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TL;DR:

  • Harry Nilsson gave The Monkees demos of several songs.
  • Peter Tork said one of the songs was ahead of its time.
  • The track appeared on the Prefab Four’s final album to chart in the United States.
Harry Nilsson at a piano
Harry Nilsson | Stan Meagher / Stringer

Harry Nilsson once gave The Monkees a number of songs. One of the songs became the title track of one of the Prefab Four’s albums. Subsequently, Peter Tork said the song made more sense in the context of the 2010s than in the context of the 1960s.

What The Monkees’ Peter Tork thought about Harry Nilsson

The title song of The Monkees’ 2016 album, Good Times!, was written by Nilsson. His vocals blend with Micky Dolenz’s vocals on the track. During a 2016 interview with Las Vegas Weekly, The Monkees’ Peter Tork discussed Nilsson.

“I did not work a heck of a lot with Harry,” Tork remembered. “I do remember him coming in and playing some songs for us and being struck by that there really was something special about him, right from the start. He had such an interesting voice, and he was really so musical.” “Good Times” was one of a series of demos Nilsson brought The Monkees during his early career.

Peter Tork explained why the song was not released earlier

Tork discussed why The Monkees did not release “Good Times” earlier. “You can see why, at the time, it was not a song that would have broken out, yet right now it seems ideal,” he said. “There’s Micky singing background vocals on it and harmonizing, and it’s got a beat to it that was more or less in the mainstream of the style. But today it’s an exceptional driving beat.”

Tork revealed The Monkees’ genre preferences. “And really, Micky and I have been looking at each other over the years saying, you know, if it was just the two of us, we would do nothing but rock ‘n’ roll,” he said. Tork said Davy Jones could make rock music but he was more interested in the music hall genre.

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How The Monkees’ ‘Good Times’ and its parent album performed on the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

The Monkees’ “Good Times” did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Its parent album, Good Times!, became far more popular. It reached No. 14 on the Billboard 200, staying on the chart for four weeks. It was the group’s final album to chart on the Billboard 200.

The Official Charts Company reports “Good Times” did not chart in the United Kingdom either. Meanwhile, Good Times! peaked at No. 29 in the U.K. It stayed on the chart for one week. It was also the group’s final album to chart in the U.K.

“Good Times” was not a hit — but it remains an interesting connection between The Monkees and Nilsson.

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