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)

Looking for the Good Times
The Monkees Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Looking for the good times, baby
Gonna have my fun
Looking for the good times, baby
Girl you can come along with me
Wow, you're gonna see
Just how fine this big old world can be

Looking for the good times, baby

Gonna have a ball
Looking for the good times, baby
You can share it all

There's more to life than you've been living, girl
You can share it all
There's things to do that you ain't thought of yet
You can share it all
So let me be the one to do the giving, girl
You can share it all
You'll find the things you thought you couldn't get

Looking for the good times, baby
Gonna have my fun
Looking for the good times, baby
Girl you can come along with me - with me

Looking for the good times, baby
Gonna have a ball

Looking for the good times, baby,
Girl you can share it all.

Overall Meaning

The Monkees's song "Looking for the Good Times" is an upbeat, optimistic tune about seeking out and embracing the positive aspects of life. The singer is eager to have a good time and encourages his love interest to join him in the quest. He promises her that she will see just how fine the world can be, and asserts that there is much more to life than she has been experiencing thus far. He wants to be the one to show her new experiences and opportunities she may not have considered before. The song encourages listeners to embrace the idea that life is meant to be enjoyed, and that there is always more to discover and appreciate.

The lyrics of "Looking for the Good Times" are notable for their buoyant, joyful tone. The song's use of "baby" as an affectionate term for the singer's love interest is also characteristic of the era in which it was written, as was the focus on having fun and experiencing life's pleasures. The song is a reminder that even when times are tough, it is possible to find moments of happiness and delight by actively seeking them out. Overall, the song is a celebration of the joys of life and an encouragement to keep looking for the good times, even when it seems that they are hard to come by.

Line by Line Meaning

Looking for the good times, baby
Excitedly seeking out moments of joy and pleasure

Gonna have my fun
Intending to enjoy oneself

Looking for the good times, baby
Continuing to search for and pursue good times

Girl you can come along with me
Inviting someone to join in the enjoyable activities

Wow, you're gonna see
Expressing anticipation for the amazing experiences to come

Just how fine this big old world can be
Suggesting that the world has many wonderful things to offer

Gonna have a ball
Planning and expecting to have a great time

You can share it all
Offering the opportunity for someone to partake in the enjoyable experiences

There's more to life than you've been living, girl
Implying that life has greater potential than what has been experienced

There's things to do that you ain't thought of yet
Noting that there are undiscovered or unconsidered avenues of enjoyment

So let me be the one to do the giving, girl
Offering to provide the enjoyable experiences

You can share it all
Continuing to extend the opportunity to partake in the fun

You'll find the things you thought you couldn't get
Suggesting that participating in enjoyable activities may lead to unexpected and previously unattainable experiences

Girl you can come along with me - with me
Reiterating the invitation to join in the fun

Looking for the good times, baby
Reaffirming the focus on finding and experiencing enjoyable moments

Gonna have a ball
Emphasizing the expectation of having a great time

Looking for the good times, baby,
Repeating the phrase as a reminder of the intention

Girl you can share it all.
Restating the offer to partake in the enjoyable experiences

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BOBBY HART, TOMMY BOYCE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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