The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame isn’t just about musical talent or output but also cumulative impact. Just ask the Sex Pistols! As the Hall’s own induction process declares, “Criteria include the influence and significance of the artist’s contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock and roll.” The Monkees played a vital role in rock’s development: the careers they helped launch, the genres they helped popularize, the visual aesthetics they innovated. Had they only played one of these three roles, they’d be a historical footnote, a pleasant memory. But taken together, these purposes, along with the massive hits they had and the great records they made, show that their position in the pop-rock continuum was not an ephemeral blip but a lasting mark.
Hey, Hey Let Them In: 10 Reasons The Monkees Should Be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Twelve performers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. The Monkees weren't one of them. TIME makes a case for the pop-rock group that changed music forever — one sitcom episode at a time
Reason No. 10: The Real Purpose of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Full List
Monkees Hall of Fame
- Reason No. 1: Their Chart Success
- Reason No. 2: The Quality of Their Songs, Even Those That Weren’t Hits
- Reason No. 3: The Many Talents They Discovered
- Reason No. 4: Their Standoff Against Don Kirshner and the Music Industry
- Reason No. 5: Their Vital Innovations in Music Video
- Reason No. 6: Their (O.K., Not So Vital) Innovations in Music Itself
- Reason No. 7: Micky Dolenz’s Lyrical Talents
- Reason No. 8: They Gave Us the Movie Head
- Reason No. 9: Their Central Role in Defining Authenticity in Rock
- Reason No. 10: The Real Purpose of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame