On the
show, Micky has never been a favorite of mine – while he definitely has his
entertaining points, I find him kind of manic and goofy for my tastes. To each their own. That said, I tend to consider him the
Monkees’ best all-around vocalist, and I really love many of his songs. In picking out my favorites that he sang
(like with Mike, I’m mostly going off the songs from the show,) I found that I
didn’t gravitate as much to some of his most
iconic numbers – “I’m a Believer,” “Last Train to Clarksville” – but only
because he has so many others that I like even more.
“Sometime in the Morning” – Micky sings lead on
most of the songs that Carole King wrote, so I love all of those, and this one
(from More of the Monkees) is my
favorite. With a gorgeously-understated
melody and tender lyrics, this is such a beautiful love song. Micky’s singing here is lovely and pure. For its use in the show, I particularly like
the episode where a woman played by Rose Marie rents their beach house – the
footage of them playing this song is interspersed with fantasy shots of the
four guys dancing in turn with a younger version of Millie, all of them looking
handsome in Regency-style suits.
Beautifully done, and a great match for the song.
Best
moment: The last line of each verse
sounds amazing (a la, “You’re where it is for me,” “She’s all a girl could
be.”) The instrumentals stripping down
to a couple bare chords and Micky’s gorgeous vocals soaring on top of it
all? Yes, please! I also really love the bridge.
“Pleasant Valley Sunday” – Yep, more Carole
King. This one’s an obvious classic, so
good: a beautiful pop with with some
understated commentary on suburbia. It’s
one of several songs from their fourth album (Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.) that demonstrate how
the band was stretching, both musically and thematically – and in terms of
style, as shown by the new hippie elements in their outfits for the video of
this performance on the show! Micky is
in terrific form, his smooth vocal performance somewhat disguising the sarcasm
behind the lyrics.
Best
moment: Man, it’s hard to pick. I love the lilt, lyrics, and rhythm of the
chorus, especially that “Rows of houses that are all the same / And no one
seems to care.” The second verse is also
excellent, with Mike echoing Micky’s lines and their voices blending
beautifully together.
“The Girl I Knew Somewhere” – I already brought up
this song in my Top Five post for Mike, but I wanted to revisit it for Micky
too – along with the Carole King stuff, I also really like pretty much
everything Mike wrote that Micky sings.
I feel like Micky always sounds terrific on these, and of the songs in
that category, “The Girl I Knew Somewhere” is my favorite. (I mentioned last time that, while the song
was released as a single, it didn’t appear on any of the band’s studio albums
until deluxe versions with lots of bonus tracks came out.)
Best
moment: Micky’s singing is awesome
through, but I especially like the second half of each verse, a la, “You’re
standing in the places…” There’s
something about the smoothness of the vocals and the rise and fall of the
melody that just really works for me.
“Daily Nightly” – Speaking of songs
that Mike wrote and Micky sings… I love this song, another Pisces tune that shows off the group’s ranges. Such a cool psychedelic atmosphere and dreamy
lyrics. There’s a slight otherworldly
quality to Micky’s voice here that really fits the song, and he demonstrates
good control of his dynamics.
Best
moment: “Salvation’s yours for just the
time / It takes to pay the dancer.” I
love everything about it: the poetry of
the lyrics, the way the rhythm ramps up, and Micky’s strong command of those
high notes.
“(Theme from) The Monkees” – Okay, I know I said
I didn’t pick many of Micky’s really
big songs, but this is the biggest of them all!
It’s well-earned, though – this is an absolutely-iconic theme song, and
the full version is great. I love it
without a hint of irony; Micky delivers terrific vocals on our catchy, inviting
introduction to the band, kicking off both their series and their debut album.
Best
opening: That opening, the first verse
through the chorus. I love the jaunty
rhythm/snaps, and it’s so fun when everything turns up a notch for the chorus.
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