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TL;DR:

  • One of The Monkees’ songs appeared in an episode of Mad Men.
  • The episode caused the track to have a resurgence on iTunes.
  • The same thing happened to a Prefab Four song that appeared in Breaking Bad.
The Monkees' Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Mike Nesmith sitting in chairs
The Monkees’ Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and Mike Nesmith | Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer

One of The Monkees‘ songs served as the theme for their only theatrical movie. Subsequently, the song was featured in an episode of Mad Men. The show made the song prominent on iTunes.

Micky Dolenz felt 1 of The Monkees’ songs defined their career

During a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, the then-remaining Monkees — Micky Dolenz, Mike Nesmith, and Peter Tork — named 15 songs that defined their career. These included big hits such as “Daydream Believer” as well as more obscure tracks such as “Porpoise Song.” The latter appeared on the soundtrack of the 1968 film Head.

“The movie Head was created by Bob Rafelson, Bert Schneider, and Jack Nicholson,” Dolenz said. “It wasn’t so much about the deconstruction of The Monkees, but it was using the deconstruction of The Monkees as metaphor for the deconstruction of the Hollywood film industry.” 

Micky Dolenz liked ‘Porpoise Song’ and it became popular again after appearing on ‘Mad Men’

Dolenz didn’t think Head had broad appeal. “I think it was restricted to 17 and over,” he said. “Many of our fans couldn’t even get in. From a commercial perspective, it was totally the wrong movie to make. But we didn’t want to make a 90-minute episode of The Monkees’ TV show. 

“Also, these were the guys that were going to go off and make Easy Rider and Five Easy Pieces,” he added. “They had an opportunity to really stretch here. ‘Porpoise Song’ is one of my favorite songs to sing. It’s sort of the theme of the movie.”

According to a 2013 article from The Baltimore Sun, “Porpoise Song” had life outside of Head. After the song’s appearance in the 2013 Mad Men episode “The Quality of Mercy,” it became prominent on iTunes. The same thing happened to The Monkees’ “Goin’ Down” after it appeared in an episode of Breaking Bad.

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How The Monkees’ ‘Porpoise Song’ performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“Porpoise Song” was most popular in 1968, when it peaked at No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100. It remained on the chart for six weeks. The tune appeared on the Head soundtrack, which reached No. 45 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 15 weeks.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Porpoise Song” never charted in the United Kingdom. Neither did the Head soundtrack.

“Porpoise Song” wasn’t one of The Monkees’ biggest hits — but it received extra exposure through Mad Men.

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