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TL;DR:

  • Rivers Cuomo of Weezer wrote one of The Monkees’ songs for their 50th-anniversary album.
  • Micky Dolenz of The Monkees said his daughter reacted strongly to news of Cuomo’s involvement.
  • The album became a hit in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The Monkees' Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork on a boat
The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork | NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

The Monkees‘ 50th-anniversary album Good Times! features multiple songs written by rock stars. For example, Rivers Cuomo of Weezer wrote a track for the album. The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz said his daughter had a strong reaction when she learned a member of Weezer wrote a track for the Prefab Four.

The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz was introduced to a new genre while making 1 of the group’s albums

During a 2016 interview with Yahoo! News, Dolenz revealed he mostly listens to Spanish classical music and Frank Sinatra. However, he was introduced to a new genre of music. “The A&R and people at Rhino [Records] said, ‘You know, there’s this world of indie rock out there,'” Dolenz recalled. “And they mentioned Adam Schlesinger … and I knew who he was because I was a big fan of the Tom Hanks movie that he did [music for], That Thing You Do!“

Schlesinger producer The Monkees’ album Good Times! The album features songs written by a number of other rock stars. Rivers Cuomo of Weezer wrote a track for Good Times! titled “She Makes Me Laugh.”

Micky Dolenz’s daughter couldn’t believe Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo wrote a song for the Prefab Four

Dolenz discussed what it was like when rock stars contributed tracks to Good Times! “And then they started pulling in these people,” he said. “I told my daughter and she was freakin’ out: ‘Weezer, are you kiddin’ me?'” 

Dolenz said rock stars were happy to pen songs for the Prefab Four. “And lo and behold, they’re just throwing material at us,” he recalled. “I mean, it was like, ‘Oh yeah, I can’t wait to write!’ ‘Yeah, we’d love to write a song for The Monkees!’ And you’ve heard the results — I’m very, very proud of this album.”

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The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz Wanted to Cry While Singing This Beatles Song from ‘The White Album’

How The Monkees’ ‘She Makes Me Laugh’ and ‘Good Times!’ performed in the United States and the United Kingdom

“She Makes Me Laugh” did not chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The song’s parent album, Good Times!, was far more popular. The album reached No. 14 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for four weeks.

The Official Charts Company reported “She Makes Me Laugh” did not chart in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, Good Times! became a minor hit there. It charted at No. 29 for a single week.

“She Makes Me Laugh” was not a hit — but it remains an interesting connection between two generations of rock music.

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