You’ve probably heard the sad news by now that 60′s teen heartthrob Davy Jones, leader of The Monkees, died today at age 66. Although the band was formed as what we’d consider today as a marketing ploy, a sort of Americanized Beatles, their appeal grew astronomically, and young girls and boys all around the country would run home from school just to watch Davy and the band on TV. While they wrote few songs of their own, they placed an enduring mark on a number of pop songs they covered from others, making them so recognizably theirs that you’d most likely say “That’s a Monkees song” when you hear them. Gathered here are songs written by others, including Harry Nilsson, Neil Diamond, and Carole King, and performed by many others, as diverse a list of fans Paul Westerberg, The Wedding Present, Goblin Cock, Weezer and The Polyphonic Spree, yet all of these songs inevitably and ultimately are “Monkees songs.” Rest in peace, Davy.
The Monkees - Daydream Believer
Shonen Knife - Daydream Believer
Paul Westerberg - Daydream Believer
The Monkees - I’m A Believer
Neil Diamond - I’m A Believer
Weezer - I’m A Believer
Harry Nilsson - Cuddly Toy
The Monkees - Cuddly Toy
Ben Gibbard with Ira Elliot and Matthew Caws of Nada Surf - Cuddly Toy
The Monkees - Porpoise Song
The Polyphonic Spree - Porpoise Song
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Goblin Cock (Rob Crow) - Porpoise Song
The Church - Porpoise Song
Yo La Tengo - “I’m Gonna Buy Me a Dog” and “Take a Giant Step”
They Might Be Giants - What Am I Doin’ Hangin’ ‘Round
The Wedding Present - Pleasant Valley Sunday
The Standells - Last Train To Clarksville
