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TL;DR:

  • The Monkees’ songwriters wrote songs after seeing The Doors’ Jim Morrison perform live.
  • The songs were an important part of one of the songwriters’ career.
  • One of the tracks appeared on a hugely popular album.
The Monkees' Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Mike Nesmith, and Mickey Dolenz near a piano
The Monkees’ Davy Jones, Peter Tork, Mike Nesmith, and Micky Dolenz | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Some of The Monkees‘ songs were inspired by other artists. For example, The Doos’ Jim Morrison and another 1960s star inspired a track from a No. 1 Monkees album. Notably, one of The Monkees’ songwriters said the song was part of a major moment in his career.

How The Doors’ Jim Morrison inspired multiple songs by The Monkees

Boyce & Hart were a songwriting duo composed of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. They worked with several groups, most notably The Monkees. Boyce & Hart were behind Monkees songs such as “Last Train to Clarksville,” “Valleri,” and “I Wanna Be Free.”  

In his 2015 book Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The Monkees, and Turning Mayhem Into Miracles, Hart discussed going to clubs with Boyce and seeing Jim Morrison perform with The Doors and Arthur Lee perform with Love. Hart said these groups inspired him and Boyce to write “new songs with a little harder edge to them.” These songs included The Monkees’ singles “Words” and “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,” as well as the classic Monkees album track “She.”

Why 2 of Boyce & Hart’s songs inspired by The Doors’ Jim Morrison were an important part of their career

Hart put “She” in the context of Boyce & Hart’s success in the 1960s. “By the end of May 1967, seven of the top 32 albums on the Cashbox chart contained songs written and/or produced by Boyce & Hart,” Hart wrote. “(There were 17 songs in all.) 

“The No. 1 LP was More of The Monkees and featured ‘She’ and “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone;’ three albums: Andy Williams’ which came in at No. 11, Ed Ames at No. 15, and Roger Williams, slipping to No. 32, all contained covers of our song ‘I Wanna Be Free;’ Paul Revere & the Raiders Greatest Hits at No. 12 included their version of ‘Steppin’ Stone;’ Herman’s Hermits’ No. 22 LP contained ‘If You’re Thinkin’ What I’m Thinkin;’ and The Monkees’ self-titled first album, featuring 10 songs that Boyce & Hart had produced and seven that we had written, was still going strong at No. 23,” Hart wrote.

Related

Why The Monkees’ Songwriters Felt Their Songs Couldn’t Sound Too Much Like The Beatles

How The Monkees’ ‘She’ performed on the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

The Monkees never released “She” as a single, so it did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. Its parent album, More of the Monkees, topped the Billboard 200 for 18 weeks. It stayed on the chart for 96 weeks in total.

According to The Official Charts Company, “She” did not chart in the United Kingdom either. Meanwhile, More of the Monkees was No. 1 in the U.K. for two weeks. The album remained on the chart for 25 weeks altogether.

“She” didn’t become a hit for The Monkees — but it was part of a career highlight for Boyce & Hart.

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