The Monkees’ ‘(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone’ Was Originally by Another Classic Rock Band
The Monkees‘ hardest-rocking hit might be “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone.” Surprisingly, the song was originally by another classic rock band. The band in question didn’t give “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” the same bite that the Prefab Four did.
The Monkees’ ‘(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone’ was originally by Paul Revere & the Raiders
“(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” debuted on Paul Revere & the Raiders’ album Midnight Ride. This version of the track has some cutting, growling vocals, and it works pretty well. Paul Revere & the Raiders had more credibility in rock ‘n’ roll circles back in the day. For that reason, one might expect their version to be harder than The Monkees’.
But that’s not the case. When The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz recorded “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,” he didn’t quite sing it — he wailed it. It’s shockingly abrasive for a bubblegum hit. Overall, The Monkees’ version sounds a lot less polished than Paul Revere & the Raiders’, which might be why fans sometimes cite the former as a proto-punk rock song while ignoring the latter.
How The Doors inspired The Monkees’ songs
Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart wrote about half of The Monkees’ famous songs under the name Boyce & Hart. In Hart’s 2015 book Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The Monkees, and Turning Mayhem Into Miracles, he discussed how some of the bands Boyce & Hart heard at the famous club Whisky a Go Go impacted the Prefab Four’s music. “Nighttime would find us at our regular table at The Whiskey, soaking up the counterculture sounds of groups like Arthur Lee and Love or Jim Morrison and The Doors,” he wrote. “These were shockingly new sounds to us, worlds apart from the pop of the first half of the ’60s, and we were excited and inspired by them.
“We had long since developed the habit of being vigilant to be able to notice early on any new directions in which the constantly changing stream of pop music might be flowing,” he added. “The result was a new assertiveness in our writing and a string of new songs with a little harder edge to them, such as ‘(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,’ ‘She,’ and ‘Words.’ It wasn’t long before we were getting them recorded by some of the new, more rock-influenced groups like The Leaves, the Boston Tea Party, and Paul Revere & the Raiders.”
The major flaw in ‘(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone’
Whether it’s performed by Paul Revere & the Raiders or The Monkees, “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” is a great song. It works because of its melody and the way you can hear a new genre in its infancy when you listen to it. Hearing these sorts of changes in rock ‘n’ roll feels thrilling, even all these decades later.
The only problem with “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” is that its lyrics come across as a little sexist today. The song’s narrator seems a little too upset with the way that his girlfriend chooses to dress. Still, it’s a lot less sexist than other rock songs of the era. The Beatles’ “Run for Your Life” and The Rolling Stones’ “Under My Thumb” are far worse offenders.
“(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” is great — but The Monkees gave it that extra kick.
