Monkees (music)
The Monkees were a pop music group formed in 1965 as part of a television show produced by Columbia Pictures, which was inspired by the Beatles' film "A Hard Day's Night." The group consisted of Mickey Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork, chosen for their on-screen chemistry rather than their musical abilities. The television series, which aired for two seasons, showcased the band's comedic adventures and featured lip-synched performances of their songs. Their first albums, "The Monkees" and "More of the Monkees," both topped the Billboard charts, spawning major hits like "I'm a Believer" and "Daydream Believer."
Despite facing criticism for not playing their own instruments initially, the Monkees fought to assert their musical identity, leading to more authentic albums like "Headquarters." The group's evolution included the release of "Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones" and the film "Head," which commented on their manufactured origins. While they disbanded in 1969, their impact on pop music was significant, marked by millions of record sales and collaborations with influential artists. Today, the Monkees are remembered as a key part of 1960s music culture, bridging the gap between television and popular music.
On this Page
Monkees (music)
Stars of a television comedy series about a rock-and-roll band. The Monkees quickly developed into a true band, releasing five chart-topping albums in two years.
Origins and History
In 1965, Columbia Pictures selected four young men to star in a half-hour comedy show patterned after the Beatles’ 1964 film A Hard Day’s Night. The Monkees would feature the zany adventures of a struggling rock-and-roll band and serve as a promotional tool for professionally produced albums recorded by studio musicians and released under the Monkees name. After auditioning hundreds of actors and musicians, the producers selected the four Monkees Mickey Dolenz, David Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork for their personalities and screen chemistry rather than their musical talent.
The program ran for two seasons, 1966-1967 and 1967-1968. Each episode combined a wacky and cartoonish plot with sight gags, outtakes, and lip-synched performances of the band’s hits. Bolstered by the popularity of the television show, the Monkees’ first two albums, The Monkees and More of the Monkees, both reached number one on the Billboard charts and generated three number-one singles (“Daydream Believer,” “I’m a Believer,” and “Last Train to Clarksville”).
The group was criticized when public performances revealed that they could not play their instruments as well as the musicians heard on their records. Led by Nesmith, the group fought for permission to play on their own albums. Subsequent releases such as the 1967 Headquarters and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones, which both reached number one on the Billboard charts, and 1968 The Birds, the Bees, and the Monkees, which reached number three, showcased the band as musicians, songwriters, and vocalists.
When their television show was canceled in 1968, the group starred in the film Head, lampooning their own prefabricated origins and rise to fame. The film was a commercial failure as was a television special aired later the same year, 33 1/3 Revolutions per Monkee. Tork left the group, and the remaining Monkees disbanded in 1969.
Impact
In spite of their prefabricated beginnings, the Monkees developed into an innovative and remarkably successful pop group. They sold millions of records and were professionally linked to many notable figures in 1960’s music and popular culture. Dolenz was one of the first musicians to experiment with the Moog synthesizer. Jimi Hendrix was introduced to U.S. audiences as an opening act for the Monkees; Jack Nicholson coauthored Head. Their hit songs were written by well-known composers such as Carole King and Neil Diamond. Nesmith’s compositions were recorded by other groups including the Stone Poneys (with Linda Ronstadt) and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Additional Information
Dolenz’s I’m a Believer: My Life of Monkees, Music, and Madness (1993) offers a behind-the-scenes account of the group’s career. More recent accounts are Glenn A. Baker’s Monkeemania: The True Story of the Monkees (1986) and Hey, Hey, We’re the Monkees (1996), edited by Harold Bronson.