Me & Magdalena

Last updated

"Me & Magdalena"
Single by the Monkees
from the album Good Times!
ReleasedMay 20, 2016
RecordedFebruary-March 2016 [1]
Genre Folk
Length3:33
Label Rhino
Songwriter Ben Gibbard
Producers Adam Schlesinger, The Monkees, Jeff Barry
The Monkees singles chronology
"You Bring the Summer"
(2016)		"Me & Magdalena"
(2016)		"Unwrap You at Christmas"
(2018)
Licensed audio
"Me & Magdalena" on YouTube

"Me & Magdalena" is a song by the American rock band the Monkees, released as the third and final single from the band's 2016 album Good Times! . [2] [3]

Contents

Background

When asked about the track, songwriter Benjamin Gibbard said via an email to National Public Radio:

Before The Beatles, before The Velvet Underground and before punk and/or indie rock, The Monkees were the first band I truly loved. Their albums were always on in our home when I was a kid, especially Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd., and I learned to sing alongside them. I spent countless hours in front of the TV in the ’80s watching Monkees reruns, wishing I could climb through the screen and be in the show with them. They made being in a band seem so fun—and goddammit, it should be! For these reasons and a million others, I can say with absolutely zero hyperbole that contributing ‘Me & Magdalena’ to this album has been the greatest honor of my career.

— Benjamin Gibbard, via email to NPR [4]

Composition and lyrics

"Me & Magdalena" was written for the band by Ben Gibbard, the lead vocalist and guitarist for the band Death Cab for Cutie. [4] The lyrics center around the singer's remembrance for a girl named Magdalena, who has seemingly passed away in the lyrics, as critic Jay McDowell wrote in an American Songwriter article: "I perceived it to be about a recently deceased woman and the song is being sung from the perspective of the surviving partner." [2]

Release and reception

"Me & Magdalena" was released on May 20, 2016, [5] and was released to positive reviews such as critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine, wrote the song "taps into the burnished Americana of the group's late-'60s work". [6] Writing for Ultimate Classic Rock, John Swanson wrote the song "features a world weary and slightly fragile lead vocal from Nesmith, which works to the song's benefit as Dolenz provides beautiful harmonies. [7] Despite not charting in any countries, it have become a fan favorite Monkees track, currently standing at number 3 on their Spotify artist page with a little over 51.2 million streams. [8] A live version of the track was included on the live album The Monkees Live: The Mike and Micky Show . [9]

Credits and personnel

Adapted from the liner notes of Good Times! : [1]

The Monkees

Other personnel

References

  1. 1 2 The Monkees (2016). Good Times! (CD liner notes). Rhino Records. R2 553592.
  2. 1 2 McDowell, Jay (May 31, 2024). "The Story Behind "Me & Magdalena" by The Monkees and Why Ben Gibbard Called Writing It "the Greatest Honor of My Career"". American Songwriter. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  3. ↑ Roberts, Christopher. "The Monkees Share "Me & Magdalena," Written by Death Cab For Cutie's Ben Gibbard". Under the Radar Magazine. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  4. 1 2 Thompson, Stephen (May 19, 2016). "Song Premiere: The Monkees, 'Me & Magdalena'". NPR. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  5. ↑ "The Monkees - "Me & Magdalena" (Written By Ben Gibbard)". stereogum.com. May 20, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  6. ↑ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Good Times! at AllMusic
  7. ↑ Swanson, John. "The Monkees, 'Good Times!': Album Review!". Ultimate Classic Rock . Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  8. ↑ "The Monkees". Spotify . Retrieved January 8, 2026.
  9. ↑ Deming, Marm. "The Monkees Live: The Mike and Micky Show Review". AllMusic . Rovi Corporation. Retrieved January 8, 2026.
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