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)
Of You
The Monkees Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Who would never take advantage
Of a love bright as the sun
Someone to understand them,
And you just may be the one
All men must have someone, have someone
Who would never take for granted
Someone to stand beside them
And you just may be the one
I saw when you walked by
The love light in your eye
And I knew I must try
To win you more than just a friend,
I'm starting near the end,
And here I go again
All men must have someone, have someone
Who would never take advantage
Of a love bright as the sun
Someone to stand beside them
And you just may be the one
Someone to understand them,
And you just may be the one
The Monkees's song You Just May Be The One talks about the importance of having someone who would never take advantage of one’s love, and stand beside them through thick and thin. The lyrics indicate a sense of longing for someone who could possibly be the one for the singer. The lyrics also suggest that the singer has possibly been in relationships where they have been taken for granted or not understood, and that they believe the person they are singing about may be the one to change that.
The lyrics, “All men must have someone” suggest that the need for companionship is universal, and not just specific to one gender. The repetition of the line, “and you just may be the one” creates a sense of hope and possibility, indicating that the singer is willing to take a chance on this person who they believe could be the one for them.
The line, “I saw when you walked by, the love light in your eye” depicts the moment the singer first saw the person, implying that it was then that they felt a connection with them. The ending line “here I go again” suggests that the singer has tried this before and failed, but they are still willing to keep trying.
Overall, the lyrics of You Just May Be The One talks about universal experiences related to love and relationships, and creates a sense of hope for finding that special someone who will stand beside one through thick and thin.
Line by Line Meaning
All men must have someone, have someone
Every man needs a special person in their life
Who would never take advantage
That person should never exploit their love
Of a love bright as the sun
The love must be pure and true
Someone to understand them,
That person should understand them emotionally
And you just may be the one
You have the potential to be that person for me
All men must have someone, have someone
Every man needs a special person in their life
Who would never take for granted
That person should appreciate the good times together
All the pleasures and the fun
Enjoying all the good things in life together
Someone to stand beside them
That person should support them through thick and thin
And you just may be the one
You might just be the person I'm looking for
I saw when you walked by
I noticed you passing by
The love light in your eye
There was a spark in your eyes that showed your affection
And I knew I must try
I was compelled to pursue you
To win you more than just a friend,
I want to be more than just a friend to you
I'm starting near the end,
I'm starting late, but I still have hope
And here I go again
I'm taking another chance
All men must have someone, have someone
Every man needs a special person in their life
Who would never take advantage
That person should never exploit their love
Of a love bright as the sun
The love must be pure and true
Someone to stand beside them
That person should support them through thick and thin
And you just may be the one
You have the potential to be that person for me
Someone to understand them,
That person should understand them emotionally
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MICHAEL NESMITH
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Thomas
Wikipedia
"Of You"
Written by Bill and John Chadwick
Lead vocal by Michael Nesmith
Harmony vocal: Micky Dolenz
Guitar: Peter Tork, James Burton, Glen Campbell, Al Casey, Mike Deasey
Bass: Bob West
Drums: Hal Blaine
Percussion: Gary Coleman, Jim Gordon
Piano: Michael Cohen, Larry Knechtel
Produced by Michael Nesmith
Recorded at Western Recorders, Hollywood, July 25, 1966, during sessions for More of the Monkees
derby1884
I'm hoping that one day, far in the future, this song will get the recognition it deserves. I've given up on today's musical critics who wouldn't know a decent song if it smacked them in the face with a wet kipper.
Steve Bal4
This is a great track, imo; love the country shuffle, the lyrics, and the vocals. Can't say I've heard a bad tune from Mike's output during The Monkees but this is a hidden gem.
James Bridgewater
Mikes music was rejected due to its country/western style.He was a great songwriter and highly underated singer.His voice is unique and instantly recognizable .His monkee era tunes and much of his solo work is stellar!!
Tim Kline
Nez never got a fair shake with the radio stations back then. He wrote , played and sang some GREAT Monkees songs. This lyrics to this one have special meaning for me.
Theresa Wilson
Thank you. I came on here to find out who wrote it.
hifijohn
the chadwick brothers wrote it, but it has that nesmith sound to it.
Trevor Duncanson
Surprisingly enough, he didn't write this one.
Sunil Parashar
Sad to say I just discovered this song about 2 years ago. I had a CD collection in my car that got vandalized. I was heart broken cause I had the monkees anthology in there. My sister got me the monkees music box which had this sweet gem on it and I had never heard it before. After about 3 listens I realized what I had been missing. I listen to it any morning I see the sun come out. If my car hadn't been vandalized I never would have known this song. So I guess I should thank that criminal.
Edward Wilson
How could they have left this off the first album? Its a lot better than either Let's Dance On or Gonna Buy Me A Dog!!
GingerGilligan
This is a very sweet little song. <3