What are The Monkees’ 5 Biggest U.S. Hits?

To this day, it feels like The Monkees have never received their due. Granted, they were manufactured in the beginning. But how many other artists or bands that were guided by management or record companies get a pass, while the TV show-having quartet gets maligned?

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We’re here to tell you this band can boast a catalog as strong as many other acts who get a lot more respect. To prove it, let’s look back at their five highest-charting songs in the United States, three of which went to the tippy-top.

5. “Valleri” (No. 3 in 1968)

“Pleasant Valley Sunday” also went to No. 3, but “Valleri” gets the call on this list because it did just a bit better worldwide. Not to be confused with Steve Winwood’s hit “Valerie” from many years down the road, this song was written and produced by the ace team of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. The flamenco-style guitar was delivered by Louie Shelton. It’s a fun production, with the grind of a fuzz-bass playing off the sprightly horn section, while Davy Jones punches out some energetic lead vocals. This would be the last Top-10 hit single for the band.

4. “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” (No. 2 in 1967)

This song proved to be a major bone of contention between the group and music supervisor Don Kirshner, who helped put The Monkees together in the first place. Band members were upset that Kirshner earmarked this as a single without confiding in them, especially as they were eager to prove they could put out A-sides they had written. In any case, “A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You” is a charming, if somewhat slight, piece of Beatlesque midtempo, composed by Neil Diamond. The organ work by Arthur Butler is quite fine, and Davy Jones imbues the lyrics with some lived-in frustration.

3. “Last Train to Clarksville” (No. 1 in 1966)

Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart got wind of a television series being in the works that would star four men as a Beatles-type band. They decided to write a song that was very Beatles-inspired to give the producers something to consider. It worked, as “Last Train to Clarksville” built on some guitar riffs that sound very much like something the Fab Four might have produced. It was chosen as The Monkees’ first single. It’s also telling that Micky Dolenz sings lead in what sounds like an approximation of a British accent to really drive home the comparison.

2. “Daydream Believer” (No. 1 in 1967)

You might know the musician John Stewart as a guy who was in The Kingston Trio and later carved out a solid career as a country-tinged singer/songwriter, scoring the hit single “Gold” in 1979. He also composed “Daydream Believer” after feeling like he wasted an entire day in reverie. All four Monkees contributed to the track, as Micheal Nesmith played lead guitar and Peter Tork came up with the jaunty piano intro. The chemistry within the harmonies of Davy Jones and Michael Nesmith really shines through here on this sharp piece of easy-listening pop.

1. “I’m a Believer” (No. in 1966)

Neil Diamond was building up his career as a solo act while still contributing songs to other artists. He struck it big by penning “I’m A Believer,” but only after The Monkees got a hold of it first. The arrangement is strikingly clever. Listen to the way Stan Free’s locomotive-whistle organ plays off the gritty guitars of Al Gorgoni and Sal Di Troia. (It’s at this point we should say: If you ever want to know about the brilliance of the session players known as The Wrecking Crew, The Monkees’ catalog is an amazing place to start.) Micky Dolenz’s fiery lead vocal, all full of the joy of discovery, adds to the winning effect.

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