The Monkees’ ‘Words’ Was Originally Performed by Another Band
TL;DR:
- The Monkees’ “Words” was from the same writers as “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone.”
- “Words” was originally performed by another band.
- The Monkees’ track appeared on a hit album.
The Monkees‘ “Words” became a hit in the United States. Despite this, the Prefab Four were not the first group to perform the track. Notably, the first band to play “Words” had a major connection to The Monkees.
The Monkees’ songwriters were in a band
Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart co-wrote many Monkees songs under the name Boyce & Hart. In his 2015 book Psychedelic Bubble Gum: Boyce & Hart, The Monkees, and Turning Mayhem Into Miracles, Hart discussed playing songs with Boyce before they became involved with The Monkees. “We began an indefinite engagement playing six nights a week at a club on Pico Boulevard called The Swinger,” he wrote.
Boyce & Hart were thinking about taking their career in an ambitious direction. “Soon we began to toy with the idea of becoming a real band and shopping for a record deal,” he remembered. “We incorporated some original Boyce & Hart songs into our repertoire: ‘She,’ ‘Words,’ and ‘(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone.'” Boyce & Hart played all of those songs with a group called The Candy Store Prophets before The Monkees recorded them.
Boyce & Hart thought ‘Words’ would work for The Monkees
Hart explained the origin of his band’s name. “I guess you could call our music psychedelic blues,” he said. “When Larry Taylor’s stepdad heard about the plan, he offered to be our manager, adding, ‘I’ve got the perfect name for the group: The Candy Store Prophets.'”
Subsequently, Boyce & Hart picked which of their songs would work well for the Prefab Four. “In addition to the new theme and the obvious string quartet ballad, ‘I Wanna Be Free,’ there were ‘(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone,’ ‘Words,’ ‘She,’ a song that Tommy had written with Steve Venet called ‘Tomorrow’s Gonna Be Another Day,’ a song we were still working on, called ‘This Just Doesn’t Seem To Be My Day,’ and our nomination for the novelty slot, ‘I’m Gonna Buy Me a Dog,'” he wrote.
How ‘Words’ and its parent album performed on the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom
“Words” became a hit for The Monkees in the United States. The track hit No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for nine weeks. “Words” appeared on the album Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. The album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for five weeks and stayed on the chart for 64 weeks in total.
The Official Charts Company reports “Words” never charted in the United Kingdom. Meanwhile, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. reached No. 5 in the U.K. It stayed on the chart for 11 weeks.
“Words” was a hit for The Monkees even if they weren’t the first group to perform it.
