"Us Without Him: Remembering Monkee Davy Jones Beyond Hit Songs"

Davy in 1970

This article, written by Jeremy Roberts and originally published on Examiner.com on the day that Davy passed, looks back at some of the songs Davy contributed to The Monkees that didn't necessarily become chart hits. The selected tracks are an eclectic mix, and I thought that if you missed this piece the first time around it might be a good one to spark debate. Some of these songs are also being featured on the upcoming deluxe edition of The Monkees Present album. 

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Davy Jones: 14 Essential Songs That Weren't Hits

"So Goes Love" – With Glen Campbell on flamenco guitar, James Burton on electric, and Billy Preston on tremelo'd electric piano, "So Goes Love" might have been a contender for official release if not for the somewhat unfinished feel [it was finally released 20 years later].

However, this intimate setting benefits the performance, produced by Michael Nesmith in July 1966. "So Goes Love" was recorded during one of The Monkees' first sessions, and it's interesting to hear Davy's gentle, hesitant vocals.

"Love To Love" – Written by Neil Diamond and recorded in New York City with Brill Building producer Jeff Barry in January 1967, this fiery guitar-driven pop song would have fit very well on More of The Monkees if that album had been released a few months later.

However, The Monkees were asserting their independence away from Don Kirshner as 1967 began, wishing to record, write, and perform their own material. The outstanding Headquarters would be the fruition of their hard-earned labor later that summer.

As luck would have it, Davy would not record his lead vocal for "Love To Love" until two and a half years later in August 1969, possibly so the performance could be featured on Saturday morning reruns of the popular Monkees television show.

"Hard To Believe" – Released on their fourth and final No. 1 album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones Ltd., "Hard To Believe" is a song that is largely forgotten today. Cowritten by Davy and Kim Capli [it was Davy's first songwriting credit], it is remarkable for the virtuosity of Capli. He performed all the instruments on the track, besides the horns and strings.

As another silly love song, it might be tempting to dismiss it. But listen to Davy's impassioned vocal, particularly when he proclaims, "I love you, I need you, I do love you!" at the song's climax. And stay around for the final 20 seconds, as Capli vamps a cool, percussive Samba.

"She Hangs Out" – Another great cut on Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., the song was originally recorded the same day as "Love To Love" by Jeff Barry [he also wrote it]. That version was released as a B-side in Canada without the group's consent by Don Kirshner [it was soon withdrawn], and it ultimately led to his dismissal.

Apparently, Davy must have liked the song, as he convinced producer Chip Douglas to revisit it in June 1967. A true group effort with Peter on organ, Mike on electric guitar, Micky on backing vocals, and Douglas on bass, "She Hangs Out" finds Davy warning the listener to keep an eye on their little sister, or she just might find a bunch of trouble.

Douglas' production finds a cool, rockin' groove throughout, and be sure to listen to the mass of baritone trombones that embellish the track. The slap echo on the percussion is another highlight. One can't help but grin when Davy shouts, "Whoa, do the ronde ronde ronde, do the rond rond, she hangs out!"

"The Poster" – Written by Davy and frequent collaborator Steve Pitts after a winter vacation in his hometown of Manchester, England, this jaunty ode to circuses easily found a place on The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees in April 1968.

Arranger Shorty Rogers, one of the primary originators of West Coast Jazz, overdubbed strings and horns throughout. All in all, good example of a pop song recalling some of Davy's most cherished boyhood memories.

"The Girl I Left Behind Me" – This Neil Sedaka/Carole Bayer Sager Broadway-influenced showstopper had a long recording history, with three versions recorded between 1966 and 1968. Fortunately, it ultimately found a place on Instant Replay.

Davy's prowess and range as a vocalist is evident throughout, especially when he cries, "And now I'm going out the same way I came in...the game is over, now I couldn't win...my heart is all I have to pack, and this time girl I won't be back...and years from now I'll turn around and see, the girl I left behind me."

The 1967 version, available as a bonus cut on The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees, is also highly recommended. It is more intimate with piano and a haunting cello.

"Don't Listen To Linda" – Written by Boyce and Hart and released on Instant Replay in February 1969, "Linda" was first recorded in October 1966 for More of The Monkees, but that early version remained unreleased for nearly 30 years. This gentle ballad with orchestrated strings and horns features Davy at his most romantic, although he warns the listener not to fall for her little games.

"Me Without You" – A song that doesn't take itself too seriously, "Me Without You" was also written by Boyce and Hart in late '67 and has a strong Beatles influence on its sleeve, resembling "Your Mother Should Know" from Magical Mystery Tour. Bassist Joe Osborn's playing is also very McCartney-sounding here.

Finally released on Instant Replay, the song opens with a party-atmosphere calliope [basically a steam-whistle keyboard]. But it's Louie Shelton's out-of-this-world electric guitar soloing that gives the song an extra dimension. Plus, Davy sounds like he's having a ball singing the chorus: "I wonder just how long it would be...me without you, and you without me!"

"You And I" – Featuring some of the most searing electric guitar found on a Monkees record courtesy of Neil Young and Gerry McGee, the track was a shoe-in for Instant Replay. Widely acknowledged as one of Davy's best compositions, he cowrote it with his good buddy Bill Chadwick.

Lyrics such as "In a year or maybe two, we'll be gone and someone new will take our place...there'll be another song, another voice, another pretty face..." perfectly captured the fickle pop culture landscape that would soon claim the band as its next casualty, although they would return in supreme fashion during MTV's reign in the mid-'80s.

Thirty years later, another song of the same name would be recorded for the band's final studio album, Justus [1996]. Cowritten by Davy and Micky, this upbeat number examines the enduring love a couple has shared over time. It is the best track on that album with stellar lead guitar [Mike] and an inventive bass line [Peter].

"Smile" – Recorded while the band was filming their cult classic Head in May 1968, this beautiful outtake deserved a better fate. Unreleased for 27 years, "Smile" was solely written by Davy and would have been a perfect fit on The Monkees Present instead of the three-year-old dated relics chosen by music supervisor Brendan Cahill, "Looking For The Good Times" and "Ladies Aid Society."

A gentle ballad punctuated by Neil Young's lovely electric guitar fills, the song finds the narrator asking a girl, "Oh what a feeling deep inside, it's so hard for me to hide. Won't you come inside and talk awhile? What I have to say may make you smile."

"A Man Without A Dream" – Written by the talented Carole King and Gerry Goffin and released as the B-side of "Tear Drop City" [also on Instant Replay], this mid-tempo production was a departure for Davy and the group when recorded in December 1968, although Peter had first demoed it a year earlier.

With a new producer, Bones Howe [The 5th Dimension], Davy finally got to sing in his natural register – baritone. This is fairly evident when Davy sings the line, "With the music of life my soul is out of tune." It is unquestionably one of Davy's finest recorded vocals.

The legendary Hal Blaine and Joe Osborne [bass] maintain a solid rhythm section, but the tasteful trumpet solos are what anchor this pathos-filled song. It deserves reappraisal.

"If I Knew" – A wistful, jazzy ballad pondering a failing relationship, "If I Knew" was written by Bill Chadwick [Davy was given a co-writing credit] and appeared on the group's final album with Nesmith, The Monkees Present.

Quietly kicked off by a plaintive acoustic guitar, the song is a natural fit for Davy. Listen as the outro nears, and you'll hear the singer quickly exhale as pianist Michel Rubini plays a shimmering run on the keys. Hearts will definitely flutter.

"Time and Time Again" – Cowritten with Chadwick, this moody number was originally slated for Changes, the final Monkees album before their initial break-up. Sadly, it was shelved for over two decades until it belatedly appeared on Missing Links.

Guitar maestro Louie Shelton contributed the sublime tremelo'd lead guitar. A calliope track makes the song quite breathtaking. In addition, a Moog synthesizer, not performed on a Monkees track since "Star Collector," adds much ambience.

"If You Have The Time" – Recorded during the same session as "Time And Time Again," these songs were Davy's final songwriting contributions to The Monkees until the Pool It! album in 1987.

Although a lightweight pop ditty, "If You Have The Time" boasts a committed vocal by the "Manchester Cowboy," especially on the chorus, and an inventive Moog solo. The opening line holds much resonance today: "If you have the time, would you keep me in mind?" Don't worry, Davy, we are.