The Secret Connection Between Kansas’ ‘Carry On Wayward Son’ and The Monkees
TL;DR:
- The Monkees’ supervisor worked with Kansas before “Carry On Wayward Son.”
- No one else was interested in Kansas at the time.
- Only one song by the band was more popular than “Carry On Wayward Son.”
Some classic rock legends had an impact on multiple bands. For example, The Monkees’ music supervisor helped make Kansas’ “Carry On Wayward Son” a hit. A member of Kansas explained why that was so surprising.
The Monkees’ supervisor worked with Kansas before ‘Carry On Wayward Son’
Don Kirshner worked as The Monkees’ music supervisor. Subsequently, he helped create The Archies, a band of studio musicians most known for the 1969 hit “Sugar, Sugar.” Moving away from the bubblegum pop genre, he later worked with the band Kansas.
During a 2023 interview with Billboard, Kansas’ Phil Ehart was asked if Kirshner was an unlikely champion for his band. “That’s true,” he opined. “We never had another offer; nobody showed any interest except him. We could never figure out what he saw in us, a bunch of long-haired guys in jeans, cowboy boots and overalls from Topeka, Kansas.”
A member of Kansas said The Monkees’ supervisor ‘made it happen’ for Kansas
Ehart revealed what he thought of Kirshner. “To this day, we still scratch our heads and go, ‘Wow. Whatever he saw in us, he definitely delivered,'” Ehart said. “[Kirshner]made it happen. He put his money where his mouth was and let us make very good albums, and they weren’t cheap. He gave us tour support. And of course he recouped, but the point is he believed in us and was willing to invest in these young guys. Man, we owe that guy a lot.”
Kansas’ Richard Williams said Kirshner waited for Kansas to develop a following. “Kirshner was patient, but … by the third album [Masque], there was a little more pressure; the feeling was it was time to deliver,” he said. “But that would never happen today, being given all that money to record three, four albums in hopes of something coming out of us. Donnie was patient with us, and Leftoverture exploded.” Notably, Leftoverture featured the band’s first big hit: “Carry On Wayward Son.”
How ‘Carry On Wayward Son’ and its parent album performed in the United States
“Carry On Wayward Son” reached No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 20 weeks. It was the band’s biggest hit in the United States, with the exception of “Dust in the Wind.” The latter song reached No. 6 and remained on the chart for 20 weeks.
“Carry On Wayward Son” appeared on the album Leftoverture. That record reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200 and spent a total of 42 weeks on the chart. In Kansas’ discography, it was only outperformed by Point of Know Return, which hit No. 4 and lasted on the chart for 51 weeks. Notably, Point of Know Return includes “Dust in the Wind.”
Kansas gave the world some of the most famous rock songs of the 1970s and they wouldn’t have done so without Kirshner’s help.
