The Monkees Released 1 of the 1st Punk Rock Songs
The Monkees‘ songs don’t get classified as punk rock. Despite this, The Monkees released a punk rock song long before the genre really took off in the 1970s. Here’s a look at how The Doors inspired this track.
1 of The Monkees’ songs was more punk rock that the alleged 1st punk rock song
The Monkees’ self-titled debut album established a sound for the band that straddled the lines between pop rock and country. The group got a tad heavier with their second album, More of the Monkees. The heaviest track of the album is “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone.” The song combines the bad attitude, uptempo riffs, and energy that defines punk rock.
And this came out in 1966. It was way before The Clash or the Sex Pistols. It came out a few months after what some consider to be the first punk rock song: Question Mark & the Mysterians’ “96 Tears.” Compared to “96 Tears,” “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” is a lot more aggressive and characteristic of where punk rock was going.
How The Doors inspired the song
Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart were two of The Monkees’ regular songwriters. In his 2015 book Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The Monkees, and Turning Mayhem Into Miracles, Hart discussed hearing two bands at a famous club called Whisky a Go Go. “Nighttime would find us at our regular table at the Whisky, 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.”
Hart said Love and The Doors inspired some of his compositions. “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,'” he said. “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 Monkees’ ‘(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone’ became the B-side of a huge hit
“(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” became the B-side of “I’m a Believer.“ “I’m a Believer” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for seven weeks. It lasted on the chart for 15 weeks. “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” — which is arguably the better song — became a more modest hit. The track peaked at No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for eight weeks.
“I’m a Believer” and “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” are both on the record More of the Monkees. That record was No. 1 for 18 of its 96 on the Billboard 200. More of the Monkees hit No. 1 longer than any of the Prefab Four’s other albums.
“(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” is a pretty important song in rock ‘n’ roll history — even if it was recorded by a bubblegum band that was prefabricated for a children’s television show.
