Feature Photo: Entertainment International, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The Monkees were not just a band but a cultural phenomenon born from a unique intersection of television and music in the 1960s. Conceived in Los Angeles, California, as a made-for-TV group, The Monkees consisted of four charismatic members: Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Each member brought distinct talents to the table—Jones with his Broadway experience and boyish charm, Dolenz with his comedic acting and vocal range, Nesmith with his songwriting and instrumental prowess, and Tork as a multi-instrumentalist with a folk music background. Though they initially came together as actors for a sitcom, their journey evolved into a genuine musical legacy.
The band’s inception was unconventional. The Monkees were formed in 1965 through a casting call for a television show about a fictional rock band, inspired by the success of A Hard Day’s Night. Producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider envisioned a series that would capture the spirit of the youth counterculture. Out of over 400 applicants, Jones, Dolenz, Nesmith, and Tork were selected for their chemistry and potential. Initially, the group’s music was overseen by session musicians and producers like Don Kirshner, leading to their debut self-titled album in 1966. It featured hits like “Last Train to Clarksville” and “(Theme From) The Monkees,” cementing their immediate success.
The Monkees quickly transitioned from being actors playing a band to becoming legitimate musicians. By their third album, Headquarters (1967), they fought for and gained creative control, writing and performing their own music. This marked a pivotal moment in their career, showcasing their musical capabilities. Albums such as Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. (1967) further demonstrated their growth, featuring iconic tracks like “Pleasant Valley Sunday” and “Daydream Believer.” These songs became staples of the 1960s pop-rock canon, combining infectious melodies with introspective lyrics that resonated with a wide audience.
Throughout their career, The Monkees released 13 studio albums, including The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees (1968) and Instant Replay (1969). Their experimentation with various styles, from bubblegum pop to psychedelic rock, reflected the era’s evolving music scene. Their 1968 cult classic film Head and its accompanying soundtrack, though initially polarizing, later gained recognition for its avant-garde approach and subversive commentary on fame and commercialism.
Despite disbanding in 1971, The Monkees experienced numerous revivals and reunions, with members reuniting for tours and new recordings. The 1986 MTV resurgence brought them back into the spotlight, leading to the release of the album Pool It! (1987). In 1996, they celebrated their 30th anniversary with Justus, the first album since the 1960s to feature all four original members. Their later work, such as Good Times! (2016), received critical acclaim for seamlessly blending nostalgia with contemporary sounds.
The Monkees’ influence on pop culture is undeniable. They earned numerous accolades, including two Emmy Awards for their groundbreaking television series. Their ability to blend humor, satire, and music set a template for future acts and shows. Beyond their chart-topping singles, The Monkees left a lasting legacy with over 75 million records sold worldwide.
Outside of music, members pursued individual paths that showcased their multifaceted talents. Davy Jones continued to captivate audiences with his stage performances, while Micky Dolenz expanded his career into directing and voice acting. Michael Nesmith became a pioneer in music video production and a respected solo artist, and Peter Tork advocated for music education while exploring folk music.
The Monkees remain beloved not only for their catchy tunes and innovative TV show but also for their enduring ability to connect with fans across generations. Their blend of humor, heart, and harmony has solidified their place as one of the most cherished acts in pop history.
(A-D)
“99 Pounds” – Changes (1967)
“Acapulco Sun” – Changes (1970)
“Admiral Mike” – Justus (1996)
“All Alone in the Dark” – Changes (1970)
“All of Your Toys” – Missing Links (1967)
“All the King’s Horses” – Missing Links Volume Two (1966)
“Angel Band” – Missing Links Volume Three (1969)
“Angels We Have Heard on High” – Christmas Party (2018)
“Anytime, Anyplace, Anywhere” – Then & Now… The Best of The Monkees (1986)
“Apples, Peaches, Bananas and Pears” – Missing Links (1966)
“As We Go Along” – Head (1968)
“Auntie’s Municipal Court” – The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees (1968)
“Band 6” – Headquarters (1967)
“Banjo Jam” – The Headquarters Sessions (1967)
“A Better World” – Good Times! (2016, bonus track)
“Birth of an Accidental Hipster” – Good Times! (2016)
“Black and Blue” – Headquarters (2022 Super Deluxe CD Reissue) (1967)
“Blues” – The Headquarters Sessions (1967)
“Bye Bye Baby Bye Bye” – The Monkees Present (1969)
“California Here I Come” – Head (2010 Rhino Handmade deluxe CD reissue) (1968)
“Can You Dig It?” – Head (1968)
“Cantata and Fugue in C and W (Six-String Improvisation)” – The Headquarters Sessions (1967)
“Carlisle Wheeling” – Missing Links (1967)
“Changes” – Missing Links Volume Two (1968)
“Christmas Is My Time of Year” – Christmas Is My Time of Year (single) (1976)
“Christmas Party” – Christmas Party (2018)
“The Christmas Song” – Christmas Party (2018)
“Circle Sky” – Head (1967)
“Circle Sky” (remake with alternate lyrics) – Justus (1996)
“Come On In” – Missing Links Volume Two (1968)
“Counting on You” – Pool It! (1987)
“Cripple Creek” (live version) – Live 1967 (1967)
“The Crippled Lion” – Missing Links Volume Two (1968)
“Cuddly Toy” – Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. (1967)
“D. W. Washburn” – Monkee Business (1968)
“Daddy’s Song” – Head (1968)
“Daily Nightly” – Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. (1967)
“Dandruff?” – Head (1968)
“The Day We Fall in Love” – More of the Monkees (1966)
“Daydream Believer” – The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees (1967)
“Ditty Diego – War Chant” – Head (1968)
“Do It in the Name of Love” – Do It in the Name of Love (single) (1970)
“Do You Feel It Too?” – Changes (1970)
“Don’t Be Cruel” – The Headquarters Sessions (1967)
“Don’t Bring Me Down” – Pool It! (1987)
“Don’t Call on Me” – Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. (1967)
“Don’t Listen to Linda” – Instant Replay (1967)
“Don’t Wait for Me” – Instant Replay (1968)
“The Door Into Summer” – Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. (1967)
“Dream World” – The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees (1968)
“Dyin’ of a Broken Heart” – Justus (1996)
(E-I)
“Early Morning Blues and Greens” – Headquarters (1967)
“Eve of My Sorrow” – Headquarters (2022 Super Deluxe CD Reissue) (1967)
“Every Step of the Way” – Pool It! (1987)
“Fever” – The Headquarters Sessions (1967)
“For Pete’s Sake” – Headquarters (1967)
“Forget that Girl” – Headquarters (1967)
“French Song” – The Monkees Present (1969)
“Gettin’ In” – Pool It! (1987)
“Girl” (live version) – Together Again (1995)
“The Girl I Knew Somewhere” – More Greatest Hits of The Monkees (1967)
“The Girl I Left Behind Me” – Instant Replay (1968)
“Goin’ Down” – Monkee Business (1967)
“Goldilocks Sometime” – Instant Replay (2011 Rhino Handmade deluxe CD reissue) (1968)
“Gonna Build a Mountain” (live version) – Live 1967 (1967)
“Gonna Buy Me a Dog” – The Monkees (1966)
“Good Clean Fun” – The Monkees Present (1968)
“The Good Earth” – The Monkees Present (1994 Rhino CD reissue, bonus track) (1969)
“Good Times!” – Good Times! (1968)
“Gotta Give It Time” – Good Times! (1967)
“Gravy” – Head (1968)
“Happy Birthday to You” – Head (1994 Rhino CD reissue, bonus track) (1968)
“Hard to Believe” – Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. (1967)
“Head Radio Spot” – Head (1994 Rhino CD reissue, bonus track) (1968)
“Heart and Soul” – Pool It! (1987)
“Hold on Girl (Help is on its Way)” – More of the Monkees (1966)
“Hollywood” – Missing Links Volume Three (1968)
“House of Broken Gingerbread” – Christmas Party (2018)
“How Insensitive” – Missing Links Volume Three (1968)
“I Believe You” – Justus (1996)
“I Can’t Get Her off My Mind” – Headquarters (1967)
“I Didn’t Know You Had It in You Sally (You’re a Real Ball of Fire)” – “Daydream Believer” (alternate mix, single) (1967)
“I Don’t Think You Know Me” (first recorded version) – Missing Links (1966)
“I Go Ape” – Instant Replay (2011 Rhino Handmade deluxe CD reissue) (1968)
“I Got a Woman” (live version) – Live 1967 (1967)
“I Love You Better” – Changes (1970)
“I Never Thought It Peculiar” – Changes (1966)
“(I Prithee) Do Not Ask for Love” – Missing Links Volume Two (1966)
“I Wanna Be Free” – The Monkees (1966)
“I Wanna Be Your Puppy Dog” – Headquarters (2022 Super Deluxe CD Reissue) (1967)
“I Was Born in East Virginia” – The Headquarters Sessions (1967)
“I Was There (And I’m Told I Had a Good Time)” – Good Times! (2016)
“I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day” – Christmas Party (2018)
“I Won’t Be the Same Without Her” – Instant Replay (1966)
“(I’d Go the) Whole Wide World” – Pool It! (1987)
“I’ll Be Back Up on My Feet” – The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees (1968)
“I’ll Be True to You” – The Monkees (1966)
“(I’ll) Love You Forever” – Pool It! (1987)
“I’ll Spend My Life with You” – Headquarters (1967)
“I’m a Believer” – More of the Monkees (1966)
“I’m Gonna Try” – The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees (1994 Rhino CD reissue, bonus track) (1968)
“(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” – More of the Monkees (1966)
“If I Ever Get to Saginaw Again” – Missing Links Volume Two (1968)
“If I Knew” – The Monkees Present (1969)
“If I Learned to Play the Violin” – Headquarters (2007 Deluxe CD Reissue) (1967)
“If You Have the Time” – Missing Links (1969)
“It’s Got to Be Love” – Changes (1970)
“It’s My Life” – Justus (1996)
“It’s Nice to Be with You” – Monkee Business (1968)
“It’s Not Too Late” – Justus (1996)
(J-O)
“Jesus Christ” – Christmas Party (2018)
“Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho” – Headquarters (1995 Rhino CD reissue, bonus track) (1967)
“Just a Game” – Instant Replay (1968)
“Kellogg’s Jingle” – Missing Links Volume Three (1966)
“Kicks” – Then & Now… The Best of The Monkees (1986)
“The Kind of Girl I Could Love” – More of the Monkees (1966)
“I Know What I Know” – Good Times! (2016)
“Ladies Aid Society” – The Monkees Present (1966)
“Lady Jane” – “Do It in the Name of Love” (single) (1970)
“Lady’s Baby” – Missing Links (1967)
“Last Train to Clarksville” – The Monkees (1966)
“Laugh” – More of the Monkees (1966)
“Laurel and Hardy” – The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees (2010 Rhino Handmade Deluxe CD reissue) (1968)
“Let’s Dance On” – The Monkees (1966)
“Listen to the Band” – The Monkees Present (1968)
“A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” – “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” (single) (1967)
“Little Girl” – The Monkees Present (1969)
“Little Girl (Sunny Side Up)” – Good Times! (2016)
“Little Red Rider” – Missing Links Volume Three (1969)
“Long Title: Do I Have to Do This All Over Again” – Head (1968)
“Long Way Home” – Pool It! (1987)
“Look Down” – Missing Links Volume Three (1968)
“Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow)” – More of the Monkees (1966)
“Looking for the Good Times” – The Monkees Present (1966)
“Love is on the Way” – Headquarters (2022 Super Deluxe CD Reissue) (1967)
“Love is only Sleeping” – Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. (1967)
“Love to Love” – Monkee Business (also overdubbed and re-released on Good Times!) (1967)
“The Love You Got Inside” – Headquarters (2022 Super Deluxe CD Reissue) (1967)
“Love’s What I Want” – Good Times! (bonus track) (2016)
“MGBGT” (live version) – Live! (1986)
“Magnolia Simms” – The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees (1967)
“A Man Without a Dream” – Instant Replay (1968)
“Mary, Mary” – More of the Monkees (1966)
“Masking Tape” – The Headquarters Sessions (1967)
“Me & Magdelena” – Good Times! (2016)
“Me Without You” – Instant Replay (1968)
“Mele Kalikimaka” – Christmas Party (1991)
“Memphis, Tennessee” – The Headquarters Sessions (1967)
“Merry Christmas, Baby” – Christmas Party (2018)
“Merry Go Round” – Missing Links Volume Three (1968)
“Michigan Blackhawk” (a.k.a. “Down the Highway”) – Missing Links Volume Two (1969)
“Midnight (When It All Comes Down)” – Pool It! (1987)
“Midnight Train” – Changes (1969)
“Mommy and Daddy” – The Monkees Present (1968)
“The Monkees Present – Radio Promo” – The Monkees Present (1994 Rhino CD reissue, bonus track) (1969)
“Mr. Webster” – Headquarters (1967)
“My Share of the Sidewalk” – Missing Links (1968)
“Naked Persimmon” – Instant Replay (2011 Rhino Handmade deluxe CD reissue) (1968)
“Never Enough” – Justus (1996)
“Never Tell a Woman Yes” – The Monkees Present (1969)
“Nine Times Blue” – Missing Links (1968)
“No Time” – Headquarters (1967)
“Of You” – Missing Links (1966)
“Oh My My” – Changes (1970)
“Oh, What a Night” – Justus (1996)
“Oklahoma Backroom Dancer” – The Monkees Present (1969)
“Oliver Medley” (Consider Yourself, I’d Do Anything, Who Will Buy?) (live version) – 2001: Live in Las Vegas (2001)
“Opening Ceremony” – Head (1968)
“Our Own World” – Good Times! (2016)
(P-S)
(T-Z)
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