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)
Love Is Only Sleeping
The Monkees Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the emptiness in her eyes was cruel to see
Then she turned away and said,
"Once I loved, but love is dead"
And I whispered, "Sometimes love is only sleeping"
She said, "I cannot cry
And I cannot give or feel or even try"
Then her sweet young face looked old
And I whispered, "Sometimes love is only sleeping"
Through the endless days and nights
Could not help but wrap herself in sorrow (sorrow)
Through the endless days and nights
She waited for a shiny new tomorrow
Love was sleeping, sleeping
She looked at me
And her smiling tears were warm and sweet and free
And the moonlight kissed her eyes
As it mingled with our sighs
And she whispered, "Sometimes love is only sleeping"
And she whispered, "Sometimes love is only sleeping"
Only sleeping
The song Love to Love by The Monkees conveys a message of hope and resilience in the face of heartbreak and disappointment in love. The lyrics describe a woman who has given up on love after experiencing heartbreak and betrayal, and who feels incapable of feeling anything anymore. The singer, however, believes that love is never truly dead, and that it can wake up again after sleeping for a while.
The opening lines of the song set a poignant tone, describing the emptiness in the woman's eyes as "cruel to see." The phrase "love is dead" emphasizes the finality and hopelessness of her situation. The singer's response, "Sometimes love is only sleeping," suggests that there is always the possibility of love awakening again in the future, even when it seems impossible in the present. The contrast between the woman's "hard and cold" voice and her "sweet young face" looking old highlights the emotional toll that heartbreak can take on a person, making them feel like they have aged beyond their years.
In the second half of the song, the mood shifts towards a more positive outlook. The woman's tears, which were previously described as cold and joyless, suddenly become "warm and sweet and free." This change in emotional temperature is mirrored by the moonlight, which "kisses her eyes" and mingles with their sighs. The repetition of the phrase "sometimes love is only sleeping" underscores the song's central message that, even in the darkest moments, there is always the possibility of love awakening again.
Line by Line Meaning
She looked at me
The singer describes making eye contact with a woman.
And the emptiness in her eyes was cruel to see
The singer perceives that the woman's eyes reveal deep sadness and loneliness.
Then she turned away and said, 'Once I loved, but love is dead'
The woman expresses that she has experienced love in the past, but it has now died or disappeared.
And I whispered, 'Sometimes love is only sleeping'
The artist attempts to console the woman by suggesting that love may be dormant or in hibernation, rather than gone forever.
She said, 'I cannot cry
The woman describes feeling emotionally numb and unable to express herself through tears.
And I cannot give or feel or even try'
The woman believes she is incapabe of giving or receiving love and has given up trying.
And her voice was hard and cold
The woman speaks in a harsh and unfeeling manner.
Then her sweet young face looked old
The woman's features appear prematurely aged due to the weight of her sadness and despair.
Through the endless days and nights
The artist describes the painful length of time the woman has been feeling unhappy.
Could not help but wrap herself in sorrow (sorrow)
The woman is consumed by grief and cannot find a way to escape it.
She waited for a shiny new tomorrow
Despite her hopeless feelings, the woman held onto the hope that something better could be waiting for her in the future.
Love was sleeping, sleeping
The chorus repeats the idea introduced earlier that love may only be temporarily dormant and may awaken again in the future.
And her smiling tears were warm and sweet and free
The woman experiences a moment of emotional release and allows herself to feel happy and cry tears of joy.
And the moonlight kissed her eyes
The romantic setting is emphasized as the moonlight seems to caress the woman's eyes.
As it mingled with our sighs
The singer and the woman share a moment of intimacy and closeness in the romantic setting.
And she whispered, 'Sometimes love is only sleeping'
The woman echoes the motif of the song by acknowledging that love may only be temporarily dormant and may awaken again in the future.
And she whispered, 'Sometimes love is only sleeping'
In the final refrain, the woman reiterates that love is not gone forever, but may only be temporarily dormant.
Only sleeping
The final line emphasizes the message of the song, that love may not be gone forever, but may be temporarily inactive and able to awaken again in the future.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BARRY MANN, CYNTHIA WEIL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jorr1334
You can tell when Nez likes a song he's singing - he becomes more animated and respectful of the music.
@scottsteel2395
He's a FANTASTIC singer.✌❤
@mevinscott948gmail
hello how you💙💙💙
@lilitanwayne
@@scottsteel2395c😅ohto😅
@cellonoxius1
It's true!
@NichOlsonSmooth
True. I noticed that too. Very energetic when the song hits him.
@PicklePyro
Mike Nesmith really did have a talent for songwriting. This is an absolute banger, especially that riff.
@mrfrogg46able
He didnt write any of this one
@pauldepleurgaming7972
frog is savage
@LoneLee2022
So much talent in the group.