Happy Anniversary: The Monkees, “Mary, Mary”

48 years ago today, the Monkees recorded their version of Michael Nesmith’s “Mary, Mary,” which would go on to appear as a track on their sophomore effort, More of the Monkees.

The Monkees were not, however, the first artist to release the song: that honor went to the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, who – in releasing their version on their East-West album in August 1966 – beat Nesmith’s own band to record store shelves by almost six months. (More of the Monkees didn’t street until January 7, 1967.)

Still, it’s the Monkees’ version that’s arguably the more iconic of the two, not just because it was more commercially successful in the long run – in addition to appearing on an album that topped the Billboard Top 200 for 18 weeks and popping up in no less than five different episodes of the group’s TV series, it was actually a #4 hit in Australia – but, c’mon, have you seen the credits for that song? Drums by Hal Blaine? Keyboards courtesy of Larry Knechtel? Guitar by James Burton, Al Casey, Michael Deasy, and an opening lick courtesy of Glen freaking Campbell? (Yes, yes, we know: and Peter Tork, too. But he kind of comes with the package, y’know?) And let’s not forget that “Mary, Mary” also saw an unexpected revival in 1988 when Run-D.M.C. decided to cover it for their fourth album, Tougher Than Leather. Sure, they almost completely changed the lyrics, but although hardcore Monkees fans may have been buggin’, many of the younger listeners who’d just discovered the group through their show being rerun on MTV were pleasantly surprised.

To celebrate the anniversary of the Monkees recording “Mary, Mary,” we’ve put all three versions back to back in chronological order in a playlist – with the Monkees in the middle (ho, ho) – so you can compare and contrast the substantial differences between the members of this very unique trio.