For the most part, The Monkees are remembered as a bit of a joke, mostly because, well…they kind of were.
They were the creation of a pair of TV producers who were making a sitcom about a band that was satirically Beatles-like in appearance, but never managed to make it big. The first band member cast was Davy Jones, a Tony-nominated Broadway actor who was coming off a stint as the Artful Dodger in Oliver! In a fun twist of fate, Jones performed a number from Oliver! as a guest on The Ed Sullivan Show on the same night that the Beatles had their legendary appearance on the same stage.
After Jones was cast, three others were chosen from more than 400 hopefuls, and the band was ready. The look was a parody of British mop-top bands of the time. The show was as silly as the opening credits suggest. The songs, written by third-party songwriters, were deliberately campy.
But some of those songs were also extremely catchy. Songs like “Daydream Believer,” “Last Train to Clarksville,” and “I’m a Believer,” propelled the group of actors-turned musicians into legitimate pop stars, in perhaps the first TV-to-radio crossover success story.
The sitcom ran successfully for a few seasons before being cancelled in 1968. The band stayed together though, and their first post-sitcom move was a film called “Head” (co-produced by, no joke, Jack Nicholson) that was a complete commercial failure.
It’s from that movie that we get this week’s song.
The film failed because it was completely un-Monkees, and so was the music. It broke away from their sitcom personas, and was more thoughtful, with darker subject matter. Songwriting help came from the likes of Harry Nilsson and Carole King – a far cry from the TV songwriters who had penned their earlier tunes.
The Monkees’ popularity fell off fairly sharply after that, and their last album was recorded in 1970, the same year the Beatles, who were indirectly as responsible for the creation of The Monkees as anyone, broke up.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. It’s in 5/4. Not the craziest time signature, but unusual for pop rock.
2. Mickey Dolenz’ voice is surprisingly powerful. It reminds me of Grace Slick. Sometimes soaring, sometimes soft.
3. The lyrics, all about identity, are a touching look into what it might have felt like to be a joke band with serious ambitions: “I can tell by your face / That you’re looking to find a place / To settle your mind / And reveal who you are.”
Recommended listening activity:
Erasing your first impression of someone and giving them a second chance.