Single:
Listen to the Band entered the Australian singles chart* on 26 July 1969 and peaked at #8. The song was #65 on the Top 100 of 1969.
Songwriter:
Michael Nesmith
Producer:
Michael Nesmith
Record label of Australian release:
RCA
*Kent Music Report / Australian Chart Book. See About.
Wikipedia:
Listen to the Band was written by the talented Michael Nesmith and even though he had previously sung on other Monkees songs, Peter Tork had just left the group so this was the first time Michael sang lead vocals on a single A-side hit.
Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Listen_to_the_Band_(song)
Songfacts:
The group was created for a NBC television show. 437 young men auditioned for the roles – mostly struggling musicians and actors. Steven Stills and John Sebastian both auditioned and were turned down.
58 episodes were made. It lasted two seasons and aired from 1966-1968. The idea for the fictional group came from the 1965 Beatles’ movie A Hard Day’s Night.
At first, the group did not play their own instruments – their vocals were recorded over tracks recorded by a group of session musicians who played on many hits from the ’60s. The turning point came in 1967 when they insisted on playing their own material and getting producer credit as well.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/the-monkees
Lyrics:
Hey, hey, mercy woman plays a song and no one listens
I need help I′m falling again
Play the drum a little louder
Tell me I can live without her
If I only listen to the band
Click for full lyrics
This song is also on our Spotify playlist Bang a Gong – the 60s
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