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)

Someday Man
The Monkees Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Some people always complain that their life is too short so they hurry it along
Their worries drive them insane but they still go along for the ride
As for me
I have all the time in the world

I was born
A someday man
I'm a maybe child

I was born
A someday man
I was always wild

Tomorrow's a new day, baby
Anything can happen
Anything can happen at all

Some folks are working for reasons and waiting for answers they're never
gonna find
They keep on searching for pleasures and looking for what they can't see
But for me
Life can be a sweet holiday

I was born
A someday man
I'm a maybe child
I was born
A someday man
I was always wild

Tomorrow's a new day, baby
Anything can happen
Anything can happen at all

I was born
A someday man
I'm a maybe child
I was born
A someday man
I was always wild

I was born
A someday man
I'm a maybe child
I was born

A someday man
I was always wild

Overall Meaning

The Monkees' song "Someday Man" is a meditation on time and our relationship to it. The song acknowledges the fact that many people feel like life is too short and are constantly rushing through it, driven by their worries and anxieties. The singer of the song, however, takes a different approach. They argue that they have "all the time in the world" and that life can be a "sweet holiday" if we approach it with the right attitude.

The repeated refrain of "I was born a someday man, I'm a maybe child, I was always wild" reinforces this idea that life is full of possibilities and that anything can happen. The song encourages us to approach each day with a sense of curiosity and wonder, rather than getting bogged down in fears and concerns about the future.

Overall, the song has a hopeful and optimistic message about the potential for joy and discovery in life, if we are open to it.

Line by Line Meaning

Some people always complain that their life is too short so they hurry it along
There are people who always believe that their life is too short and they try to speed things up.

Their worries drive them insane but they still go along for the ride
Even though their worries drive them mad, they go along because they believe it's the only way.

As for me I have all the time in the world
As for me, I am not one of those people who think that life is too short. I have as much time as I want.

I was born A someday man I'm a maybe child I was born A someday man I was always wild
I was born as one of those people who believe that anything can happen someday. I've always been a wild, free spirit.

Tomorrow's a new day, baby Anything can happen Anything can happen at all
Tomorrow is an unpredictable day. Anything can happen, and it's exciting.

Some folks are working for reasons and waiting for answers they're never gonna find
There are people who work day and night to find answers, but they might never find them.

They keep on searching for pleasures and looking for what they can't see But for me Life can be a sweet holiday
Some people are always looking for things they can't see or touch, but I like to see life as a sweet vacation.

I was born A someday man I'm a maybe child I was born A someday man I was always wild
I was born with the belief that anything is possible, and I've always been unpredictable and spontaneous.

Tomorrow's a new day, baby Anything can happen Anything can happen at all
Tomorrow is always an adventure – anything can happen!

I was born A someday man I'm a maybe child I was born A someday man I was always wild
Once again, I was born with the belief that anything could happen, and I've always been bold and unpredictable.

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: PAUL H. WILLIAMS, ROGER S. NICHOLS

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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