The Monkees’ Mike Nesmith Wrote a Song About How Journalists Need to Tell the Truth
The Monkees’ Mike Nesmith wrote many classic rock songs. During an interview, Nesmith revealed one of The Monkees’ songs was inspired by a real-life incident that upset him. He said the song was about the press’ duty to tell the truth. While Nesmith liked the song’s message, he had some critical things to say about its parent album.
Mike Nesmith wrote a song about a real-life suicide
During a 2016 Rolling Stone interview, the three surviving members of The Monkees — Nesmith, Peter Tork, and Micky Dolenz — discussed the group’s music. Specifically, they named the 15 Monkees songs that defined their lives. One of the songs was called “Admiral Mike.”
“I wrote ‘Admiral Mike’ after reading an article about an admiral that had killed himself because the press had alleged that he had done something dishonorable, but there was no proof,” Nesmith recalled. “It was never adjudicated. He wasn’t found guilty of any wrongdoing, but the press just excoriated him instead of being careful and neutral in their reporting.”
This case upset Nesmith. “It made me angry and I just thought, ‘I need to write something about journalists needing to have some sense of responsibility to the truth,'” he said. “It’s never more salient and relevant than it is right now.”
Why Mike Nesmith didn’t like The Monkees’ album ‘Justus’
While Nesmith seemed to like “Admiral Mike,” he didn’t like its parent album Justus. Justus was the first Monkees album where all the songs were written and produced by members of the band. “The album it was on, Justus, might have been misguided,” Nesmith opined.
“We tried to make an album that was built around our time as a band, which came from us performing,” Nesmith added. “But we didn’t continue as a band. We didn’t see each other for years. We used to have a whole team working for us, the least of which was the team behind the show.” Nesmith revealed he preferred The Monkees’ following album Good Times!, which featured songs written by several rock stars.
The way the world reacted to The Monkees’ ‘Justus’
The Monkees never released “Admiral Mike” as a single. In fact, they never released any of the songs from Justus as singles. Justus did not chart on the Billboard 200. The album wasn’t popular in the United Kingdom either. According to The Official Charts Company, Justus did not chart there.
On the other hand, Good Times! was somewhat popular. It peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard 200, staying on the chart for four weeks. The Official Charts Company reports it hit No. 29 in the U.K., lasting on the chart for one week. Justus included a song Nesmith liked even if Justus wasn’t as big of a hit as Good Times!.
How to get help: In the U.S., call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. Or text HOME to 741-741 to connect with a trained crisis counselor at the free Crisis Text Line.
