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)

Band 6
The Monkees Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Fine man, crazy man, he can't see.
Sound of the sunset, sound of the sea.
Why do the people always look at me?
Nobody can see that we are you,

We are you.
She's him, too.
She's him, too.

Fine man, crazy man, he can't see.

Sound of the sunset, sound of the sea.
Ummmm, hummmmmm.
Ummmm, hummmmmm.

Solid brass statuary guards the door
Used to come as one, now it comes as four.
Somebody here just sent for more
Red and yellow cartoons saying we need two

We need two.
More than you.
More than you.

Solid brass statuary guards the door
Used to come as one, now it comes as four.
Ummmm, hummmmmm.
Ummmm, hummmmmm.

Somebody stole they mind.
Somebody stole they mind.
They way they can't find
What is kind.
What is kind.

Somebody stole they mind.
Somebody stole they mind.
They way they can't find
What is kind.
What is kind.

Fine man, crazy man, he can't see.
Sound of the sunset, sound of the sea.
Why do the people walk away from me?
Nobody can see that we are you,

We are you.
She's him, too.
She's him, too.
Fine man, crazy man, he can't see.

Sound of the sunset, sound of the sea.

Ummmm, hummmmmm.
Ummmm, hummmmmm.

Overall Meaning

The Monkees’s song Band 6 is a psychedelic, abstract song that illustrates a man who is probably suffering from some sort of mental disorder or drug-induced hallucination. In the first verse, there is an indication that despite being the same as any other human, the character feels misunderstood and alone, and people consistently judge him. The chorus repeats the lines “We are you” and “She’s him, too,” which suggests the interconnectivity of all people and the concept of oneness that the character is trying to vocalize. The second verse is quite similar to the first, but there is a reference to the idea that there is more to the character's newfound perspective, likening it to a drug-induced perspective.

The bridge of the song is much darker, with references to stolen minds and a loss of identity of the people around him. It could be interpreted as the man trying to find a way to cope with the world, which became too complex, confusing, and overwhelming to him. This could also be referenced in the lyrics of the chorus: “Nobody can see that we are you,” which is the man trying to look beyond stereotypes and conventional societal norms to find a sense of unity.

Line by Line Meaning

Fine man, crazy man, he can't see.
The person being referred to is confused and unable to perceive things clearly.

Sound of the sunset, sound of the sea.
The sounds of nature, which are soothing and calming.

Why do the people always look at me?
The person feels like an outsider and wonders why others are staring at them.

Nobody can see that we are you, We are you. She's him, too. She's him, too.
The song is about how different people are really the same, and everyone is connected in some way.

Solid brass statuary guards the door Used to come as one, now it comes as four.
Something has changed and there are now more people involved than before.

Somebody here just sent for more Red and yellow cartoons saying we need two We need two. More than you.
Someone is requesting that something be acquired, and thinks that more is needed than what is already available.

Somebody stole they mind. Somebody stole they mind. They way they can't find What is kind. What is kind.
There are people who are confused and can't see what is right and wrong.

Why do the people walk away from me? Nobody can see that we are you, We are you. She's him, too. She's him, too.
Again, the feeling of being an outsider and not being seen as connected to others.

Ummmm, hummmmmm. Ummmm, hummmmmm.
An interlude or moment of reflection within the song.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DAVID JONES, MICHAEL NESMITH, MICKEY DOLENZ, MICKY DOLENZ, PETER TORK

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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