A while back our house went through a Monkees spell – re-watching all of the TV shows and listening to their records on repeat. This lead me to try and rank all of their songs in a really subjective way. I listened to each album, evaluating each song for music, lyrics, vocals, and overall vibes.
What did the exercise teach me?
That ranking songs is kind of pointless and that whatever criteria you make will still fit. Was it a surprise that “Papa Gene’s Blues” was the top song? No. But I am more in touch with what I like about the Monkees, and what I don’t. I don’t like the syrupy ballads and I really dislike Davy Jones sad boi songs. It was also very clear how under appreciated (and represented) Peter Tork was. It’s sad and a shame.
