Monkees – She

As a 6-year-old I watched the Monkees show in re-runs intently dreaming of one day forming a band and living all together. Most of that dream came true except the all living together…which we probably wouldn’t still like each other if that had happened. This song was popular with me because I remember the TV show and liked this song. The Monkees had their own MTV before MTV…their show would not only play videos of hits but album cuts as this was…and it’s a good one.

This song was written and produced by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart with lead vocals by Mickey Dolenz. He had one of the best pop voices in the sixties. “She” was on The Monkees’ second album More of the Monkees. This album was the last one they would not have much control over. The album was released without the band’s knowledge. They discovered it while they were in Cleveland, Ohio on tour. They were not happy at all. This album’s release was the key moment that started Mike Nesmith’s fight for control.

After the album was released Nesmith and the others met with Don Kirshner (the show and music creator). They met him in the Beverly Hills Hotel and Nesmith punched a hole in the wall and told Kirshner and his lawyer…“That could have been your face!” After that Nesmith was told to read his contract so Nesmith did the only thing he could do to break free from the control…he threatened to quit.

Kirshner refused to allow them to play instruments on their records, hiring seasoned studio musicians instead…although Nesmith and Tork did get to play some instruments on their first two albums. After Nesmith threatened to quit…the executives took notice. They dropped Kirshner from The Monkees completely. After he was dismissed from the Monkees…he created the Archies…because he said “I want a band that won’t talk back.”

Four months after More of the Monkees was released…The Monkees released their album Headquarters in May of 1967. This time they were in control and played their own instruments with no Kirshner to be found.

More of the Monkees peaked at #1 on the Billboard 100, in Canada, and The UK in 1967. Their first album with them playing everything…Headquarters peaked at #1 on the Billboard 100, #1 in Canada, and #2 in the UK. It tops some people’s Monkee album lists.

By the way…their next album after Headquarters, again playing most of the instruments themselves Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. also peaked at #1 on the Billboard 100 in 1967. So for those who are keeping score…that is three #1 albums released in 1967.

Here are quotes about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by each member of the Monkees.

Peter Tork: [Wenner] doesn’t care what the rules are and just operates how he sees fit. It is an abuse of power. I don’t know whether the Monkees belong in the Hall of Fame, but it’s pretty clear that we’re not in there because of a personal whim. Jann seems to have taken it harder than everyone else, and now, 40 years later, everybody says, ‘What’s the big deal? Everybody else does it.’ [Uses studio artists or backing bands.] Nobody cares now except him. He feels his moral judgment in 1967 and 1968 is supposed to serve in 2007.

Michael Nesmith: “I can see the HOF (Hall of Fame) is a private enterprise. It seems to operate as a business, and the inductees are there by some action of the owners of the Enterprise. The inductees appear to be chosen at the owner’s pleasure. This seems proper to me. It is their business in any case. It does not seem to me that the HOF carries a public mandate, nor should it be compelled to conform to one.”

Davy Jones: “I’m not as wealthy as some entertainers, but I work hard, and I think the best is yet to come. I know I’m never going to make the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but maybe there’s something else for me in show business. I’ve been given a talent—however big or little—that has given me many opportunities. I’ve got to try to use it the best way I can. A lot of people go days without having someone hug them or shake their hand. I get that all the time.”

Micky Dolenz:  “As far as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame I’ve never been one to chase awards or anything like that; it’s never been very important to me. I was very proud to win an Emmy for The Monkees, having come out of television as a kid. When we won the Emmy for best TV show in ’66 or ’67 that was a huge feather in my cap. But I’ve never chased that kind of stuff. I’ve never done a project and thought, ‘What do I do here to win an award?’ Specifically as far as the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame I’ve been very flattered that the fans and people have championed the Monkees. Very flattered and honored that they do. If you know anything about the organization, and I’ve done charity work for the foundation, the Hall of Fame is a private club.”

She

She, she told me that she loved me,
And like a fool I believed her from the start.
She, she said she’d never hurt me,
But then she turned around and broke my heart

Why am I standing here,
Missing her and wishing she were here.
She only did me wrong;
I’m better off alone.

She, she devoured all my sweet love,
Took all I had and then she fed me dirt.
She, she laughed while I was cryin’.
It was such a joke to see the way it hurt.

Why am I standing here,
Missing her and wishing she were here.
She only did me wrong;
I’m better off alone.

And now I know just why she
Keeps me hangin’ ’round.
She needs someone to walk on,
So her feet don’t touch the ground.
But I love her,
I need her,
I want her.
Yea! Yea! Yea! Yea! Yea! Yea! She!

[Instrumental]

Why am I standing here,
Missing her and wishing she were here.
She only did me wrong now;
I’m better off alone.

Why am I missing her?
I should be kissing her.

Unknown's avatar

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, 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. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

46 thoughts on “Monkees – She”

  1. Good call on the Monkees having their own MTV before MTV. We all watched these shows back than as there was only like 5 channels back then.

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    1. They made bands look fun to be in…they didn’t tell you about the politics or the back biting lol…it is a fun show though…they regained popularity in the 80s.

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  2. They definitely should be in the Rock Hall. They couldn’t get the Supremes, Four Tops, Temptations and others who never attempted to do anything but sing in there fast enough, so it’s a bogus argument that they didn’t play their instruments on all their records. Mind you, a couple of them make a good point in that it is a private biz, not a public office so I guess they can choose who they will

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    1. They did have some of the best pop songs of the sixties. Oh they can choose…no doubt…but they were publicly funded….so yea we can still bitch about it lol…

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      2. I do want to make it there one day…all the bitching I do…and I still believe in the bitching lol…II wanna see the guitars and things used by some of these artists.

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  5. That’s the biz, and Nesmith should have known that. Studio musicians aka “The Wrecking Crew” played on everyone’s records. Why would the record company let a bunch of garage band musicians play, when they had the best talent in the industry at their disposal. Brian Wilson knew that, and used it to great success. I heard the Monkee’s live when I took my little sister to their show, and they were passable, but not concert quality as they should have been. Boyce and Hart wrote some great tunes for them. A friend of mine that went to LA in 1967 to be in the biz, said he heard the Byrds at some club, and they were awful, except for their voices. All band have to walk that plank, and eventually they will or will not get better. Good read, Max.

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    1. Thanks Phil…I think Tork and Nesmith had the most talent of them all…funny they tried to get Stephen Stills at first but he didn’t have the right look…so he reccomended Tork…who he played with.

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  6. You demonstrated the dichotomy of The Monkees saga. Truly got a raw deal and as it’s been pointed out by others, overlooked by the RRHOF. A bit of trivia Tommy Boyces wife was Canadian and after his tragic death she moved back here and lives not too far from me. Great post.

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    1. Oh cool on the trivia! I remember Boyce and Hart teamed up with Davy Jones and Dolenz in the 70s for a while as simple enough Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart. It was around the time I was watching the reruns.

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    2. B and H put out some of the most bublegummy Pop songs ever, some of the lyrics are as twee and sweet as apple pie dusted with icing sugar and topped off with half a bottle of corn syrup and left to marinate in it- but then they put in something like ‘she needs someone to walk on/so her feet don’t touch the ground.’ Perfect lyrics for a heartbroken ‘tween. Secret embarrassing pleasure- I still like ‘I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight’ and ‘Alice Long.’ Shhhh, don’t tell anyone, I’d have to mail back up my Lemmy Fan Club card if this gets out.

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  8. I remember my sister telling me the Monkees were going to be the next Beatles. I disagreed. I think, if you look in the dictionary for the definition of “bubblegum”, you’ll find Boyce & Hart.

    As for the Hall of Fame, I find it pretty hard to get worked up over the Monkees not being in as long as Los Lobos are not.

    The Archies story is entertaining and fitting. Years later, I developed some respect for the Monkees. That still hasn’t come for the Archies.

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    1. Oh I think Los Lobos should be in of course.
      The Monkees…influenced a lot of bands…the generation before me and mine and the one after because of reruns and finding a new audience on MTV.
      They made me want to play guitar and be in a band…of course it wasn’t as fun as they showed! They showed no egos, politics or back biting.

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      1. Glad to know they were a good influence on younger kids. For me, it was a crass attempt to cash in on “A Hard Day’s Night” – hire some actors to play a rock band, not actually be one, throw in some wacky hijinks, and make a lot of money.

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      2. I see them as very similar to The Partridge Family. Both shows were a low-key introduction to being musicians and like Max, I believe they inspired many younger kids to want to be musicians. I also agree that those montages both shows had were early versions of MTV.

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  9. The Monkees absolutely belong in the RRHOF. They weren’t actors playing musicians; they were musicians playing members of a fictional band for a TV show, and when the TV show ended they were still together as a band. They had great commercial success when they had the TV show, and great artistic success when the show ended.

    They are correct in that the RRHOF isn’t a public, nonprofit-type entity: it’s a private business that up until recently was subject to the whim and fancy of Jann Wenner. People entered the Hall when Jann said so. As such, there are many bands and individual performers that should be in the Hall and aren’t, and likewise bands and performers that, in our humble opinion, snouldn’t be in the Hall and are. Maybe that will change now that he’s no longer part of the organization. We can only wait and see.

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    1. I’m so glad he is out of it… maybe some will get in that should have got in a long time ago. I’ve never liked that guy at all.
      They were good musicians…they would never be in a progressive band but neither would Keith Richards or many others.

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  10. Oh I agree with Halfast- they took the A Hard Days Night template, colourised it, gave it an American accent- with a dose of that cute little Brit Davy Jones- and struck gold. Nothing wrong with that, but you can’t treat people like Walt Disney figures without getting some human reaction. Maybe K shoulda done the Archies thing straight away and cut out the four contrary middle men? 

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    1. Yea he probably should have done that. I see why they were pissed though. They were getting the attention and then being called sell outs or whatever…and Peter and Nesmith had some legit talent…the other two had the voices. Hell they made me want to pick up a guitar…I’m sure some important artists out there felt the same.

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    2. One thing that gets me obbverse…I know this opinion will NOT be popular. But wasn’t The Sex Pistols pretty much manufactured? Not in the same way but it was a publicity stunt pretty much…much of it was. They released one album.
      When I compare the Monkees with someone…it’s the Sex Pistols….and I like the Sex Pistols! I get a lot of grief over that!

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      1. Yes, I agree the the Sex Pistols thing- it was Malevolent Mclaren own attempt to get four little spits to make him some money- the fact that they actually worked was a minor miracle. Look at Adam Ant for what Mal was all about, Adam, a painted pretty boy dancing to the tune of the puppet master. OK, that’s a bit heavy handed but hey, I’m ready to accept the grief as well.

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  11. Sounds like these “Monkees” re-runs were your Ed Sullivan moment, Max. I think it’s cool when artists inspire kids to pick up an instrument.

    I also like the song, which I don’t recall I had heard before.

    Last but not least, I knew Don Kirschner was the individual who didn’t allow The Monkees to play their own instruments, evidently, because he was concerned album sales would be impacted. I was not aware of his quote of why he created the Archies. Sounds like he firmly believed in himself and didn’t tolerate opposing views.

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    1. I credit the Monkees for making me want to listen to rock music, pick up a guitar, and be in a band. Most importantly they led me to The Beatles.
      It never bothered me that they were manufactured…so were the Sex Pistols in many ways. I’m glad that they got out of it and made albums on their own and some of their best songs happened when they were liberated from Kirschner…like Pleasant Valley Sunday.

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  12. Our first musical loves are usually not the coolest, or the most critically admired. But I do wish we could always view music, or any sort of art, without the biases and preconceptions that we pick up as we grow. But then that’s impossible, as we wouldn’t be ‘us’… Anyway, as first loves go The Monkees are pretty cool, and much better respected these days. And I love that quote from Kirschner as to why he made the Archies!

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  13. I think I must have seen every Monkees episode but I don’t remember this song. I do appreciate learning more about the band and how the RRHOF operates. The Jann Wenner is a real p*ke from what I’ve seen. I read Rolling Stone Magazine for years but at some point he radically changed the format and I canceled my subscription. Have heard horrible stories about him.

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  16. great record this one, I was big on it in 1974 on a budget Monkees compilation of some hits and some album tracks. It eventually got covered by Terry Hall of The Specials.

    Re Hall Of Fame, if Cher can get in now the management has changed there’s no reason Micky Dolenz can’t on behalf of The Monkees. She was ignored for decades, is a lasting icon and didn’t write any of her hits, like so many acts already in The Hall Of Fame. Unlike The Monkees who did write a lot of their own stuff, including hit songs.

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    1. and they played on some of their hits also…everything from Headquarters on. I thought this was a great garage band sounding record.

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