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)

Gettin' In
The Monkees Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I'm gettin' in to your heart
I'm gettin' in to your mind
You'd better learn from the start
You'll never leave me behind

My love's surrounding you
My love will be your shield
Just take me in to your heart

And all will be revealed

Don't be scared to love me darling
I won't chain you down, you know
My love sets you free for flying
Hold me, kiss me, off you go
I'll stay with you
I'm gonna stay with you
I'll stay with you
I'm gonna stick with you

I'm gettin' in to your heart
I'm gettin' in to your mind
You'd better learn from the start
You'll never leave me behind

I was given love like this
It was a gift I pass to you
You'll be happy when you get it
I was when I got it, too
I'll stay with you
I'm gonna stay with you
I'll stay with you
I'm gonna stick with you

I'm gettin' in to your heart
I'm gettin' in to your mind
You'd better learn from the start
You'll never leave me behind

I love you baby, baby

Love you everywhere
Take me with you when you fly

Overall Meaning

The song "Gettin' In" by The Monkees is a love song that talks about the singer's intention to penetrate their lover's (or prospective lover's) heart and mind. The opening lines state the singer's willingness to love the other person completely, and never letting them go. The lyrics play with a sense of protectiveness and assurance that echoes throughout the song. The singer wants to be a shield for their lover, a force that will provide them with the protection they need.

The song then emphasizes the idea of freedom and ensures that the lover shouldn't be scared of being loved, and ought to be free to fly. This freedom may be seen as the kind of freedom that comes when love is unconditional, and the lover is not chained in any way. The world becomes a sanctuary when basked in love, and the lyrics suggest that this sanctuary is where the two of them will exist.

Finally, the song wraps up with the reiteration of the singer's intentions to stick by their lover's side, a relentless assurance of trust and support that they want to communicate. The closing line reiterates the deeper meaning of the song - where love is, there is a sanctuary.

Line by Line Meaning

I'm gettin' in to your heart
I am penetrating deep into your emotional realm

I'm gettin' in to your mind
I am infiltrating your thoughts and understanding your psyche

You'd better learn from the start
It is important for you to understand from the beginning

You'll never leave me behind
You cannot abandon me

My love's surrounding you
My affection and care is encompassing you

My love will be your shield
My love will protect you from harm and danger

Just take me in to your heart
Accept me deeply and completely into your being

And all will be revealed
Everything will become clear and transparent

Don't be scared to love me darling
Do not fear loving me, my dear

I won't chain you down, you know
I will not restrict or limit you

My love sets you free for flying
My love liberates you to soar and explore

Hold me, kiss me, off you go
Embrace me and bid me farewell as you embark on your own journey

I'll stay with you
I will stick by your side

I'm gonna stay with you
I promise to be with you through thick and thin

I'm gonna stick with you
I am committed to remaining faithful and loyal to you

I was given love like this
I experienced love of this nature

It was a gift I pass to you
Now, I am gifting this love to you

You'll be happy when you get it
You will experience joy upon receiving this love

I was when I got it, too
I was happy when I received such love as well

I love you baby, baby
I deeply love and cherish you, my beloved

Love you everywhere
My love for you is all-encompassing and reaches every part of my being

Take me with you when you fly
Bring me along with you as you embark on your journey

Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Tratore, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: Savan Harish Kotecha, Rami Yacoub, Carl Anthony Falk

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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