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)
Let's Dance On
The Monkees Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, baby, come on.
Let's dance on 'til the dawn,
Have fun 'til the music's all gone.
We've been dancin',
Nearly all night long.
Let's keep it up baby,
We're doin' the Pony
Now you're doing the Jerk.
A come on, baby,
Let me see how you work.
Let's dance on,
Oh, baby, come on.
Let's dance on 'til the dawn,
Have fun 'til the music's all gone.
The way you're movin'
Girl, you look so fine.
You been doin' the Shotgun,
Let me see you do the Twine,
Let's see the Watusi,
And the Action too,
Now hang on, baby,
I'll do the sloopy with you.
Let's dance on,
Oh, baby, come on.
Let's dance on 'til the dawn,
Have fun 'til the music's all gone.
The Monkees's song "Let's Dance On" is a fun and upbeat track that celebrates the joy of dancing. The lyrics encourage the listener to keep moving and dancing until the dawn breaks and the music finally comes to an end. The song provides a list of popular dances of the time, such as The Pony, The Jerk, The Shotgun, The Twine, The Watusi, The Action, and The Sloopy. The verses playfully instruct the listener to perform each dance, making the song ideal for dancing and singing along.
The song's verses celebrate the fun, excitement, and energy of dancing, and the chorus invites the listener to join in and keep dancing, having fun until the music stops. The lyrics create an atmosphere of carefree joy and dancing, encouraging oneness, celebration, and connection through shared participation. Overall, the song is an invitation to let loose, forget your worries, and enjoy the pleasure of dancing, reflecting the cultural emphasis of the time on celebration and togetherness.
Line by Line Meaning
Let's dance on,
Let's keep dancing and having fun
Oh, baby, come on.
Invitation to join in the dancing
Let's dance on 'til the dawn,
Let's dance until the sun rises
Have fun 'til the music's all gone.
Enjoy ourselves until the music stops
We've been dancin',
We've been dancing for a while now
Nearly all night long.
For most of the night
Let's keep it up baby,
Let's continue dancing and having fun
Cause the music's still strong.
Because the music is still playing and enjoyable
We're doin' the Pony
We're dancing the Pony, a popular dance move
Now you're doing the Jerk.
Now you're doing the Jerk, another popular dance move
A come on, baby,
Come on, baby,
Let me see how you work.
Let me see how you dance and move
The way you're movin'
The way you're dancing and moving
Girl, you look so fine.
You look great while you're dancing
You been doin' the Shotgun,
You've been doing the Shotgun, a popular dance move
Let me see you do the Twine,
Let me see you do the Twine, another popular dance move
Let's see the Watusi,
Let's see the Watusi, yet another popular dance move
And the Action too,
And the Action dance move as well
Now hang on, baby,
Now wait a minute, baby,
I'll do the sloopy with you.
I'll dance the Sloopy with you, another popular dance move
Let's dance on,
Let's keep dancing and having fun
Oh, baby, come on.
Invitation to join in the dancing
Let's dance on 'til the dawn,
Let's dance until the sun rises
Have fun 'til the music's all gone.
Enjoy ourselves until the music stops
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.