The Monkees dropped another new song shortly after the release of their lead single “She Makes Me Laugh” off their first album in 20 years.
Their new song is perfect for the summertime. It’s aptly titled “You Bring the Summer,” which is penned by Andy Partridge of the Swedish punk rock group XTC. Like Cuomo’s song for the band, it will take you back to summer of ’69, when the Monkees first made their mark on the music industry.
Check out the Monkees’ “You Bring The Summer” in the video below.
The Monkees have returned for their 50th anniversary with a new album Good Times! and their upcoming summer tour. The tour will include the original members Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork; however, Michael Nesmith will lend his vocals on the album. This is the first album and tour since the death of original member Davy Jones.
The album will get plenty of help from big-name musicians such as Oasis’ Noel Gallagher, Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard, Neil Diamond, Harry Nilsson, and Fountains of Wayne frontman Adam Schlesinger. Hardcore fans of the Monkees will love knowing that the album has a handful of unreleased music written for the band back in the day. It will include songs written by Bobby Hart, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, and Tommy Boyce, along with a title track that was previously written by Harry Nilsson.
The first song “She Makes Me Laugh” was released last week. The fresh and vibrant song was penned by Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo. The accompanying lyric video features the Monkees in a comic strip, a la Archie and Friends.
Late last month, Cuomo explained to Rolling Stone what the songwriting process for his favorite band was like.
“I’m super stoked to be writing a song for the Monkees. I’ve always identified with their musical aesthetic – the chord changes and melodies.”
In fact, the emo crooner has been a longtime fan of the beloved band.
“I’ve always felt a personal connection to the Monkees because I’m from the same small New England farm town as Peter Tork. I used to hear that one of the Monkees went to my high school, which was an amazing fact to me because it was such a small school out in the middle of nowhere. It gave me the feeling that if an E.O. Smith kid made it to the top once, it can happen again.”
The Monkees’ new album is set to drop on May 27 and the group will kick off their 50th-anniversary tour in Fort Myers, Florida, on May 18. Check out the full dates here. Keep in mind that tickets are still available in most cities.
In addition, The Monkees – The Complete Series on Blu-Ray Disc was originally set for release on April 29. Now it won’t be available until Monday, June 27. That’s because there will be more goodies added such as a bonus disc, according to a statement released on TVShowsonDVD.com. When it’s all said and done, the Blue-Ray Disc will be available online at the official MonkeesStore.
“Unfortunately, the bad news is we’ve had to move the release date again, to June 27. We realize this is not ideal, but we want this to be the truly definitive collection of The Monkees’ television and movie appearances in the 1960’s. We want to get this right. We truly appreciate your patience and believe us when we tell you, it will most definitely be worth the wait!”
What are your thoughts on the Monkees’ two new songs? Are you looking forward to their upcoming album? Sound off below in the comments section.
[Photo by NBC Television/Courtesy of Getty Images]
