Ten Interesting Facts About The Monkees
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- Опубліковано 7 лют 2025
- Hey, hey, it's the Monkees! For a very brief period back in the late 1960s, wild pop-rockers the Monkees ruled pop culture. Despite being made for TV to start out, the Monkees eventually developed into a respected and quite popular band. Here's the untold truth of the Monkees.
Some bands start in a garage. The Monkees started at Raybert Productions. Run by TV producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider, the company had a deal with Screen Gems to develop a sitcom about a rock band, inspired by the madcap Beatles movies A Hard Day's Night and Help! That idea became The Monkees, a show about a group of funny guys who also played music. NBC was interested, and so Rafelson and Schneider hired Colgems Records executive Don Kirschner to oversee the musical aspects of the show.
To find the actual Monkees, Rafelson and Schneider placed an ad in Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. It read:
"Madness!! Auditions. Folk & Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in new TV series. Running parts for 4 insane boys, age 17-21. Want spirited Ben Frank's types. Have courage to work. Must come down for interview."
Ben Frank's was a hip hangout on Hollywood's Sunset Strip, and it set the tone for exactly the sort of show the producers wanted. They were channeling the spirit of not just The Beatles, but of massive 60s juggernauts like the Lovin' Spoonful, who, incidentally, Rafelson and Schneider had approached about doing the tv show. They said no, recruiting ads were published, and the Monkees were hired.
The producers eventually auditioned 437 Los Angeles area actors and musicians, and finally found who they were looking for. Among the notable names who tried out were folk singer Stephen Stills; Danny Hutton, just before he joined the enormously successful Three Dog Night; and Paul Williams, who'd go on to appear in movies like Smokey and the Bandit and write award-winning songs like The Muppet Movie's "The Rainbow Connection".
Monkee masters Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider found three band members through that extensive audition process, but everyone knows the Monkees were a four-piece band. What happened?
The fourth slot was supposed to go to seasoned folk musician Stephen Stills, before he became the "Stills" in the iconic trio Crosby, Stills & Nash.
Stills turned down the chance to be a Monkee, but he was kind enough to recommend his potential replacement: Peter Thorkelson, a guy he'd played with in New York who he thought shared the look producers were after. Thorkelson, who adopted the stage name Peter Tork, landed the part of "Peter Tork" while also singing and playing bass in the band. Keep watching the video to see what no one ever told you about the Monkees!
Special Thanks to The Hollyhobs’ Leah Robins.
Leah writes many of our videos here at The Hollyhobs, delivering to you the facts about your favorite artists and music related topics. She is a valuable partner assisting with social media management, consultation, research, and many things that make this growing channel operate.
Contact: Lrobins929@gmail.com
#TheMonkees #Monkees #OldSchool
They deserve to be in the rock and roll hall of fame!!
Absolutely!
Yes they do definitely
Music is beautiful and timeless. HEAD alone is in my personal top 20 favorite albums of all time
Peter Tork said they were a good band - not a great band. Great bands belong in the rock n roll hall of fame. I know some bands like ABBA are in the hall - but to me they don't belong. The Monkees themselves know they do not belong in the Rock hall of fame.
@@bettyvan1213 They do belong. Because they made a huge impact on the world of rock and roll.
The Monkees were one of the first rock bands I listened to. Micky sounds just as good today as he did in 1966.
Mickey's voice was one of the best of his era.
I remember my sister got me their Good Times! album that they made in the 2010s. I'm amazed that Micky Dolenz still sounds as awesome as he had in the 1960s!
One "Not-So-Fun-Fact": The Idiot( Charles Manson) tried out for the show..
Thanks for giving The Monkees credit for their importance in the rock pantheon. They have impacted the history of rock from introducing country-western musical influences way before bands like the Byrds, and the Eagles, to being one of the first to include the Moog synthesizer within a rock song, on their '67 album, Pieces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones, LTD.
After winning the battle to play their own instruments and record their own music on their 3rd album, Headquarters, their occasional use of a session musician included rock luminaries such as Steve Stills, Neil Young, Buddy Miles, Leon Russel, Hal Blaine, Glen Campbell, Jim Gordon, Danny Kortchmar and Billy Preston in addition to the members of L.A.'s Wrecking Crew. Many of these musicians also contributed to a large number of pivotal albums by the Beach Boys, the Mommas and the Poppas, the Buffalo Springfield and the Byrds during the same era, and nobody at the time even questioned who was on these recording, yet the Monkees were severely criticized for "not playing their own music," a falsehood which has continued to unjustly prevent their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I personally witnessed them playing their own music, live, in a July 1967 Forest Hills Tennis Stadium concert with Jimi Hendrix as their opening act, an experience that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Michael Nesmith is a musical genius, writing many of the Monkees most enduring songs on all of their albums, along with addition musical compositions by Neil Diamond, Neil Sedaka, Boyce and Hart, Harry Nilsson and Carol King. Together these selections have encapsulated the sound of the 60's outselling even the Beatles in 1967!
Great video, thank you. The first concert I ever saw was the Monkees, I was 11. It was the Forest Hill Stadium concert, but I missed Jimi Hendrix because we got there late. I doubt I would’ve appreciated him at that time.
It was a great show and I’m still a fan.
What a band!! Really talented guys, underrated is an understatement!! Legends!
About why they called their movie "Head": (This from Teri Garr) The idea behind the title was that if they were lucky enough to get to make another movie, they could include in the ad copy, "From the people who gave you 'Head'."
LMMFAO!!! Especially awesome coming from Ms Garr! ;)
that's such a genius move, i'm impressed
Lol I didn't know that. Didn't know they called it that back then. I thought it was just they were in your head and hair like dandruff
Encantadores, talentosos, extraordinarios muchachos!!! Y muy guapos!!! I love❤ the monkees eternamente!!!
The older I get the more I appreciate The Monkees music. True talent wins out once again.
Loved watching the Monkees reruns on a saturday morning back inthe day. On paper they were supposed to be the cheesiest thing ever , but they were really a fantastic band, cuz they all had talent and charisma. Peter was my fav. And it warms my heart that John Lennon loved them and watched their tv show ,just like everyone else.
Another song written for the Monkees by Goffin and King was "Pleasant Valley Sunday" which was a great commentary on '60s US suburban life.
HEY HEY WE'RE THE BEATLES!
AND WE LIKE THE BEATLE AROUND!
BUT WE'RE TOO BUSY BEATLIN'
TO BEATLE ANY BEATLING DOWN
@@JamesMaharajOfficial "...and Ringo!" (rather than "Peter" in the opening credits.... lol! )
In 1967 they outsold the Beatles and Stones combined!!! Very impressive
Not true, Nesmith made that up.
Micky said he made that up. Then later micky said Mike made that up.
It fills me with so much joy to see this band talked about nowadays
I was at their 20th anniversary concert then again @the here we come again tour,weird Al opened for them! Great show!
It’s Bob “RAYfelson” and Mickey “DOLEenz” - long vowel sounds.
Yeah, I 2nd that!
And...the MARK brothers?
Yeah, I couldn't watch anymore if the narrator doesn't even know that much
And it’s cast, not casted
On the upside, he enunciates and isn’t speaking in monotone
As an overly finicky music snob who loves The Beatles,you'd really think that I would be the first guy slinging accusations regarding whether or not they're a genuine proper band. But even I'M not that guy when it comes to The Monkees. I agree with what you said at the end. Their contributions to music have been more than enough to earn a place of honor amongst the great bands of the time. A tome in which there was far better music and much more of it to go around than,say,the present day.
I'll never understand why people say you're not a musician if you don't play an instrument or write your own songs, look at Elvis, Sinatra, most of the artists from Motown, or even opera singers for that matter!
I thought those people are called singers
@@rummzeiss Darn, I guess that leaves out Jim Morrison and Joe Cocker.
@Joseph Lentz Nesmith and Tork were already professional musicians before the group started.
@@rummzeiss Yes, they ARE called singers. And their instrument is their voice, making them musicians, as well.
@@charleslipscomb2567 True, they were and yet they brought in Don Kirshner since they were only told to find guys who could act....
Micky Dolenz also owned one of the first Moog Synthesizers ever made. I believe that he owned the 2nd or 3rd one, and Wendy Carlos had the one before, or after, Micky. Depending on how you viewed it, The Monkees had the first synth on a pop / rock song. The Monkees recorded their synth on the same weekend as The Doors, a day or two before. However, The Doors record came out first.
I believe Nesmith said that if musical proficiency on an instrument was the goal for The Monkees, Davy would have played Drums, Micky would have been Rhythm Guitar and vocals, Peter would have played Lead, and Mike would have been on Bass, but there was no way the producers were going to stick their teen idol Davy behind a drum kit.
Oddly enough in the episode The Monkees Paw Davy was behind the drum kit and Micky was the frontman!
I grew up with the Monkees. They were the first concert I ever went to, it was the year after Jimi Hendrix opened up for them so unfortunately I didn’t get to see him too. Thank you so much for this wonderfully informative video. I still love the Monkees and I still listen to them.
Thanks for posting
This was a great group!
I love the Monkees. Great Band great music, great fun TV entertainment .
I am seeing them (MIckey n Mike) perform live in Seattle next month!!!! MISS U DAVY n PETE (mad crush on ya davy!)
I thought my old boyfriend resembled Peter York.
They're brilliant, alot of their songs are pop perfection, from Headquarters onwards they had more control so their music became more quirky and melded more genres. Also cool that Daily Nightly/Star Collector are noted as one of the first uses of synth on a pop record.
They put out a lot of great songs. Outside of the handful or so of singles that everyone knows, my favorites include: The Girl I Knew Somewhere, Mary Mary, Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow), I Don't Think You Know Me (w/Micky on vocals), The Porpoise Song, Love Is Only Sleeping, The Door Into Summer, For Pete's Sake, Daily Nightly, and Circle Sky, to name a few.
Now that I've learned everything about the Beatles from your channel, I can't stop seeing how everything else in the 60's got cues from them!
My line is that everything comes back to the Beatles... 6 degrees... lol
For anyone wondering, Mike Nesmith is in the video for A Day In The Life at about 2:33.
There's also a handful of references to the Monkees in various Nickelodeon series.
In SpongeBob SquarePants vs. The Big One they take a reference to Davy Jones' locker even further by having Jones cameo and sing a line from Daydream Believer.
Mr. Nesmith in Planet Sheen is a fairly obvious reference to Mike Nesmith - they even gave him the same style wool hat!
I'm glad that Davy Jones got a cameo in SpongeBob Squarepants before he died. I also did notice references to Michael Nesmith in Planet Sheen. Mr. Nesmith was a monkey while Mike was a member of The Monkees. They both wore the same style wool hat. I also saw a picture of Mike wearing a similar spacesuit on one of his solo album covers. The same one that Mr. Nesmith wore on Planet Sheen.
Thanks big fan of the Monkees! We watched every week. The whole family Mom and Dad too. We all enjoyed it. Thanks for the info. 👍🏼
Aneil ! Nice to see the face behind your marvelous posts!!!!!
I had no idea of the Monkeys' part of music history.
I adore the Monkees so much! Thank you very much for making this video.
I just love this channel!
He sure is good at what he does. I think he would be a great game show presenter. But then again, he could present anything, really.
R.I.P. Davy and Peter
Don't forget Mike, he recently passed as well
I love both the TV show, and Head
Your videos are positive and uplifting. Thank you.
Well done!
I was about to give up on the video cuz I'd heard most of the facts already done then, the mtv! Didn't know about that. You brought me around. This was good.
I love The Porpoise Song❤❤❤❤❤! Micky’s voice in that song is soooooo cool👍✌️❤❤❤❤❤❤!
Hard to believe tge show only ran two seasons. Still scratching my head.
It was mainly Mike's fault for their early downfall and the demise of the series because he just complained too much to early on he should have read the fine print in his contract before signing it.
Just saying
I still love the Monkees, just not as much as the Beatles lol. Pleasant Valley Sunday was always my favorite
Pleasant Valley Sunday is my favorite too. Another Goffin/King song. :)
@@LearnMusclescom PVS is a brilliant little satire of the American Dream, not to mention a terrific record. Ray Stevens' "Mr. Businessman" is cut from the same cloth, though a bit more sardonic.
Nice review.
It gives justice to a band that gave joy to a generation around the world
I hadn't ever heard the phrase Folk & Roll. It makes perfect sense.
Also, The Monkees movie, Head, gave Nicholson the money and connections needs to create Easy Rider, which was also produced by Raybert productions.
Mike Nesmith is also related to Liquid Paper, which his mother invented.
Mother Betty Nesmith invented liquid paper
Great Job On The Short History Of The Monkees,To Me They Were Very Talented And Became A Real Rock Band When They Did "Headquarters",Mike Nesmith Wrote Many Great Monkee's Songs-Mary,Mary,You Just May Be The One,The Kinda Girl I Could Love,Papa Gene's Blues,Listen To The Band,Sweet Young Thing,All The Kings Horses,Ect,They Belong In The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame,I Heard Howard Stern Say On His Show The Same.
Ya ever REALLY listen to the lyrics to Randy Scouse Git?
..."the kings of EMI (The Beatles) are sitting stately on the floor,
There are birds (girls)out on the sidewalk and a valet at the door,
He reminds me of a Penguin of few and plastered hair
Talcum powder on the letter and the birthday boy is there...."
Lol!
Love that song! All the Mickey sung ones are my favs! And wow, what variety in those! From "Going Down", an epileptic seizure of upbeat fun about drowning... to Daily Nightly, whatever that's about.... Haunting though it is!
@@DrNothing23 would have been cool if Goin Down was on Pisces... that would have made that great album even greater
@@DrNothing23 Daily Nightly is Nesmith's abstract poetry about the hippies on Sunset Strip.
I agree. Great songs...though there's not many Monkees songs that I don't like.
10:00 Fact Correction: The title Randy Scouse Git was changed to Alternate Title.
Because their UK record label wanted to put it out as a single, but found the Randy Scouse Git title offensive, but since it wasn't anywhere in the song, they allowed it released as a single under a different title.
They came up with Alternate Title for lack of anything else.
wow nice video and explanation myfriend stay healty. have a nice day
Another great video HollyHobs!
If people think they're a fake band that explain this if they're fake and can't play their own instruments to Holiday able to go out on tour get up on stage in front of thousands of live people and play that makes no sense they're a real band and they're great I watch the reruns of their TV show when their TV show came on 1966 I was 2 years old I remember listening to the records and watching their own reruns with my older brother who was 8 years older than me to this day I love the monkeys
The movie Head changed my life. :)
Very nice tribute.
I think Head is Brilliant, it’s an acid trip put to film. It’s psychedelia
Great Video.
They did what most people dream of, gotta admire that
God Bless and Rest In Peace Michael Nesmith🙏
Before I watch this video let me say that..... my mother always used to say that the Beatles messed up the world, but the Monkees messed up our family...
Which always hit me as funny because mom and dad never divorced or even separated... and none of us 3 boys ever got into really serious trouble...
Mickey Dolenz played live at a kind of local summer fest in Hoboken NJ one year, and I'd completely forgotten that I liked the Monkees as a kid, but he sounded GREAT live (this was 2007 or 2008). He's actually quite a versatile and talented guy, and compared to say Paul Simon or Paul McCartney, his voice has REALLY held up over time. I don't know if I had any particular expectations beforehand, but I was pretty hardcore impressed. They were fun--that's all they were 'meant' to be, and they nailed it, albeit in a slightly 'dated' way in hindsight. The show's kind of cringey-charming, but it's a long-standing genre. It's like if you watched Scooby-Doo, but complained that the crime story has plot-holes or isn't emotionally-challenging. Just smile and love it for the kitschy sweetness it is :)
Wow, you learn something new everyday
I like their song Pleasant Valley Sunday, great intro, written by Goffin and King, that's Carol King who wrote so many songs for others, and made a classic album Tapestry
Say what they will
I enjoyed the Monkees then and still do
They were so much a part of my life growing up
Their songs still show up in movies
So even though 3 of them are gone they're still go on today
Such an underrated band!
RIP Davy Jones
RIP Peter Tork
RIP Mike Nesmith
What matters most is that people bought their records and watched the show. They are still very well loved by
all except the critics. (Which doesn't matter)
Great video! But I would add. People often state Mike & Peter were the only real musicians early on. But they all were. Micky was already playing drums prior to their formation & Davy had a pre-Monkees solo LP out.
Micky was a musician prior to the Monkees, but he played guitar and sang (in a band called, interestingly enough, The Missing Links). He didn’t play drums before the Monkees-Peter Tork taught him how to play drums.
The girl I knew somewhere was the first number of the Monkees I listened.
🎉🎉🎉
It's Tali The Monkes we're a great band funny and talented young man there were no tricks up there sleeves they each had there personality they played them selfs that is why they were so great. I am still a big fan and have most of there LP's. They will all be remembered as a great band and with alot of humor 😅😂
It’s possible the ‘Randy scout fit ’ thing came from a BBC comedy of the time called till death us do part where the lead character called Alf Garnett called his son in law the same thing. This show was remade in the USA as All in the family where the lead character was called Archie Bunker. The UK original was v controversial for its language and racial comment. But it was a huge hit
Stay safe everyone thanks for yet another great video 👍
it's "randy scouse git", basically an erotically-charged lady from Liverpool area who's a not very smart.
@@brunoghezzi5957 thanks it was a typo I’m English and used to watch the show
The Monkees "dummy" was called "Mr.Schnieder" (I imagine, after Bert Schnieder!)
"10:29 great picture of Carole King, thank you!"
I always thought and still do she is the ugliest woman next to whoopi goldberg!
9:47 I see Riksy!
Toni Basil was also in "Head." She was Davy's dance partner in "Daddy's Song."
I love the Monkees. They deserve to be in the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. They had to put up with a lot from detractors just for doing their job. Then when they literally became legit, people still slung mud their way.
I like rooting for the underdog.
I agree with Nicolson Head is so awesome!
Yes definitely. We have Jack Nicholson to thank for giving us Head.
It's cool that u have a mood of fondness for the band instead of knocking them as bad knock offs. I mean, that's what they were but it was fun.
Do a video on CSN and CSNY please!
The monkees are the most underrated classic rock band
"Head" is the greatest movie ever!
I know. I saw it in the 70s on the CBS Late Movie. Laughed my ass off and loved all the songs.
@Evil Rev not everybody gets it. That's okay. Maybe you should watch it again.
I was 12 yrs old and totally got it. Unfortunately the Head album was out of print by that time. I had to wait until I was old enough to drive to find a beat up copy at a record show for $40. That was a lot of money for a teenager in the 70s, though I was thrilled to finally have it.
Love them
Ello from the Philippines!
Elvis Presley didn't write his own songs. Doesn't keep us from calling him the King.
How many instruments you ever see the Temptations play? But they're real, and everybody knows it.
Sometimes rock and roll just takes itself too seriously, and they start coming up with rules, which are not fairly applied, about who is and who isn't a "real band." The Monkees wrote more of their own songs than Elvis, and played more of their own instruments than the Temps. Yes, they were manufactured (to that we all agree), but they were as real as many other bands generally accepted as real.
Mike Nesmith may have invented MTV. But it was the Beatles who invented the music video back in the 60s. Mike Nesmith could afford to turn down the job as a producer on MTV. He was financially set. His mother invented Liquid Paper. And was a millionaire.
Don Kirshner originally supervised the music, with Studio aces the Wrecking Crew playing the music, using some great songwriters like Neil Diamond King& Goffin, Boyce and Hart, Which earned the Monkees the Pre-fab Four monicker. It’s just music biz snobbery, it was a TV show, and the guys did sing, always loved Dolenz voice in particular.
It's cool John liked them, and The Rutles too
First, the Monkees were all musicians prior to joining the band. You spoke of Mike and Peter who were working musicians and songwriters at the time, but, Micky was a singer and classical guitarist from childhood, he just never played drums before. As far as Davy goes, he was a professional singer. Aren’t singers musicians?
Of course, they are.
I'm surprised that you skipped over the Buffalo Springfield part of Stephen Stills career and went directly to Crosby, Stills & Nash after his failed audition for The Monkees.
They touched our lives... Is that not what a band is supposed to do? try this today it wouldn't work!music is magic you can't deny that😜
Ooo please do a Rutles video!
Many, many acts didn't play their own music. Did Dusty Springfield? Did Frank Sinatra? Did the Supremes? Did Dion and the Belmonts? Did the Righteous Brothers? Did the Tops or Temps? Just like hundreds of other acts, NO! And, just like them, the Monkees did all their own vocals. People put way too much importance on them playing their own instruments. There are a LOT of session musicians that played on a LOT of records you don't know about. Even the Beatles had many uncredited paid session musicians on several of their records.
I know they're a real band because I've seen them four times.
Did Davey Jones play the drums?
The fake vs. real argument is bogus. It's the music that matters and some of the greatest pop music ever recorded was released under The Monkees moniker. And the songs were played by some of the greatest musicians in the world (the Wrecking Crew, which deserved a mention in this video), and of course great songwriters, as mentioned.
The Monkees get the worst bad rep in the history of music because they were not allowed in the beginning to play on their records. Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork were professional musicians and were really upset when they were not allowed to play on the songs and felt they were cheating their fans. Micky Dolenze had had his own band previous and was mainly a singer but could play guitar and had wrote some songs. I think it was actually Mike who told the press about them not playing on the songs because he wanted to be honest about it. Mike Nesmith wrote Distant Drum in 1964 before the start of the Monkees and he offered it to the Monkees, but the producers of the TV show, who had control over the group's musical output early on, turned him down.The song became popular in 1967 when recorded by the Stone Poneys featuring Linda Ronstadt. Peter Tork created the piano intro to Daydream Believer. Both Mickey and Davy were great singers. The Monkees have their place in musical history in my opinion and their albums quite happily sit alongside my Beatles, Stones, Bowie, Zeppelin, Thin Lizzy, Free, Uriah Heep, Pink Floyd ......... albums.
Who is this “Dollins” guy you keep mentioning?
Please do a video about the lovin spoonful!!!!
RIP Davey Peter and Michael poor mickey all alone😢
THANK YOU
How absurd that this incredibly talented band is still thought of as phonies!!!!! What a travesty that this band of 'phonies' never made it to the RRHOF!!!!! RIP DAVY, MIKE AND PETER!!! ROCK ON IN HEAVEN.....
Head also had Toni Basil of Mickey fame as Davy’s dance partner
She danced with Davy but sang about Micky!
When you have time can you do The Cure or Rush
Davy Jones was already signed up with the company behind this. So he was already one of the four members