"(Theme from) ''The Monkees''" is a 1966 pop rock song, written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart as the signature tune for the TV series ''

The Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was con ...

''. Two versions were recorded – one for their first album ''

'' and a second shorter rendition designed to open the television show. Both feature vocals by Micky Dolenz. It is based loosely on the

Dave Clark Five The Dave Clark Five, also known as the DC5, were an English rock and roll band formed in 1958 in Tottenham, London. Drummer Dave Clark served as the group's leader, producer and co-songwriter. In January 1964 they had their first UK top ten sin ...

song (including finger snap intro) "

Catch Us If You Can "Catch Us If You Can" is a 1965 song from The Dave Clark Five, written by group's drummer Dave Clark and guitarist Lenny Davidson. It was the title song for the film of the same name, which was retitled ''Having a Wild Weekend'' in the Unite ...

". The full-length version was released as a single in several countries including Australia, where it became a hit, reaching No. 8. It also made ''

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the musi ...

'''s "Hits of the World" chart in both Mexico and Japan, reaching the Top 20 in Japan and the Top 10 in Mexico. It is still played on many 60s radio stations. An Italian version of the song was featured on a Monkees compilation album.

Ray Stevens Harold Ray Ragsdale (born January 24, 1939), known professionally as Ray Stevens, is an American country and pop singer-songwriter and comedian, known for his Grammy-winning recordings " Everything Is Beautiful" and " Misty", as well as novel ...

did his take of the Monkees Theme on his 1985 album '' He Thinks He's Ray Stevens'' featuring a male German group of singers, Wolfgang and Fritzy, that are arguing during the refrain of the song. ("Hey Hey Bist Du Monkees".) A slower version – sung by Boyce and Hart – was recorded for an early production of the pilot episode (16mm black and white). This can be found on the Special Features section of the Monkees season 1 DVD box set. The song is featured in the trailer for the 1994 film ''

Monkey Trouble ''Monkey Trouble'' is a 1994 American comedy drama film directed by Franco Amurri and starring Thora Birch and Harvey Keitel. Amurri dedicated the film to his daughter Eva and named the film's protagonist after her. Plot In Los Angeles, nine-year ...

'', and it is used on the ''Minions'' film soundtrack. The song is referenced in Big Sur (The Thrills song)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Theme From The Monkees 1966 songs Songs written by Bobby Hart Songs written by Tommy Boyce The Monkees songs Comedy television theme songs Music television series theme songs Song recordings produced by Tommy Boyce Song recordings produced by Bobby Hart 1967 singles