The Monkees’ Songwriter Wrote 1 of Helen Reddy’s Biggest Songs

TL;DR:

• One of The Monkees’ songwriters pitched songs to Helen Reddy repeatedly.
• She liked one of them but would only record it under one condition.
• Reddy’s song became a hit single in the United States.

One songwriter wrote many of The Monkees‘ songs. In addition, he wrote a song Helen Reddy liked so much she decided to cover it. Reddy revealed she really connected to the lyrics of the song after her father died.

The Monkees’ songwriter wrote an average of over 50 songs a year for 5 years

Bobby Hart co-wrote many of The Monkees’ songs, including “Last Train to Clarksville,” “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,” and “(Theme From) The Monkees.” In his 2015 book Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The Monkees, and Turning Mayhem Into Miracles, Hart recalled working with songwriter Danny Janssen. 

Hart and Janssen wrote over 50 songs per year for a five-year period. They worked almost every day, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and often took their work home with them. As partners, the two penned many songs for The Partridge Family as well as David Cassidy’s solo career.

Hart and Janssen wrote Austin Roberts’ “Keep On Singing” together. Afterward, Robert’s head of promotion died suddenly. Hart said this resulted in the song only reaching No. 50 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Helen Reddy finally decided she wanted to record 1 of Bobby Hart’s songs

Subsequently, Hart discussed his connection to Reddy. “Helen Reddy and her husband, William Morris agent Jeff Wald, had moved to Los Angeles in 1968 and settled in my neighborhood on Outpost Drive,” he recalled. 

“Although I had met her briefly at different music business functions, most of our real conversation centered around pitching songs to her and dropping off demos at her house in the ’70s.”

Eventually, Reddy wanted to record one of Hart’s songs. “She later told me, ‘Jeff and I were driving across country on tour when ‘Keep On Singing’ came on the radio,” he wrote. “It was soon after the death of my dad and I was really touched when I first heard Austin’s version of the song.’ 

“Danny and I had written a lyric, loosely based on Janssen’s own experience, of a singer who loses his biggest supporter, his dad,” Hart said. “‘It was like listening to the story of my life,’ she continued, ‘I told Jeff, ‘Keep an eye on this song. If it doesn’t go top 10, I want to cut it.'” Roberts’ version of the song did not reach the top 10, so Reddy recorded a cover.

How Helen Reddy’s ‘Keep On Singing’ performed on the pop charts

Reddy’s “Keep On Singing” reached No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it a modest hit. It stayed on the chart for 13 weeks. Reddy released her “Keep On Singing” on the album Love Song For Jeffrey. That album reached No. 11 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 35 weeks.

Reddy’s “Keep On Singing” was an important moment for her career and for Hart’s.