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)

So Goes Love
The Monkees Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Girl, this is goodbye for us
I'm afraid there's no two ways about it
Now you say you need my love, But you'll just have to learn to live without it
So goes love
Don't try to understand it
So goes Love
It never goes the way you planned it

When you meant the world to me
that's the time you said you didn't want me
You played around in front of me
Yeah, you did everything you could to taunt me

So goes love
Don't try to understand it
So goes Love
When it dies you can't disguise it

It's been said you've made your bed
And now you have to lie in it
there's no denying its a shame
But there's really no one else for you to blame

So goes love
Don't try to understand it

So goes love
It never goes the way you planned it

Overall Meaning

The Monkees' song "So Goes Love" is a reflective piece on the unpredictability and often heart wrenching nature of love. The lyrics recount a devastating breakup, at a time when the singer's significant other seems to be reconsidering their involvement in the relationship. However, despite pleas for love and understanding, the singer makes it clear that it is over, and that they will have to learn to live without each other. The song then goes on to describe the pain of witnessing a former lover move on with someone else. The lyrics express the idea that love is an elusive and often cruel force that never truly goes the way we plan, and that it always comes with consequences that are difficult to predict.

The song's poignant lyrics are supported by soaring melodies and catchy hooks, which have made it a fan favorite over the years. Interestingly, the song was not initially released as a single, but it became popular among fans and was eventually released on The Monkees' 1987 album "Then & Now... The Best of The Monkees". The song has since become a staple of their live performances and a beloved classic among fans.

Overall, "So Goes Love" is a haunting ballad about the bittersweet nature of love, and a reminder that we can never truly control the course of our heart's desires.

Line by Line Meaning

Girl, this is goodbye for us
The singer is telling his girlfriend that they are breaking up

I'm afraid there's no two ways about it
The singer believes that the breakup is unavoidable

Now you say you need my love, But you'll just have to learn to live without it
His girlfriend wants his love but he knows she will have to move on without it

So goes love
Love is unpredictable and can end without warning

Don't try to understand it
Trying to understand why love ends is futile

It never goes the way you planned it
No matter how hard you try, love doesn't always turn out the way you hoped it would

When you meant the world to me
The singer was deeply in love with his girlfriend

that's the time you said you didn't want me
At the height of his love, his girlfriend rejected him

You played around in front of me
His girlfriend tried to make him jealous by flirting with other guys

Yeah, you did everything you could to taunt me
His girlfriend intentionally tried to hurt him by making him jealous

When it dies you can't disguise it
When love ends, it's obvious and cannot be hidden

It's been said you've made your bed
His girlfriend is responsible for how the relationship ended

And now you have to lie in it
She has to accept the consequences of her actions

there's no denying it's a shame
The singer acknowledges that the breakup is a sad thing

But there's really no one else for you to blame
His girlfriend can't blame anyone else for the end of their relationship