Monkees – The Girl I Knew Somewhere

In my childhood I played the Monkees to death…all along thinking they were still together and playing but they had broken up years before. On their first two albums they were not allowed to play their own instruments (other bands had this problem also) but by the third album they fought for their freedom and won it.

I remember the show this song was in…Julie Newmar was in it…I didn’t forget Julie Newmar.

“The Girl I Knew Somewhere” was the first song recorded by the Monkees containing instruments performed by the band members. The song was written by Monkee;’s guitar player Mike Nesmith. Mike also wrote the hit A Different Drum for the Stone Ponys…Linda Ronstadt’s band.

When it was recorded Mike Nesmith recorded the lead vocals but later on Mickey Dolenz put his lead vocals down for more of a commercial sound.

The song was a B side to A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You (#2 in the Billboard 100). It was not on an album but The Girl I Knew Somewhere peaked at #39 in the Billboard 100 in 1967.

The video for the show was a winner with Julie Newmar

The Girl I Knew Somewhere

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 may be, I can’t explain.

Just ask the girl that I knew somewhere.

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

23 thoughts on “Monkees – The Girl I Knew Somewhere”

  1. great song, as so many Monkees songs were. Julie Newmar as Catwoman was my fave villain in Batman, the great thing about 60’s US TV was so many actors popped up in so many different shows, finding out their names was a big pass-time in our household, mum and dad were brought up on US movies and I inherited the enthusiasm for that and for 60’s US TV, which was SO much better than 60’s British TV, excepting Doctor Who, The Avengers, Thunderbirds and The Champions, which I loved 🙂

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  2. I don’t recall having heard that tune before. Do I sense you may have had a crush on Julie Newmar, Max? 🙂

    When it came to The Monkees, initially, part of me cringed, knowing they started out as a ‘fake band’ made for ‘some silly TV show,’ where most of the members didn’t even know how to play their instruments. At the same time, I always thought their songs were great. And obviously, they ended up becoming real musicians.

    So even with all the above caveats, I’ve come to love The Monkees. Even though, of course, no band can ever beat The Beatles! 🙂

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    1. I will say they influenced a lot of bands from their TV show. They are a big reason I played music in the first place.
      They made it look fun to be in a band….though they didn’t show you all the back biting and work lol.

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      2. Ok I found it…I’ve seen that one. Yea I started off with the Monkees when I was 7 and then I found the Beatles when I was 8…and it was over with…but I’ve always liked them.

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