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)
Salesman
The Monkees Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To sell all your of your goods today
Salesman, gonna walk along the street, see friends along the way
Well salesman, with your wooden cart that you push along while you walk
Hey, salesman, got a little dog whose tail wags when you talk
You always wear a smile, even though you've gotta walk ten miles
Short lifespan, good time salesman
Yep, yep salesman got it on the street, whether it's hot or cold
Until every part is sold
Salesman as the years go by,
People changing every day
Hey, salesman 'till the end of time you'll be livin' in the same way
You always wear a smile, you love 'em fast and you live wild
Short life span, but ain't life grand?
Copper kettles, different kinds of tin
There goes salesman and he's sailing high again
He's sailing so high, high, sailing so high
Salesman where you gonna go to sell all of your goods today
Yup, salesman, gonna walk along the street, see friends along the way
Hey, salesman, with your wooden cart that you push along while you walk
Hey, salesman with your secret goods that you push while you talk
You always wear a smile,
Even though you've gotta walk a hundred ten miles
Short life span but the whole thing's grand
Salesman
Now, well, I tried the one that you put it in and you have to do it
Manually. But I'd like the one that you just plug it in and it does it all
By itself in a real long strand and you cut 'em up. It's easier to do it
That way because, well, I put all the stuff in there and it keeps flippin'
Out. And I can't get the thing to stick together anything. Coupled with
The fact that I have to stick two of them together to even get on out of it
And they always end up lookin' like Lucky Strikes.
The Monkees’ song “Salesman” appears to be a cheerful and upbeat tune about a salesman going about peddling his wares. The opening lyrics talk about the salesman walking down the street with his wooden cart with a little dog following him around. Despite working long hours and having a short lifespan, this salesman always wears a smile and loves his job. The song seems to be celebrating the life of a salesman, who travels all over and meets new people every day.
However, there could be deeper interpretations to the song’s lyrics. The repeated mention of the salesman having a short lifespan could suggest that the job of a salesman is not sustainable or even dangerous. The lines “people changing every day” and “you love ‘em fast and you live wild” could imply that the salesman’s lifestyle is not conducive to having long-term relationships or stability. The final lines of the song, “Short life span but the whole thing's grand,” could be interpreted as a bittersweet commentary on the fleeting nature of life itself.
Overall, “Salesman” is an interesting song that could be interpreted in many different ways. On the surface, it seems to be a celebration of the life of a salesman, but there could be deeper messages underneath the song’s cheerful exterior.
Line by Line Meaning
Salesman, where you gonna go?
As a traveling salesman, where is your destination for selling your goods today?
To sell all your of your goods today
Your purpose for traveling is to sell all of your products today.
Salesman, gonna walk along the street, see friends along the way
As you walk along the street, you will meet with friends and acquaintances during your journey.
Well salesman, with your wooden cart that you push along while you walk
As a travelling salesman, you have a wooden cart that you push while walking.
Hey, salesman, got a little dog whose tail wags when you talk
You have a small dog who wags its tail when you speak to it.
You always wear a smile, even though you've gotta walk ten miles
Despite the fact that you have to walk a long way, you always have a smile on your face.
Short lifespan, good time salesman
As a traveling salesman, you may not have a long life, but you enjoy your work while you travel.
Yep, yep salesman got it on the street, whether it's hot or cold
You're always on the street, regardless of weather conditions.
It's salesman, well, you work real hard, until every part is sold
As a salesman, you work diligently until you've sold every product in your inventory.
Salesman as the years go by, people changing every day
As time passes, people change, but your role as a salesman remains the same.
Hey, salesman 'till the end of time you'll be livin' in the same way
As a salesman, your lifestyle will remain the same until the end of time.
You always wear a smile, you love 'em fast and you live wild
You maintain a positive attitude, and you enjoy living life quickly and unconventionally.
Short life span, but ain't life grand?
Although your life as a salesman may be brief, it's still a great life.
Copper kettles, different kinds of tin
You sell a wide variety of copper kettles and different types of tin.
There goes salesman and he's sailing high again
As you make another sale, you're once again on top of the world.
He's sailing so high, high, sailing so high
You're thrilled and excited to have made another successful sale.
Hey, salesman with your secret goods that you push while you talk
You also push some secret goods that you don't want everyone to know about as you sell them.
Even though you've gotta walk a hundred ten miles
Despite having to walk a very long distance, you keep smiling and keep going.
Short life span but the whole thing's grand
Even though your life as a salesman may be short, it's still a wonderful life.
Now, well, I tried the one that you put it in and you have to do it Manually.
A customer of yours tried one of your products, but it required manual work, which was difficult for them.
But I'd like the one that you just plug it in and it does it all By itself in a real long strand and you cut 'em up.
The customer would prefer a product that doesn't require manual work, something that they can plug in and cut up easily.
It's easier to do it That way because, well, I put all the stuff in there and it keeps flippin' Out.
The customer finds it difficult to keep things together when doing manual work, which is why they prefer an easier solution.
And I can't get the thing to stick together anything.
The customer has difficulty keeping things connected and together in their current process.
Coupled with The fact that I have to stick two of them together to even get on out of it And they always end up lookin' like Lucky Strikes.
In their current process, the customer has to combine two pieces together, and they end up looking like Lucky Strikes (cigarettes).
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CRAIG SMITH
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.