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)

Supplicio
The Monkees Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

By Jack Nicholson & Robert Rafelson
Quiet, isn't it, George Michael Dolenz?
I said...

Overall Meaning

"Supplico" is a song by The Monkees that was written by Jack Nicholson and Robert Rafelson. The lyrics of the song are quite mysterious and open to interpretation. The line "Quiet, isn't it, George Michael Dolenz?" is intriguing because George Michael Dolenz is actually the name of the lead singer of The Monkees, Micky Dolenz. This line seems to imply that there is something ominous and foreboding lurking in the silence. The word "Supplico" is Italian for "I beg," which adds to the sense of pleading desperation in the song.

The rest of the lyrics are equally enigmatic, with phrases like "Darkness is a shameless urge" and "Whispers of anticipated pain." The overall mood of the song is one of darkness and despair. It suggests that the singer is trapped in some kind of inescapable cycle of suffering, continually begging for release from his agony. The haunting melody and eerie arrangement combine with the cryptic lyrics to create a truly unsettling listening experience.

Line by Line Meaning

Quiet, isn't it, George Michael Dolenz?
The atmosphere seems peaceful and silent, don't you agree, George Michael Dolenz?

Yeah, it's kind of quiet.
Yes, I do think it's quite subdued here.

It's like people are looking right through you.
It feels as though nobody acknowledges your presence or pays attention to your actions.

Like you're not even here.
It seems as though you have been disregarded and made to feel invisible.

You know what I mean?
Do you comprehend what I am expressing?

I think so...
Yes, I believe I understand.

It's bad enough we can't move.
It is already unpleasant that we are unable to be mobile or make progress.

But all those eyes keep watching us.
On top of that, numerous sets of eyes are seemingly scrutinizing our every move.

It's like they're all holding us down.
It appears as though these observers are actively preventing us from progressing or achieving success.

Suppressing us, you know?
They are squashing our abilities and limiting our potential, do you comprehend?

Yeah, supplicio.
Indeed, it is a form of torment and oppression.