Top Five Songs: Micky Dolenz (The Monkees)

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.