The single was pop publisher Don Kirshner's attempt to cash in on the teen public's rapacious yearning for pop poppet Davy Jones (1945-2012). Flying Jones to New York in February 1967, Kirshner recorded his lead vocal - Jones' first for the Monkees - with a polished studio band, and without any of the other Monkees participating. In the RCA Victor recording studios in New York Jones gives a strong vocal performance, and the band produces a taut pop sound, in part thanks to experienced producer Jeff Barry.
The songwriter, Brill Building wunderkind Neil Diamond, had at this point only released one solo album, The Feel of Neil Diamond, with three successful singles including Solitary Man and Cherry, Cherry. He'd also penned the Monkees' smash hit I'm A Believer - which later became the biggest selling US single of 1967.
When Kirshner released 'A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You' in Canada without prior approval, it brought to a head the Monkees' growing irritation with Kirshner, who had already sprung the release of their second album More of the Monkees on them without advance warning and without any musical contribution from the band beyond their vocal performances. The single was reissued with a revised B-side, and Kirshner was fired.
The reissued single reached no.2 on the Billboard charts in America, topped the charts in both Canada and New Zealand, and went top 10 in Australia, West Germany and the UK, amongst others. After 'A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You', the Monkees, smarting from the 'pre-Fab Four' press controversy of 1966-67, began to take control of their sound, their performances, and their songwriting.
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