Mike Nesmith Said Writing 1 Monkees Song Was a ‘Learning Experience’

TL;DR:

• Mike Nesmith wrote one of The Monkees’ songs from the band’s debut album.
• Nesmith said part of the song was “spontaneously assembled in [his] mind.”
• The Prefab Four’s first album was a massive hit in the United States.

Mike Nesmith wrote some of The Monkees‘ songs. He said writing one of the songs for the Prefab Four’s first album was a “learning experience.” In addition, he said he was surprised by how The Monkees’ producers reacted to his song.

The Monkees’ Mike Nesmith discussed why storytelling was important to him

During a 2013 interview with Rolling Stone, Nesmith discussed the role of storytelling in his performances. “Storytelling is an important idea for me and it is not limited to a narrative — for me a story only needs a point of view, and perhaps a point, in order to unfold the deeper meanings of events,” he said.

“Stories are expanded metaphors in a certain sense,” he continued. “I have never shared that sense of a story with an audience before. I was scared away from it because I didn’t think people would be interested.”

Mike Nesmith said 1 of The Monkees’ songs played like a movie in his head

In addition, Nesmith said The Monkees’ “Papa Gene’s Blues” was one of the song that played like a movie in his head. “It was one of the first songs I ever wrote and it has an idea at its core and a structure to the chords that spontaneously assembled in my mind,” he said.

Nesmith discussed how the Prefab Four’s producers reacted to “Papa Gene’s Blues.” “I also like the idea that it was acceptable to the producers of The Monkees’ show who were mainly interested in commercial hits,” he said. “It was all a learning experience that taught me lessons I still use.”

How The Monkees’ ‘Papa Gene’s Blues’ performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“Papa Gene’s Blues” was never a single, therefore it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. “Papa Gene’s Blues” appeared on The Monkees’ debut album, The Monkees. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for 13 weeks, remaining on the chart for 102 weeks in total. The album lasted on the Billboard 200 for a longer time than the group’s other albums.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Papa Gene’s Blues” did not chart in the United Kingdom either. Meanwhile, The Monkees was No. 1 in the U.K. for seven weeks. The album stayed on the chart for a total of 37 weeks. It was the group’s most popular album in the U.K.

“Papa Gene’s Blues” was not a hit but Nesmith learned a lot by writing it.