The Monkees assembled to be the stars of an American television series of t… Read Full Bio ↴The Monkees assembled to be the stars of an American television series of the same name, which ran on NBC from 1966 to 1968. The original lineup was: Micky Dolenz (drums, vocals), Michael Nesmith (guitar, vocals), Davy Jones (percussion, vocals) and Peter Tork (bass, keyboards, vocals) . The Monkees were formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California and initially disbanded in 1970 at the conclusion of their recording contract. At their peak they were competing with The Beatles for the top spot on album charts.

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)

A Man Without a Dream
The Monkees Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

With the music of life, my soul is out of tune,
And I feel like I'm growing old much too soon,
My love for you, I just couldn't convey,
And the keys to my happiness, I let slip away.
Now I'm a man without a dream,
I've got a heart that has no hope,
All my senses are numb,
Losing you, I've become,

A man (I'm just a man) without a dream.
Instead of striving to reach my goals and my aims
I got distracted with meaningless games,
For just an illusion, I traded love that was real,
Now my eyes cannot see and my heart cannot feel.
Now I'm a man without a dream,
I've got a heart that has no hope,
All my senses are numb,
Losing you, I've become,
A man (I'm just a man) without a dream.
Sometimes I think I'm a prisoner of fate,
Doomed to find out things a little too late,
And so I must play this broken man's role,
Unless you come home, girl, and bring back my soul.
'Cause I'm a man without a dream,
I've got a heart that has no hope,
All my senses are numb,
Losing you, I've become,
A man (I'm just a man) without a dream,

Without a dream,
Without a dream.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The Monkees's song "A Man Without a Dream" speaks of a man who has lost his way in life. He feels as though he is growing old too soon and has a soul that is out of tune with the music of life. He laments that he could not convey his love for someone and has let the keys to his happiness slip away. He is now a man without a dream, a heart that has no hope and his senses are numb. He has lost his way because he became distracted with meaningless games and traded away his true love for an illusion. He realizes too late that he is a prisoner of fate and is playing a broken man's role.

The song evokes a sense of sadness and regret that is common in life. The lyrics are about lost love and missed opportunities. The song is a poignant reminder that we need to value what we have and try our best to make the most of the time we have. It is a cautionary tale to those who stray too far from what is truly important in life, and a reminder that dreams are the key to happiness.

Line by Line Meaning

With the music of life, my soul is out of tune,
I feel disconnected from the flow and rhythm of life, unable to find harmony with it.

And I feel like I'm growing old much too soon,
The weight of my struggles and regrets have made me feel older than I actually am.

My love for you, I just couldn't convey,
I was unable to effectively express my love and affection for you.

And the keys to my happiness, I let slip away.
I lost the things that could have brought me happiness and contentment due to my own negligence or mistakes.

Now I'm a man without a dream,
I have lost sight of my aspirations and ambitions, feeling aimless and directionless in life.

I've got a heart that has no hope,
My heart feels empty and lacking in optimism and positivity.

All my senses are numb,
I am emotionally disconnected and unable to fully experience the world around me.

Losing you, I've become,
Your absence has caused me to feel lost and empty.

A man (I'm just a man) without a dream.
I am just a man, feeling lost and aimless without a clear and concrete vision of my future.

Instead of striving to reach my goals and my aims
Rather than tackling my goals and pursuing my ambitions, I allowed myself to be sidetracked by trivial and inconsequential things.

I got distracted with meaningless games,
I became preoccupied with activities and diversions that ultimately added no real value to my life or well-being.

For just an illusion, I traded love that was real,
I foolishly gave up true love and connection for something that was only an illusion or facade.

Now my eyes cannot see and my heart cannot feel.
My emotional and perceptual capacities have been diminished or rendered inactive, leaving me unable to fully engage with the world around me or to experience my emotions in a healthy, productive way.

Sometimes I think I'm a prisoner of fate,
I feel trapped or confined by the forces of destiny or circumstance, unable to shape or control my own life.

Doomed to find out things a little too late,
I often discover important truths or revelations too late to make a meaningful impact or change in my life.

And so I must play this broken man's role,
I feel as though I am relegated to the position of a damaged or broken person, with no hope of redemption or healing.

Unless you come home, girl, and bring back my soul.
I see your return as the only means by which I can regain my sense of self and purpose.

'Cause I'm a man without a dream,
I continue to feel lost and aimless, with no clear direction or vision for the future.

Without a dream,
Without any sense of purpose or drive to shape my life.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CAROLE KING, GERRY GOFFIN

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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