In the years since their original disbanding, the group has reunited in various incarnations, mostly involving Dolenz, Tork and Jones, but not Nesmith. The first reunion began in 1986 and at first featured only Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork. Davy Jones joined the others and a new album was released before they split again in 1989.
The next regrouping took place between 1993 and 1997 and featured a new album that included the particpation of all four members. A further reunion between 2001 and 2002, was followed by another reunion in 2011 to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the television show. This reunion was cut short before 2011 had ended due to scheduling problems with the anniversary tour.
The unexpected death of Davy Jones at the beginning of 2012 prompted the most recent reunion tour, this time featuring Dolenz, Tork and Nesmith.
Created by producers of a TV series to be an American Beatles, the antics of the Monkees band members on the television series were very reminscent of Beatles' antics in films like 'Help' and 'Hard Day's Night'. Indeed, in songs like 'Forget that Girl...', the band and even the lead singer could sound just like the Beatles. With songs provided by Don Kirshner from such writers as Neil Diamond and Carole King, among others, the Monkees were assured of pop success. However, in the beginning, the four group members were hired only as actors to front the band and to provide the vocals whilst studio musicians recorded the backing music. These recordings were provided by Kirshner. Things changed though after the success of the single Last Train to Clarksville, the first hit, leading to demands that the band play live gigs. Having learned to play the music, the band became angry when the second LP was recorded (by Kirshner) by studio musicians, without their knowledge or musical input. They therefore demanded and obtained control of the music.
Nesmith who revealed that the band did not perform on their records was also instrumental in getting Don Kirshner sacked. the next album Headquarters was recorded by The Monkees alone, using hand picked producer Chip Douglas. While not as successful as their first two albums it made it to number one, only to be replaced a week later by The Beatles' Sgt Pepper album. The Monkees eventually settled on a formula of using their own talents as well as those of studio musicians. After two seasons the network and the group could not reach agreement on the format of a third season and the show was canceled even though the ratings were still high. A feature film named Head co-written by The Monkees, Jack Nicholson and Bob Rafelson) followed.
Peter Tork was the first to leave the band, in 1968, during 1969 The TV show went into Saturday morning reruns and the three remaining Monkees recorded two more albums. in 1969 Nesmith departed and began a serious foray into merging country and rock music. He also eventually developed a format that became MTV. By the way his mother invented a product called Liquid Paper, sold it to the Gillette Company for $47 million dollars then died a year later leaving the money to her only son. The remaining two Monkees Dolenz and Jones recorded one last album named Changes in late 1969.
There has, however, been a resurgent interest in The Monkees' music Rhino Records has been instrumental in restoring all their albums, adding bonus tracks, and equipping them with complementary liner notes and stories.
Davy Jones died on February 29, 2012 in Indiantown, Florida.
Peter Tork died on February 21, 2019, at his home in Mansfield, Connecticut.
Michael Nesmith died on December 10, 2021, in Carmel Valley, California.
DISCOGRAPHY (from www.themonkees.net):
The Monkees (1966)
More of The Monkees (1967)
Headquarters (1967)
Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd. (1967)
The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees (1968)
Head (1968)
Instant Replay (1969)
The Monkees Present (1969)
Changes (1970)
Then & Now...The Best of the Monkees (1986)
Pool It! (1987)
Live 1967 (1987)
Justus (1996)
Good Times! (2016)
The Monkees
The Monkees Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Walkin' down the street
We get the funniest looks from
Everyone we meet
Hey, hey, we're the Monkees
And people say we monkey around
But we're too busy singing
We go wherever we want to
Do what we like to do
We don't have time to get restless
There's always something new
Hey, hey, we're the Monkees
And people say we monkey around
But we're too busy singing
To put anybody down
We're just tryin' to be friendly
Come and watch us sing and play
We're the young generation
And we've got something to say, oh
Any time
Or anywhere
Just look over your shoulder
Guess who'll be standing there?
Hey, hey, we're the Monkees
And people say we monkey around
But we're too busy singing
To put anybody down
Whaaa, one time!
Hey, hey, we're the Monkees
And people say we monkey around
But we're too busy singing
To put anybody down
We're just tryin' to be friendly
Come and watch us sing and play
We're the young generation
And we've got something to say
Hey, hey, we're the Monkees
Hey, hey, we're the Monkees
The Monkees is a self-referential song by the band of the same name. The opening line of the song declares the arrival of the band as they walk down the street, garnering peculiar looks from the people who encounter them. The song acknowledges the band's playful nature, as they are often referred to as "monkeys" and seen as mere entertainers. However, the band members emphasize that they are too busy singing and creating music to engage in any malicious activities. The lyrics also highlight the band's carefree attitude and their enjoyment of life -- they go wherever they want, do whatever they like, and are always up for something new. The song concludes with a statement about how the band members are representatives of the younger generation and have something important to share with the world.
Although the song's message appears to be light-hearted, it carries a deeper meaning. The Monkees was originally written as a response to the criticisms that the band received for not being a "real" band. The group was initially assembled to star in a television series with the same name, and critics argued that their music was manufactured and lacked authenticity. The lyrics of the song were meant to deflect those criticisms and assert the band's legitimacy as serious musicians. The Monkees went on to become one of the most successful American bands of the 1960s, selling over 75 million records worldwide.
Line by Line Meaning
Here we come
We are arriving
Walkin' down the street
We're walking along the road
We get the funniest looks from
People give us odd looks
Everyone we meet
Everyone we encounter
Hey, hey, we're the Monkees
We want you to know who we are
And people say we monkey around
Some say we are foolish
But we're too busy singing
We are focused on our music
To put anybody down
We don't want to disparage anyone
We go wherever we want to
We travel to the places we choose
Do what we like to do
We pursue our interests
We don't have time to get restless
We are too busy to become bored
There's always something new
We are constantly finding new experiences
We're just tryin' to be friendly
We want to be approachable
Come and watch us sing and play
Join us for our music performance
We're the young generation
We are part of the youth
And we've got something to say, oh
We have a message to express
Any time
Whenever
Or anywhere
In any place
Just look over your shoulder
Turn your head
Guess who'll be standing there?
We will be there
Whaaa, one time!
Exclamation of excitement
Hey, hey, we're the Monkees
We repeat our introduction
And people say we monkey around
We repeat what others say about us
But we're too busy singing
We repeat our focus on music
To put anybody down
We repeat our desire to not hurt anyone
We're just tryin' to be friendly
We repeat our goal to be friendly
Come and watch us sing and play
We repeat our invitation
We're the young generation
We repeat our identity
And we've got something to say
We repeat our message
Hey, hey, we're the Monkees
We repeat our introduction
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Spirit Music Group
Written by: BOBBY HART, TOMMY BOYCE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Philip Kassabian
on Words
A good and catchy song by The Monkees.
Philip Kassabian
on D.W. Washburn
A good song by The Monkees.
Philip Kassabian
on Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere
A good song by The Monkees.
Philip Kassabian
on That Was Then, This Is Now
This is a great Monkees song.
Philip Kassabian
on Last Train to Clarksville
A good Monkees song.
Philip Kassabian
on A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You
An excellent Monkees song.
Philip Kassabian
on Daydream Believer
A great Monkees song.
Philip Kassabian
on I'm a Believer - 2006 Remaster
This song is amazing.
Philip Kassabian
on Listen to the Band
Yet another classic song by The Monkees.
Philip Kassabian
on Pleasant Valley Sunday
I've always loved this song ever since I heard it when I was a kid.