Released November 6, 1967 Writer(s) Mike Nesmith | Length 2:33 Producer(s) Chip Douglas | |
Label Colgems 66-1007 / RCA 1620 | ||
"Daily Nightly" is a song by Michael Nesmith of The Monkees, which appeared on their fourth album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., in 1967, and was featured in two second-season episodes of their television series, "A Fairy Tale" and "Monkees Blow Their Minds".
The lyrics are a veiled commentary on the Sunset Strip curfew riots, which occurred in Hollywood, California in late 1966. The record was arguably the very first rock recording to feature the Moog synthesizer, programmed by musician Paul Beaver and played by Micky Dolenz, who was the third owner of a Moog; the fills he played were described as "spacey UFO noises", and were characteristic of psychedelic music, which was then in vogue. The Moog sections were significantly different between the stereo and mono mixes of the track. Dolenz also provided the vocals. A music video in black and white was made for the series, with Dolenz miming his performance.
The song is simple musically, using the chords A Major, C Major, D Major, and E Major.
The song appears on the third CD of the 2009 Rhino compilation Where the Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets 1965–1968.
Live versions
The song has been a regular inclusion in the setlist of the 2012 An Evening with the Monkees tour featuring Nesmith, Dolenz, & Peter Tork. During the song, Nesmith vocally performs an interpretation of the original Moog sound effects. According to Dolenz, the song was never performed live prior to 2012.