What Happened When The Monkees Reunited in the 1980s

The Monkees had a hit song in the 1980s — and they were far from the only classic rock act from their generation to do so. The track in question could have been a catastrophe. Here’s how the world reacted when the Prefab Four tried to be pop stars again.

The Monkees changed their genre when they released a new song in the 1980s

The 1980s were an excellent decade for legacy acts. 1960s nostalgia was strong, so a long list of stars from the 1960s managed to notch at least one hit during the 1980s. These artists include Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, Marvin Gaye, The Beach Boys, Roy Orbison, The Rolling Stones, and Diana Ross. The Monkees tried to have a hit in 1986 with the song “That Was Then, This Is Now.”

Unlike some of the aforementioned acts, The Monkees embraced one of the defining genres of the time: new wave. That could have been a disaster. It could have sounded like the old guard jumping on a bandwagon they didn’t understand. However, that wasn’t the case.

Why the song sounds current without betraying the band’s sound

What made some of The Monkees’ 1960s hits stick out was their bubblegum style and sense of joy. It’s challenging to listen to “I’m a Believer” or “Daydream Believer” without forming a smile on your face.
Synth-pop could be just as uplifting. “That Was Then, This Is Now” embodies the poppy side of new wave music in the best way possible.

The lyrics of “That Was Then, This Is Now” also do a good job of transporting The Monkees into a new era. The title alone subtextually acknowledges that the Prefab Four had been gone for a long time before returning. The tune could have or should have been the opening salvo of a new run of hits for the group, but alas, they were just back for one shining moment.

Why Davy Jones sat out The Monkees’ comeback hit

During a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz discussed the origin of “That Was Then, This Is Now.” “In 1986, MTV started showing the old show and we reunited for a tour,” he said. “It just exploded. It was the biggest selling tour of that year for anybody. Arista [Records] had the catalog at the time. [Record executive] Clive Davis got a hold of me through his A&R guy, Roy Lott. They said, ‘Listen, this is huge. This 20-year reunion is turning into a huge thing. We’re gonna reissue a classic CD of the big hits and we thought it would be cool if you recorded some new material.'”

“That Was Then, This Is Now” was recorded quickly. “We were already in rehearsals for the tour,” Dolenz recalled. “They wanted us to try go get this thing out in like two weeks. I was like, ‘Wow! That’s great. Make me a deal. Call my agent or waterer, but I’d love to do it.’ Peter [Tork} agreed, but David [Jones] did not. He chose not to participate in that particular set of recordings. But two days later, I’m in the studio doing vocals. A week or two later, it came out and went Top 20.”

The Monkees updated their sound for the 1980s — and it worked out much better than you might think.