The Monkees were fully aware of their role in the larger debates of authenticity in rock music. They knew their records were largely trash singles and continued to make them. Trash-pop singles are valid! To make a statement of inclusiveness with the Monkees can open the doors for appreciation of a broader section of the music spectrum. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame isn’t just rock ‘n’ roll, despite its title: it’s R&B, punk, funk, folk, blues and now, with Black Sabbath, heavy metal. Yet pop music remains a bastard child where the Hall is concerned, and it will take an artist of the Monkees’ caliber and catalog to legitimize and authenticate the genre in the Hall’s eyes.
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. 9: Their Central Role in Defining Authenticity in Rock
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