Neil Diamond is the only credited songwriter on this track, but he got some help from Jeff Barry and Ellie Greenwich, who worked with him after he signed with Bang Records and produced the song. Barry and Greenwich were part of the Brill Building songwriting community, and had written many major hits, including "Be My Baby" and "Chapel Of Love." They mentored Diamond early in his career and helped him create this Pop nugget, which helped make him a star.
This started out with a guitar lick Diamond came up with that caught Barry's ear. He and Greenwich loved it and encouraged Neil to finish the song.
In an interview with Melody Maker, Jeff Barry said that this song was originally "Money, Money," but that he and Bang records owner Bert Berns convinced Diamond to make it lighter and more teen-friendly. They were on to something with the original title: In 1968, Tommy James & the Shondells released Mony Mony.
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