Two in one day? Oh, what a time to be alive.
This commemorative piece essentially serves as redemption for this piece I came up with for Michael Nesmith’s death, as well as that “thing” for Betty White’s death. Micky Dolenz is still with us (for a long time), but one doesn’t have to celebrate another’s life until after they’re gone.
Incidentally, “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” was recorded 55 years ago today. It’s not a song where Dolenz provides the lead vocals, but hey, hey it’s something to celebrate.
The songs noted in this piece are ones where Dolenz is the lead singer. The ones in bright yellow are written by him while the ones in mustard yellow are written by other Monkees members, mostly Nesmith. Gray is for Carole King, and white is for Neil Diamond.
To my knowledge, along with Davy Jones, Dolenz has never left the band. Peter Tork and Nesmith would leave in the late ’60s but come back eventually. As Tork called it, the band would keep on going until it just was just “The Monkee,” and that Monkee had to be the gang’s rock.
Last year, Dolenz recorded an album featuring covers of Nesmith’s song, mostly non-Monkees material, which along with the tour was nice way to send him send off. An EP with four more of Nesmith’s songs will be released on March 18.
A month after Nesmith died, I’m still nerved by some news broadcast stations’ choice to use “Daydream Believer” — although I could figure why *cough* WandaVision relevance and broadcast license *cough* — in memoriam rather than a song he wrote or performed. “Listen to the Band” (the second-to-last song in the final tour set) or “Papa Gene’s Blues” would have been solid choices, and if I were to consider non-Monkee songs, I’d recommend “Propinquity (I’ve Just Begun to Care)” or “Rio.”
After Dolenz takes his last breath (again, not anytime soon), I could see “I’m a Believer” playing on newscasts due to its popularity, but if they could play a song more personal to him (and this was performed in the final tour), it should be “Randy Scouse Git.” It’s the first song that he wrote for the band. It’s about his encounter with this “wonder girl” who would become his future ex-wife while in the United Kingdom to meet The Beatles. Another contender, new songs included, would be “Birth of an Accidental Hipster,” which has lyrics eluding to death and questioning what happens when one dies. It’s not as personal, but he performs as a duet with Nesmith for this song.
Regarding the outcome of this piece, I’m impressed by how 2010s Dolenz turned out after redoing the shading. On the other hand, 1960s Dolenz could’ve done with a redo.
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Dearest Reverie 