"Tear Drop City" is a single by

the Monkees The Monkees were an American pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones (musician), Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork. Spurred by the success of ''The Monkees (TV series), Th ...

released on February 8, 1969 on Colgems #5000 recorded on October 26, 1966. The song reached number 56 on the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

chart, and number 37 on

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

. The lyrics are about a man who feels low because his girlfriend has left him. Written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, it was the first single The Monkees released as a trio (

Micky Dolenz George Michael Dolenz Jr. ( ; born March 8, 1945) is an American musician and actor. He was the drummer and one of two primary vocalists for the pop rock band the Monkees (1966–1970, and reunions until 2021), and a co-star of the TV series ''T ...

Michael Nesmith Robert Michael Nesmith (December 30, 1942 – December 10, 2021) was an American musician, songwriter, and actor. He was best known as a member of the Monkees and co-star of their The Monkees (TV series), TV series of the same name (1966–1968) ...

, and Davy Jones;

Peter Tork Peter Halsten Thorkelson (February 13, 1942 – February 21, 2019), better known by his stage name Peter Tork, was an American musician and actor. He was best known as the bass guitarist and keyboardist of the Monkees and co-star of the NBC ...

departed December 1968). Micky Dolenz performed the lead vocal.

Boyce and Hart Sidney Thomas "Tommy" Boyce (September 29, 1939 – November 23, 1994) and Bobby Hart (born Robert Luke Harshman; February 18, 1939) were an American duo of singer-songwriters. In addition to three top-40 hits as artists, the duo is well know ...

produced and arranged the song. The flip-side was "A Man Without a Dream", with Davy Jones doing the lead vocal, and it hit no.127 on the Cash Box chart. Both single sides were from the album ''

Instant Replay Instant replay or action replay is a video reproduction of something that recently occurred, both shot and broadcast live TV, live. After being shown live, the video is replayed so viewers can see it again and analyze what just happened. Spo ...

''.

Personnel

Credits adapted from Rhino Handmade 2011 "Deluxe Edition" box set. The Monkees *

- lead vocals Additional musicians * Wayne Erwin – guitar * Gerry McGee – guitar * Louie Shelton – guitar *

Larry Taylor Samuel Lawrence Taylor (June 26, 1942 – August 19, 2019) was an American bass guitarist, best known for his work as a member of the blues rock band Canned Heat. Before joining Canned Heat, he had been a session musician, session bassist for T ...

– bass guitar * Billy Lewis – drums * Gene Estes – tambourine * Tommy Boyce – backing vocals * Bobby Hart – backing vocals * Ron Hicklin – backing vocals

References

* ''Joel Whitburn's Billboard Top Pop Singles'' * ''Instant Replay'', Rhino CD booklet {{The Monkees 1969 singles The Monkees songs Songs written by Bobby Hart Songs written by Tommy Boyce 1969 songs