‘The Monkees’ Producer Says 1 Song Was ‘Critical’ to the Film ‘Head’

By the time The Monkees began production of their first and only feature film, Head, they had undergone a metamorphosis as both performers and a music group. Mike Nesmith, Peter Tork, Davy Jones, and Micky Dolenz evolved from hired actors to pop music phenomena over the course of three years. Therefore, to depict this, the music for Head was just as pivotal as the script itself. Subsequently, Monkees producer Bob Rafelson said one song was “critical” to the soundtrack. Here are all the details.

How did The Monkees get involved with ‘Head’?

The last episode of The Monkees Emmy-winning television show aired in March 1968, during its second and final filming season. Moreover, the world’s cultural climate appeared to be in upheaval. The series seemed out of step with the times.

The Monkees producer and director Bob Rafelson planned to make a film starring the band. However, it wasn’t plausible until The Monkees television contract officially ended.

Rafelson introduced the actors to aspiring screenwriter actor Jack Nicholson. During one weekend spent at a California resort, Rafelson, Nicholson, and the cast of The Monkees had an open dialogue about the topics they wanted to address while a tape recorder kept running. These ideas would eventually combine to germinate an idea for Head‘s script.

The soundtrack that subsequently pushed the film forward was just as pivotal. Bob Rafelson realized there was one song “critical” to the finished film, penned by a legendary singer/songwriter.

One Monkees song on the ‘Head’ soundtrack set its tone

In a 2018 Facebook post, Carole King, who penned many of The Monkees’ greatest hits alongside her husband, Gerry Goffin, provided her followers with details surrounding their contribution to Head‘s soundtrack. Moreover, the post discussed the song and behind-the-scenes information regarding how “Porpoise Song” became the film’s theme.

In the post, King detailed her meeting with Monkees producer Bob Rafelson. They would talk at her apartment on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

“Carole King was living in an apartment building on Sunset Boulevard. I went to her apartment every day, and we would sit and talk,” he explained.

“‘Porpoise Song’ was critical to me,” Rafelson explained. “The whole synthetic process of making The Monkees’ records were about to be examined in the movie.”

He continued that the band was “constantly being picked up, used, and transplanted. Subjected to influence by the guru, the war, the media, and all of these things are exposed.” He also said Tork, Dolenz, Nesmith, and Jones were “always portrayed as the victims of their fame.”

Rafelson explained it was either “Carole or Gerry’s idea to record live porpoise sounds and use them on the track.” He concluded, “It is far and away my favorite Monkees song.”

“Porpoise Song” appears at the beginning and the end of the film. It sets the tone for the movie and balances its close.

‘Porpoise Song’ bookended two critical scenes of the film ‘Head’

The 1968 film Head begins with Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, Mike Nesmith, and Davy Jones being chased by their followers. For fear of being caught, they run to a bridge, Tork Nesmith and Jones watch Dolenz jump off the structure and into the water.

As Dolenz sinks, he’s saved from drowning by a couple of beautiful mermaids. Hence, “Porpoise Song” is the soundtrack to the scene played out on screen.

At the film’s end, the other Monkees’ members follow Dolenz into the water. They subsequently jump off the bridge as the song ends.

As Dolenz sings “goodbye” repeatedly, the band swims in circles. The foursome is stuck in a large water tank in their final scene as the film’s credits roll.