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)

Our Own World
The Monkees Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

One, two, three, four.

You, you blew my mind
You turned back time
You changed my tune
I looked in your eyes
Saw starry skies
The sun and moon

And you're a dreamer just like me
We don't need reality
We're in our own world (Our own little world)
We're in our own world (Our own little world)
We're in our own world
That nobody else can see
Dee dee-dee dee, dee dee-dee, dee, dee dee-dee
Dee dee-dee dee, dee dee-dee, dee, dee dee-dee

We been writing rhymes
And trading lines
It sounds so good
We been making plans
To start some bands
Just like we should

And you're a schemer just like me
Got no fear of authority
We're in our own world (Our own little world)
We're in our own world (Our own little world)
We're in our own world
That nobody else can see

And no one knows where we go or what we do
And I don't mind wasting all my time with you

'Cause you're a dreamer just like me
Really don't need reality
We're in our own world (Our own little world)
We're in our own world (Our own little world)
We're in our own world
That nobody else can see (Dee dee-dee dee, dee dee-dee, dee, dee dee-dee)

Except you and me (Dee dee-dee dee, dee dee-dee, dee, dee dee-dee)
Except you and me (Dee dee-dee dee, dee dee-dee, dee, dee dee-dee)

Overall Meaning

"Our Own World" by The Monkees is a song about an intense, shared bond between two dreamers who have created their own little world, away from reality, where they can be their true selves. The lyrics depict a relationship where both parties have a profound effect on each other. The lines, "You, you blew my mind/You turned back time/You changed my tune/I looked in your eyes/Saw starry skies/The sun and moon," illustrate the transformative power the other person has had on the singer's life. The imagery of starry skies and the sun and moon suggest that this person has opened up a whole new realm of possibility for the singer, and they view the world in a new, more beautiful way because of this person.

The second verse goes on to detail how the two have been indulging their creative impulses, writing rhymes and making plans to start bands. In this world the two have created, there is no fear of authority, and they are free to dream and scheme to their heart's content. The two are both dreamers and schemers, and they have found in each other the perfect partner with whom to create their own world.

The chorus speaks to the exclusivity of the world they have built together. As dreamers, they don't need reality and are content in their own special world that nobody else can see. They are wasting time, but it doesn't matter because they're doing it with someone who shares their passions and imagination.

Overall, the song celebrates the power of creativity and imagination and the beauty of finding someone who shares your unique worldview. It's a song about the joy of artistic collaboration and the transformative power of relationships.

Line by Line Meaning

You, you blew my mind
I am amazed by you

You turned back time
You made me feel young again

You changed my tune
You made my life better

I looked in your eyes
I saw the universe

Saw starry skies
I saw beauty in your eyes

The sun and moon
I saw everything in your eyes

And you're a dreamer just like me
You and I both have big imaginations

We don't need reality
We can create our own world

We're in our own world (Our own little world)
We have our own special place

That nobody else can see
Our world is unique to us

We been writing rhymes
We have been creating art