That Was Then, This Is Now (song)
"That Was Then, This Is Now" | ||||
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Single by The Monkees | ||||
from the album Then & Now... The Best of The Monkees | ||||
B-side |
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Released | June 27, 1986[1] | |||
Recorded | May 30, 1986[2] | |||
Genre | Pop, Rock, Synthpop | |||
Length | 4:02 | |||
Label | Arista | |||
Songwriter(s) | Vance Brescia | |||
Producer(s) | Michael Lloyd | |||
The Monkees singles chronology | ||||
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Alternative cover | ||||
![]() UK picture sleeve |
"That Was Then, This Is Now" is a song written by Vance Brescia for his band the Mosquitos and recorded as the title track of their 1985 EP.[3] Clive Davis of Arista Records heard it and picked it to be the Monkees' comeback single and theme of their 20th Anniversary Tour in 1986.[4]
Background
The Monkees (by this point consisting of Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork) covered the song for Arista Records, who released their recording as a single and on the compilation album Then & Now... The Best of The Monkees in June 1986.[5] The compilation album with three newly recorded songs was released by Arista and went platinum during the tour. “That Was Then, This Is Now” became the band's new single and a video for it was filmed at the Great Arena in Jackson, New Jersey on July 25. The video received heavy airplay on MTV, making the song a Billboard Top 20 hit the summer of 1986.[6]
Reception
The song was a surprise hit, capitalizing on Monkees nostalgia at the time, reaching No. 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 (the band's first Top 40 hit since "D.W. Washburn" in 1968), and No. 24 on the adult contemporary chart. It has since been featured on several compilation albums by the band.
References
- ^ Wang, Kenneth K. "1986–1989." The Monkees Sessionography. Last updated 2 May 1999. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ Wang, Kenneth K. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ Buscareno, Blair and Bill Jones. "The Mosquitoes." Yahoo! Groups. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ Vance Brescia "[1]."
- ^ Wang, Kenneth K. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ The Monkees Live Almanac – The Monkees 20th Anniversary Tour "[2]."