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)
Don't Listen to Linda
The Monkees Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
She said all those things before
She's just a pretender,
And though you couldn't love her more
She'll lead you on, and then one day
She'll say you'll have to part
Don't listen to Linda
She'll only break your heart.
Don't listen to Linda
If you want some good advice,
Just try to remember,
She did it once, she'll do it twice
There's more to her little games,
Than your eyes can see,
Don't listen to Linda,
Or you'll end up like me.
You'll never understand her
All the presents you could hand her,
Could never be enough, oh no,
So, don't underestimate her,
'Cause sooner or later,
The goings gonna start to get rough.
Don't listen to Linda,
Don't believe the things you hear.
You'll end up, contender,
For the "Loser Of The Year."
I've said everything I can
To try and make you see
Don't listen to Linda,
Or you'll end up like me.
The Monkees’s song “Don't Listen to Linda” is a warning about a woman named Linda who is said to be a pretender, leading men on and then breaking their hearts. The song suggests that Linda is not to be trusted, that she has a history of playing games, and that she will ultimately disappoint anyone who invests too much into her. The song advises against listening to Linda, as doing so will only lead to heartbreak and disappointment. The lyrics warn that Linda is not easily understood and that even lavishing her with gifts will not be enough to win her over.
The song is a perfect example of the catchy, upbeat sound that made The Monkees famous. Despite the somewhat dark subject matter, the lyrics are delivered with an upbeat, fun-loving melody that is sure to get toes tapping. The chorus is particularly catchy, with the repetition of “Don’t listen to Linda” serving as a warning to anyone who might be tempted to fall under her spell.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't listen to Linda
Ignore the advice coming from Linda
She said all those things before
Linda has a history of saying those things and not meaning them
She's just a pretender,
Linda is pretending to be something she is not
And though you couldn't love her more
You may love Linda, but don't be blinded by it
She'll lead you on, and then one day
Linda will give you false hope and then end the relationship
She'll say you'll have to part
Linda will end things between the two of you
Don't listen to Linda
Ignore her advice
She'll only break your heart.
Linda will end up hurting you
If you want some good advice,
If you seek sound guidance
Just try to remember,
Recall that
She did it once, she'll do it twice
Linda has a history and is likely to repeat her behavior
There's more to her little games,
There's a motive behind her deceiving tactics
Than your eyes can see,
More than what you may initially perceive
Don't listen to Linda,
Ignore her advice
Or you'll end up like me.
Or you'll end up being hurt like I was
You'll never understand her
You will never be able to fully comprehend Linda's behavior
All the presents you could hand her,
No matter how many gifts you give her
Could never be enough, oh no,
It will never be adequate in Linda's eyes
So, don't underestimate her,
Don't underestimate Linda's manipulative tactics
'Cause sooner or later,
Because eventually
The goings gonna start to get rough.
The situation will become difficult to handle
Don't listen to Linda,
Ignore her advice
Don't believe the things you hear.
Don't take everything Linda says at face value
You'll end up, contender,
You'll end up being a candidate for
For the "Loser Of The Year."
Being dubbed the loser of the year
I've said everything I can
I have given you all the information possible
To try and make you see
In an attempt to make you understand
Don't listen to Linda,
Ignore her advice
Or you'll end up like me.
Or you'll end up being hurt like I was
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
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.