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)

Don't Wait for Me
The Monkees Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Don't wait for me...I'll be a long time comin'
Unless by then, you have told me something
To show how much you care
I've done much more than as a man I should have

Why did you... not do all you could have... to show
How much you care?

Over and again I've wondered was I wrong
Kept thinkin' that I maybe shoulda come along
But there comes a time in every man's life
When he must be strong

And my time's come
And if you're gone
Then I guess I'll cry and hold to memories
Of "what might have beens"

[Repeat: x2]

And when I finally leave
That will show how much I cared

Overall Meaning

This song, "Don't Wait for Me" by The Monkees, is a breakup song about a man who realizes that his relationship is not working out and that it's time for him to move on. The lyrics suggest that he has been waiting for his partner to show him how much she cares about him, but she has been unresponsive. The man acknowledges that he has made mistakes and hasn't always acted in the way he should have, but he still wants his partner to show him that she cares before it's too late.

The first verse sets the tone for the song with the line "Don't wait for me...I'll be a long time comin'." This line implies that the man is leaving and that his partner should not wait for him to return. He goes on to say that unless she shows him something to prove that she cares, he will not be coming back anytime soon. The second verse addresses the situation directly, with the line "Why did you not do all you could have to show how much you care?" This line suggests that the man feels neglected and that his partner has not done enough to demonstrate her love.

The chorus of the song is particularly poignant, with the repeated phrase "And when I finally leave, that will show how much I cared." This line suggests that the man is leaving because he feels unloved and that his departure is his way of showing how much he cared for his partner. The song ends with the man reflecting on what might have been and acknowledging that he will hold onto memories of his relationship even though it is over.

Overall, "Don't Wait for Me" is a poignant breakup song that deals with the emotions of a man who is leaving a relationship that has not worked out. The lyrics suggest that the man feels neglected and unloved, and that he is leaving because he feels that he has no other choice.

Line by Line Meaning

Don't wait for me...I'll be a long time comin'
Please don't wait for me as it may take me a long time to return.

Unless by then, you have told me something
Unless before my return, you express your feelings and make me aware of how much you care.

To show how much you care
To demonstrate and express the depth of your feelings for me.

I've done much more than as a man I should have
I acknowledge that I may have fallen short of what is expected of a man, and regret not doing more.

Why did you... not do all you could have... to show
I wonder why you did not make every effort to demonstrate the depth of your feelings for me.

Over and again I've wondered was I wrong
I have repeatedly questioned myself if I made the right decision.

Kept thinkin' that I maybe shoulda come along
I deliberated if I should have chosen a different path and remained with you.

But there comes a time in every man's life
However, every man must face a crucial moment.

When he must be strong
A time when he must display strength and fortitude.

And my time's come
That time has finally arrived for me.

And if you're gone
If you have left or moved on.