45. Midnight Train (Changes, 1971, and Missing Links Volume 3, 1996; Originally recorded for Headquarters, 1967)
Okay, I'm not gonna lie to you, this song is really only here for the demo version from 1967. The Changes version is a little bit too camp/cheesy for my liking, though I don't necessarily mind it, and it's grown on me over time. I will admit that I was at the first Monkees concert where this song was played live, and I lost it when Micky and Coco started singing it, so I guess I can't speak too lowly of it. Anyway, listen to both and enjoy.
44. Come On In (Missing Links Volume 2, 1990; Originally recorded for The Birds, The Bees, & The Monkees, 1968)
43. Mommy and Daddy (The Monkees Present, 1970)
42. Carlisle Wheeling (Missing Links, 1987; Originally recorded for The Birds, The Bees, & The Monkees, 1968, and Instant Replay, 1969)
There are two known Monkees' era recordings of this song, and I love them both equally, so I'm gonna share both of them here.
41. The Girl I Knew Somewhere (B-side to "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You", 1967)
40. She (More of The Monkees, 1967)
39. Our Own World (Good Times!, 2016)
38. She'll Be There (Missing Links Volume 3, 1996; Originally recorded for Headquarters, 1967)
37. Sometime in the Morning (More of The Monkees, 1967)
36. Auntie's Municipal Court (The Birds, The Bees, & The Monkees, 1968)
That's all for now! Hopefully, I'll have #35-26 up soon. Thanks for reading!
Alright, friends! Let's keep The Monkees countdown going!
55. Gotta Give It Time (Good Times!, 2016)
54. I'm a Believer (More of The Monkees, 1967)
53. Star Collector (Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, & Jones Ltd., 1967)
52. How Insensitive (Missing Links Volume 3, 1996; Originally recorded for Head, 1968)
51. (I Prithee) Do Not Ask For Love (Released in too many versions to type out without writing a paragraph, but recorded in 1966 and 1968)
Okay, so this one was recorded numerous times at different points during The Monkees' career, so I'm just going to give you the four different versions that have been officially released. The versions Peter sings on are my personal favorites.
50. No Time (Headquarters, 1967)
49. Rosemarie (Missing Links, 1987; Originally recorded for The Birds, The Bees, and The Monkees, Head, Instant Replay, 1968 and 1969)
Okay, honestly, if I split up the two versions, I'd probably have the Missing Links version higher and the Birds/Bees and 1969 versions probably wouldn't be on the list, to be honest. I decided to compromise on it, put it here, and give you all three versions.
48. Early Morning Blues & Greens (Headquarters, 1967)
47. Long Title: Do I Have To Do This All Over Again? (Head, 1968)
46. A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You (Single, 1967)
That's all for now! Hopefully, I'll have #45-36 up soon. Thanks for reading!
Hello, loves! It's been a while!! I'm sorry that I've left you hanging since March, but I was busy finishing up the school year, then working over the summer, then starting school up again. It's no secret that recently, it was the 50th anniversary of the debut of the Monkees TV series, and fans found plenty of ways to celebrate. One way we all celebrated was through viewing this hilariously awkward and sort of amazing video that was posted on The Monkees' Facebook page.
As you may have been able to tell from the title of the post, I'm counting down my 66 favorite Monkees songs (because the Monkees first aired in 1966!!!! Get it?? I crack myself up honestly.), number 66 to number 1 over the course of seven posts. I know the amount of songs per post will seem off, since 66 isn't exactly divisible by seven, but this should be the only one with eleven, and all the others will have ten, apart from the top five. I know it seems unorganized, but it works in my convoluted mind, so let's just go with it. I also had to establish some guidelines for this whole thing to keep me from going crazy, or at least crazier than I've been about the whole ordeal already.
Standalone, random tracks from things like The Headquarters Sessions that aren't FORMAL, AUTHENTIC demos are no-go (that means no "I Was Born in East Virginia" or "Monkee Chat". Trust me, I debated over this one for a while, but it's for the best).
All Missing Links tracks are fair game.
All Good Times! tracks are fair game.
No counting multiple versions of one song as different numbers/entries on the list, so for example, I can't put the Missing Links version of "Nine Times Blue" at #36, and then the Johnny Cash Show version of "Nine Times Blue" at #29. I will, however, share my favorite versions of the song once I get to it.
As a side note, I'll start writing little blurbs on each song when we get to #25. So, without further ado, let's Monkee around!!
66. Tomorrow's Gonna Be Another Day (The Monkees, 1966)
65. She Makes Me Laugh (Good Times!, 2016)
64. Magnolia Simms (The Birds, The Bees, and The Monkees, 1968)
(Here's an acoustic version if you don't enjoy all the vintage production madness going on in the studio version.)
63. I'll Be Back Up On My Feet (The Birds, The Bees, and The Monkees, 1968)
(Also, here's my personal favorite version that aired on the show.)
62. Forget That Girl (Headquarters, 1967)
61. Cuddly Toy (Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn, and Jones Ltd., 1967)
60. Daydream Believer (The Birds, The Bees, and The Monkees, 1968)
I know I'm probably going to get side-eyed glances from some of you for the relatively low ranking of this song, and trust me, I really do love Davy and this song is a pop classic, but I'm a little sick of hearing it, to tell you the truth. It's a favorite of mine when played in moderation.
59. You Just May Be the One (Headquarters, 1967)
(Here's also the original version that was used in the first season of the TV show. I personally prefer the studio version, but you decide for yourself.)
58. I Was There (and I'm Told I Had a Good Time) [Good Times!, 2016]
57. Mr. Webster (Headquarters, 1967)
(Again, just to give you some options, here's the original version recorded before the band earned their "freedom". I know some fans prefer it to the final version, so here you go.)
56. Down the Highway/Michigan Blackhawk (Missing Links, 1990; Originally recorded for The Monkees Present in 1969)
Just to give some background on why this song has two titles, here's Wikipedia: ""Michigan Blackhawk" is mistitled; the song included here is a Goffin/King/Stern song tiutled "Down The Highway"; recorded on June 5, 1969; the mistitling comes from the use of the title "Michigan Blackhawk" on an unfinished Nesmith track recorded on June 10, 1969."
That's all for this post! Hopefully I'll have #55-46 up soon. Thanks for reading!
