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)

Just a Game
The Monkees Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

There's a way
There's a way for you and I
If you'll just stay.
If you'll just stay to keep me hidden from the day,

And all its light,
That's covered up by night when you're away.
When you're away the image of your face is clear,

It is clear across the room and I am here,

Against the wall, afraid that it is all
Just a game.
Just a game that's played in fun
But not too real.

Not too real to take a chance on finding out
You've really lost.
I can't see you clearly while I'm here.
While I'm here and you are in my state of mind.

My state of mind is changing places all the time,
And I am lost
Trying to get across another time.
When you're away the image of your face is clear,

It is clear across the room and I am here,
Against the wall, afraid that it is all

Just a game

Just a game
Just a game.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The Monkees' song “Just A Game” describe a situation that is full of confusion and fear. The song speaks to a person's fear of facing reality, preferring to hide behind fantasies and games. The opening lines suggest that there's a way for the two individuals mentioned in the song to move forward together, but only if they stay together. The singer asks the other person to stay and keep them hidden from the day and all its light. With the other person away, the singer can see the image of their face across the room, but they're afraid that it's all just a game.

The song reveals a sense of desperation to stay in the momentary fantasy bubble and not face the truth. The singer is scared of finding out the reality and the hurt that may follow if they take a chance. The use of “just a game” in the chorus suggests that the singer is hesitant to face the truth, and they believe that whatever they have is not too real to risk it. The lines “My state of mind is changing places all the time, And I am lost, Trying to get across another time” imply that the situation is fluid and confusing, and the singer is unsure of how to move forward.

Line by Line Meaning

There's a way
There is a solution or path to follow.

There's a way for you and I
Both of us can find the solution or path to follow.

If you'll just stay.
If you remain with me.

If you'll just stay to keep me hidden from the day,
If you stay to protect me from exposure to the light of day.

And all its light,
All the illumination that the daylight brings.

That's covered up by night when you're away.
The darkness of night can conceal me when you're not around.

When you're away the image of your face is clear,
I can picture your face clearly in my mind when you're not here.

It is clear across the room and I am here,
The image of your face is so vivid that it feels like you're in the same room as me, even though you're not.

Against the wall, afraid that it is all
Feeling trapped and fearful that everything is just an illusion.

Just a game.
Everything is just a pretend or playful game.

Just a game that's played in fun
Everything is just for fun and entertainment.

But not too real.
But it's not completely genuine or authentic.

Not too real to take a chance on finding out
Not genuine enough to risk discovering the truth.

You've really lost.
You may have lost something important.

I can't see you clearly while I'm here.
I'm unable to view you clearly when I'm in this state of mind.

While I'm here and you are in my state of mind.
When I'm in this mental state, you exist only in my imagination.

My state of mind is changing places all the time,
My mental state is constantly shifting and unpredictable.

And I am lost
I'm confused and uncertain.

Trying to get across another time.
Attempting to navigate through another period or experience.

Just a game
It's all just pretend.