Franks grew up in southern California with his father Gerald, his mother Betty and younger sister Christine who is the mother of Connor Sullivan (The lead singer of The Royal Nonesuch). Although no one in his family played music, his parents loved swing music and his early influences included Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole, Ira Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Johnny Mercer. At age 14 Franks bought his first guitar, a Japanese Marco Polo for $29.95 with six private lessons included - the only music education that he received.
At University High in Irvine, Franks discovered the poetry of Theodore Roethke with his off-rhymes and hidden meter. In high school, he began singing folk-rock, accompanying himself on guitar. Studying English at UCLA Michael discovered Dave Brubeck, Patti Page, Stan Getz, JoΓ£o Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim and Miles Davis. He never studied music in college or later, but earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from UCLA in comparative literature in 1966 and a Master of Arts degree from the University of Oregon in 1968. He had a teaching assistantship in a Ph.D. program in American literature at the University of Montreal before returning to teach part-time at UCLA.
During this time Franks started writing songs, starting with the antiwar musical Anthems in E-flat starring Mark Hamill. He also composed music for the films Count Your Bullets, Cockfighter, and Zandy's Bride, starring Liv Ullmann and Gene Hackman. Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee recorded three of his songs, including "White Boy Lost in the Blues" on their album Sonny & Brownie. Franks played guitar, banjo and mandolin on the album and joined them in touring. In 1973, he recorded an eponymous album, later reissued as Previously Unavailable, which included the minor hit "Can't Seem to Shake This Rock 'n Roll".
In 1975 Franks released his second album The Art of Tea, beginning a long relationship with Warner Brothers Music. The Art of Tea featured Joe Sample, Larry Carlton and Wilton Felder of The Crusaders and included the hit song "Popsicle Toes". His third album, Sleeping Gypsy (1977), which includes the song "The Lady Wants to Know", was partially recorded in Brazil. Around this time, percussionist Ray Armando gave Franks a cabasa, which became a signature instrument for him to play on stage when he was not playing guitar. Burchfield Nines (1978), which includes the song "When the Cookie Jar Is Empty", reflects his move to New York City and features more of an East Coast sound. Since then, Franks has recorded more than 15 albums.
His best known works include "When I Give My Love to You", "Popsicle Toes", "Monkey See, Monkey Do", "Tiger in the Rain", "Rainy Night in Tokyo", and "Tell Me All About It". His biggest hit came in 1983 with "When Sly Calls (Don't Touch That Phone)" from the album Passionfruit. Radio hits include "Your Secret's Safe With Me" from 1985's Skin Dive, and "Island Life" from 1987s The Camera Never Lies.
Monkey See-Monkey Do
Michael Franks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Locked inside this zoo,
Your bananas get thrown at me
And mine get thrown at you.
Ev'ry night we fuss and fight
Like me and you know who,
I guess love is always just:
Love is monkey see and monkey do, (would i lie to you?)
Love is monkey see and monkey do, (that's all it is, peaches)
Love is monkey see and monkey do.
Do you want my love, peaches?
Do you want my rage?
Or do you merely like to see me shake my cage?
Your papayas get thrown at me
And mine get thrown at you,
I guess love is always just:
Love is monkey see and monkey do, (that's all it is, peaches)
Love is monkey see and monkey do, (would i lie to you?)
Love is monkey see and monkey do, (that's all it is, peaches)
Love is monkey see and monkey do.
You won't let me near you, peaches,
But one day you will.
Gonna jump up and stumble and eat all the jungle
Until i've had my fill.
Then you'll know the truth, peaches,
One and one ain't two,
One and one is one and love is:
Love is monkey see and monkey do, (that's all it is, peaches)
Love is monkey see and monkey do,
Would i lie to you? (would i lie to you, baby?)
Love is monkey see and monkey do, (that's all it is, peaches)
Love is monkey see and monkey do. (love is, love is)
Love is monkey see and monkey do, (that's all it is, peaches)
Love is monkey see and monkey do,
Would i lie to you? (would i lie to you, baby?)
Love is monkey see and monkey do, (that's all it is, peaches)
Love is monkey see and monkey do
In "Monkey See-Monkey Do", Michael Franks uses a zoo as a metaphor for a dysfunctional relationship. Love has "locked" them up inside this zoo, where they throw fruit at each other, fuss and fight every night, and imitate each other's bad behavior or "monkey see, monkey do". Franks uses fruits like bananas and papayas to symbolize the destructive behavior that they throw at each other, and their love is nothing more than this ugly cycle.
Franks addresses his partner "Peaches" throughout the song, asking her if she wants his love or rage, pointing out how she won't let him near her, and lamenting the fact that they are trapped in this pattern of behavior. He imagines breaking out of it by jumping and stumbling around the jungle, consuming all that it has to offer until he has had his fill. The final lines remind us that love is still just "monkey see, monkey do."
Overall, "Monkey See-Monkey Do" is a masterful expression of a complicated relationship, using vivid zoological imagery to paint a picture of two people trapped in an endless, destructive cycle.
Line by Line Meaning
Love has locked us up, peaches,
Love has trapped us in this relationship
Locked inside this zoo,
Our relationship is like a zoo, full of fights and chaos
Your bananas get thrown at me
You attack me with your words and actions
And mine get thrown at you.
I retaliate with my own attacks
Ev'ry night we fuss and fight
We argue and fight every night
Like me and you know who,
Like other couples do
I guess love is always just:
I realize that love is just like this, full of conflicts and tensions
Love is monkey see and monkey do, (that's all it is, peaches)
Love is just imitating each other's actions and behaviors
Do you want my love, peaches?
Do you really want my affection?
Do you want my rage?
Do you want me to get angry and frustrated with you?
Or do you merely like to see me shake my cage?
Or do you enjoy provoking me and seeing my reactions?
Your papayas get thrown at me
You continue to attack me
And mine get thrown at you,
I also continue to fight back
I guess love is always just:
Once again, I realize that love is just like this
Love is monkey see and monkey do, (that's all it is, peaches)
Love is just imitating each other's actions and behaviors
You won't let me near you, peaches,
You keep your distance from me
But one day you will.
But eventually, you will come back to me
Gonna jump up and stumble and eat all the jungle
I will go wild and do whatever I want
Until i've had my fill.
Until I am satisfied
Then you'll know the truth, peaches,
Then you will see who I truly am
One and one ain't two,
Our relationship is not a simple math problem
One and one is one and love is:
Our relationship is about oneness and love
Love is monkey see and monkey do, (that's all it is, peaches)
Once again, love is just about imitating each other's actions and behaviors
Love is monkey see and monkey do,
Love is just about imitation
Would i lie to you? (would i lie to you, baby?)
I am asking if you think I am being dishonest
Love is monkey see and monkey do, (that's all it is, peaches)
One more time, love is just imitating each other's actions and behaviors
Love is monkey see and monkey do. (love is, love is)
And that's all that love is
Contributed by Julian Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@etch8161
lol i came from sam and cat
@michaelangelomastrapa2752
Me to
@elizabethbautista6310
X3
@Sierra4
Same-
@natividadguzman3578
Sameπ€£
@alexpaez5791
Same same ππ
@tiff7612
I remember when I was little I use to sleep in my parents room. My dad would play music sometimes before we all went to sleep and I remember this was one of the songs he played a lot for my mom because her nickname from him was peaches. So whenever the peaches part would play he would sing it looking at her. I never realized how adorable it was until now.
@mymayapapaya
Thank you for such a sweet story πΈ
@roykongsrud1712
Who is here from Sam and cat?
@sarinaofficial1110
Meπ