"This Just Doesn't Seem to Be My Day"

I follow Your Daily Dose of the Monkees on Instagram, and in recognition of the 52nd anniversary of the first episode's broadcast, there were some clips of the show.  I was catching up on things this morning, and while watching this one, I realized something else about "This Just Doesn't Seem to Be My Day."

The "stayed" in "Wish she would have stayed" in the backing vocals in the bridge is sung with a melisma (E D C#).  Because the word's drawn out, there's something of a sense of its meaning.

"This Just Doesn't Seem to Be My Day"

Because to-day's the 52nd anniversary of the premier of The Monkees television show, I started listening to all of the Monkees albums I have (although I'm not going to set a schedule for listening to them).  When I listened to The Monkees this morning, I noticed a small thing about "This Just Doesn't Seem to Be My Day."

"Wakin' up" in the lines "'Stead of wakin' up to find / A nightmare of a different kind" is sung to an ascending phrase (B C# E).  To some degree, this ascent musically illustrates the "wakin' up."  It could be a literal portrayal of the "up" or merely the impression of getting up out of bed.

"The Chaperone"

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

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According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "The Chaperone" - the ninth episode of The Monkees series - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (7 November 1966).  It was written by Gerald Gardner and Dee Caruso, directed by Bruce Kessler, and featured the songs "This Just Doesn't Seem to Be My Day" and "Take a Giant Step."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "When Davy sets his sights on dating the daughter of an uptight military man, Micky is recruited as a chaperone - albeit with a twist." 

"Royal Flush"

Backdated, archival post

[link to original on tumblr]

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According to Andrew Sandoval's The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 60s TV Pop Sensation, "Royal Flush" - the first episode of The Monkees series - was broadcast fifty years ago to-day (12 September 1966).  It was written by Peter Meyerson and Robert Schlitt, directed by James Frawley, and featured the songs "Take a Giant Step," "This Just Doesn't Seem to Be My Day," and "Last Train to Clarksville."  Sandoval describes the plot as: "The Monkees foil a fiendish plot to assassinate Princess Bettina, the Duchess of Harmonica."