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Today in 2016, The Monkees' lead single and video from their Top 20 album, Good Times!, was premiered on Rolling Stone magazine's website. At the time of its release, Weezer's Rivers Cuomo, who composed the song, talked about The Monkees' influence on his career:  Nez also celebrated the release of "She Makes Me Laugh" with this post on Facebook on April 28, 2016: 
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"She Makes Me Laugh," the first single taken from The Monkees' brand new album, Good Times!, was accompanied by an official lyric video that featured scenes from Monkees comic books produced by Dell in the 1960s: Bill Groves recently took the time to pinpoint the comic books that were used for the video. He discovered that all but one of the panels originated from issues #4, 6, and 8 of the Dell series, while the remaining panel came from the penultimate issue (#16). Bill also noted that a few of the panels repeat during the video. Here is Bill's official breakdown:  The corresponding comic books, along with the date they were issued, appear below:  (Dell issue #4/September 1967)  (Dell issue #6/November 1967)  (Dell issue #8/January 1968)  (Dell issue #16/November 1968) (Award-winning illustrator Al Bigley was kind enough to provide scans of the comic books seen above. Be sure to take a moment to visit his blog: Big Glee! The Albert Bryan Bigley Archives!) John Hughes of Rhino Records, who acted as executive producer of Good Times!, submitted his personal copies of the comics for the video's creation:  (Photo courtesy of John Hughes) Look for an interview with Jose Delbo, the artist behind the majority of the Dell Monkees comics, in Michael Eury's upcoming book Hero-A-Go-Go: Campy Comic Books, Crimefighters, and Culture of the Swinging Sixties, coming this winter. And a big thanks to Bill Groves for this fun look at the "She Makes Me Laugh" video and comics.
This morning, Micky, Peter, and the band appeared on the ABC morning program, performing both "I'm a Believer" and "She Makes Me Laugh." — The Monkees (@themonkeestour) May 18, 2016 The second single from the album, "You Bring the Summer," currently has over 71,000 views on YouTube: On the latest episode of the Zilch podcast that breaks down The Monkees' new single, the musicians that recorded "She Makes Me Laugh" were credited: Micky Dolenz: Lead Vocals Michael Nesmith: Backing Vocals & Guitar Peter Tork: Backing Vocals & Banjo Adam Schlesinger: Bass Mike Viola: Danelectro 12-String Guitar Brian Young: Drums Adam Schlesinger is the producer of The Monkees' upcoming studio album, Good Times! He is also the bassist for Fountains of Wayne, Ivy, and Tinted Windows. Adam has won Emmy and Grammy Awards and has been nominated for Oscar, Tony, and Golden Globe Awards.
Singer/songwriter Mike Viola has a plethora of musical credits to his name, including being a member of the 1990s pop/rock band The Candy Butchers. Viola has previously collaborated with Schlesinger, and co-produced Ryan Adams' 2014 eponymous album. Brian Young is the drummer for Fountains of Wayne and has worked with a wide array of artists including The Jesus and Mary Chain. Don't forget to listen to the latest episode of Zilch for more information about The Monkees' brand new single, "She Makes Me Laugh." As most of you know by now, Ken Mills, Sarah Clark, Melanie Mitchell, and company do a wonderful service for Monkees fans by hosting the first-ever Monkees podcast, Zilch. The most recent episode was recorded today and focused on The Monkees' brand new single, "She Makes Me Laugh." I was honored to be a part of the panel. Ken, who created the podcast, had asked me to appear on Zilch during its earliest days, but I have to admit, I was a bit nervous to guest on a recorded show. But my fears were allayed by a wonderful group that included Jeff Hulit, Craig Cohen, Jeff Gehringer, Melinda Gildart, and Sarah Clark, who were all very kind and supportive. Be sure to click the image below to listen to the podcast, which reveals session credits for "She Makes Me Laugh," and much, much more.  I probably listened to "She Makes Me Laugh" at least 50 times on Thursday, April 28, 2016 when The Monkees' first new single since 1987 was released on YouTube. And then I was able to hear it the next day via the iTunes download, where the song really came alive for me...hearing Nez and Peter clearly in the background behind Micky's super-impressive lead vocal. And Peter's banjo on a Monkees single, a first...what more could I ask for? I have to admit, I don't think there has been a moment when I didn't enjoy the song immensely. Granted, my attachment to it might come from the fact that it's slightly overwhelming to have a brand new Monkees single in the year 2016, four years after the untimely passing of Davy Jones. The last time I purchased a Monkees single was in late 1987 when "Every Step of the Way" was released. "She Makes Me Laugh" has been a long time coming, and I'd like to think that Davy would have been pleased with the results. A word about Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo, who penned "She Makes Me Laugh" for The Monkees. Weezer broke right as I was entering college, and I was always an admirer of the band. Their albums are a part of my music collection, and knowing that Rivers is a Monkees fan is icing on the cake. Let's not forget that numerous singers and songwriters from River's generation cite The Monkees as an influence. One of the best parts about The Monkees' upcoming album Good Times! is that contemporary artists are loud and proud when it comes to praising The Monkees, a notion that some of The Monkees' contemporaries were less than willing to express. I hope everyone is embracing the fact that we are being treated to new Monkees music as the group celebrates its 50th Anniversary, while also being appreciative of those who are tenderly curating The Monkees and their legacy. And by the way, I love the "pink party hats" lyric! Rivers composed The Monkees' new single, "She Makes Me Laugh."
The Monkees' new single is currently at #37! Don't forget to download the song today or stream it on your preferred streaming service!   (From Michael Nesmith's Facebook page) "She Makes Me Laugh" is now streaming on both Spotify and Apple Music. Don't forget - streaming music now counts for chart position! You can download the new single on iTunes, Google Play, and Amazon, too. Enjoy!!  |
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