, Nesmith would often sing the closing verse in the same singing style as the Ronstadt version. Michael Nesmith version Nesmith later re-recorded "Different Drum" for his 1972 LP And the Hits Just Keep on Comin'. His version contains four verses, as opposed to the three in Ronstadt's version. Chart history Weekly charts Year-end charts Other versions The song has been covered by many artists: P.P. Arnold Pete Burns Skeeter Davis Tanya Donelly with The Parkington Sisters Flying Emus Frog Holler Susanna Hoffs (with Matthew Sweet) The Jayhawks Gina Jeffreys La Sera The Lemonheads The Lennon Sisters Me First and the Gimme Gimmes The Pastels The Poppy Family with Susan Jacks Victoria Shaw Carrie Underwood Sara Watkins Paul Westerberg Sarah White Micky Dolenz References External links Linda Ronstadt and The Stone Poneys live Alternate take on Different Drum 1965 songs 1967 singles Linda Ronstadt songs 1990 singles The Lemonheads songs Matthew Sweet songs Song recordings produced by Nick Venet Songs written by Michael Nesmith Baroque pop songs Capitol Records singles