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)

The Girl I Knew Somewhere
The Monkees Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You tell me that you've never been this way before
You tell me things I know that I've heard somewhere
You're standing in the places and you're staring down through faces
That bring to mind traces of a girl, a girl that I knew somewhere

I just can't put my finger on what it is
That says to me, watch out, don't believe her
I can't give any reasons girl, my thoughts are bound down in a whirl

I just can't think who in the world was that girl, I know I met her somewhere

Someway, somehow this same thing was done
Someone, somewhere did me this same wrong

Well goodbye dear, I just can't take this chance again
My fingers are still burning from the last time
And if your love was not a game, I only have myself to blame
That's as maybe, I can't explain, just ask the girl that I knew somewhere

And if your love was not a game, I only have myself to blame
That's as maybe, I can't explain, just ask the girl that I knew somewhere

Overall Meaning

The Monkees’ “The Girl I Knew Somewhere” is an insightful song about the complexities of love and relationships. The song begins with a woman telling the singer that she’s never been that way before. The singer finds her words familiar and reminds him of someone from his past. He can’t quite put his finger on it, but he senses that something is off. He can’t give any reasons, and his thoughts are bound down in a whirl. Nevertheless, he can’t shake the feeling that he’s met this girl before.

As the song progresses, the singer realizes that he has been hurt before by someone who did him the same wrong. Therefore, he is cautious and cannot take a chance on this relationship. He knows that his fingers are still burning from the last time. However, he is torn because he is not sure if he is being paranoid or if there is truly something wrong with the relationship. He concludes the song by saying that he can’t explain it, but that the girl he knew somewhere might be able to help shed some light on the situation.

The song captures the uncertainty and fear that comes with falling in love. The lyrics are relatable because most people have experienced doubt and caution in a romantic relationship. The Monkees did an excellent job of capturing both the excitement and apprehension that comes with falling in love.

Line by Line Meaning

You tell me that you've never been this way before
You're saying that you're inexperienced in this situation

You tell me things I know that I've heard somewhere
The things you're saying sound familiar, like I've heard them before

You're standing in the places and you're staring down through faces That bring to mind traces of a girl, a girl that I knew somewhere
As you look around, things remind me of a girl I used to know

I just can't put my finger on what it is That says to me, watch out, don't believe her I can't give any reasons girl, my thoughts are bound down in a whirl I just can't think who in the world was that girl, I know I met her somewhere
I have this inexplicable feeling that I shouldn't trust you, but I don't know why. My thoughts are a mess and I can't remember who that girl I know reminds me of is.

Someway, somehow this same thing was done Someone, somewhere did me this same wrong
I've been in this situation of being deceived before, and it feels like it's happening again.

Well goodbye dear, I just can't take this chance again My fingers are still burning from the last time And if your love was not a game, I only have myself to blame
I can't risk getting hurt again, and if you were serious about love but still betrayed me, it's still my fault for falling for it.

That's as maybe, I can't explain, just ask the girl that I knew somewhere
I might not have all the answers, but that old girl I knew somewhere might.

And if your love was not a game, I only have myself to blame That's as maybe, I can't explain, just ask the girl that I knew somewhere
It's possible that I'm wrong about everything, but that girl I knew before might have some answers.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MICHAEL NESMITH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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