It’s late 1966. The Monkees are basically the biggest thing on the planet, or at least on every TV set in America. Everyone knows "I'm a Believer," but the real story of their early success hides in the shadow of a song called Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow. It’s a catchy, slightly anxious pop tune. You’ve probably hummed it without realizing Neil Diamond wrote it.
Honestly, the mid-sixties music scene was a weird, beautiful mess of corporate control and genuine rebellion. The Monkees were stuck right in the middle. They were "The Pre-Fab Four," a group manufactured for a sitcom, yet they were working with some of the most brilliant songwriters of the Brill Building era. Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow wasn't just another album track on More of the Monkees; it was a snapshot of a moment where bubblegum pop met genuine songwriting craft.
Most people think of Micky Dolenz as the voice of the band, but this track belongs to Davy Jones. His performance is earnest. It’s got that specific British Invasion charm mixed with the polished production of Jeff Barry. If you listen closely, you can hear the transition from the innocent "Last Train to Clarksville" era into something a bit more musically complex.
Why Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow Matters More Than You Think
Neil Diamond wasn't a superstar yet. He was a hungry songwriter. He’d already given them "I'm a Believer," which stayed at number one for seven weeks. When he handed over Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow, he was effectively cementing the Monkees' sound.
The song itself is a bit of a lyrical outlier. While most pop songs of 1966 were about holding hands or vague heartbreak, this one feels nervous. "Look out, here comes tomorrow / Oh, I'm not ready for tomorrow." It's about a guy who can't decide between two girls, sure, but it captures a broader cultural anxiety. The 1960s were moving too fast. The "tomorrow" Diamond was writing about felt inevitable and slightly overwhelming.
Musically, the track is fascinating because of the sitar. Or, well, the "sitar sound." This was 1966, the year of Revolver and "Paint It Black." Everyone wanted that psychedelic, Eastern influence. On Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow, they used a dampened guitar or a specific electric sitar to mimic that drone. It’s subtle. It’s not a full-blown raga, but it shows the producers were paying attention to the cutting edge of the Los Angeles and London scenes.
The Drama Behind the Sessions
The recording of More of the Monkees was a disaster of interpersonal politics. Don Kirshner, the "Man with the Golden Ear," was running the show like a dictator. He didn't even tell the band the album was coming out. Mike Nesmith famously found out about the record's release from a newsstand.
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Davy Jones recorded his vocals for Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow in October 1966. If you listen to the isolated vocal tracks—which surfaced on various Rhino Records reissues over the years—you can hear the precision. Jones wasn't just a face; he had theater training. He knew how to sell a lyric. In the middle of the song, there's a spoken-word bit: "I'm not ready for tomorrow / I'm not ready for tomorrow at all." It feels like a genuine ad-lib, though it was likely scripted. It adds a layer of vulnerability that a lot of "manufactured" pop lacked.
The sessions took place at RCA Victor Studios in Hollywood. The Wrecking Crew, that legendary group of session musicians, did the heavy lifting. While the Monkees fought for the right to play their own instruments, the reality is that the perfection of Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow came from the hands of pros who could cut a hit in two takes.
The Neil Diamond Connection
You can’t talk about this song without talking about Neil. He actually recorded his own version later, but the Monkees' version remains the definitive one for most fans. Diamond’s writing style in the mid-sixties was characterized by these driving, rhythmic acoustic guitars and a minor-key melancholy that made his "happy" songs feel a little dark.
Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow fits that mold perfectly. The chord progression is standard pop, but the melody has these leaps that are vintage Diamond. He has a way of making a simple choice—Mary or Sandra—feel like a life-or-death crisis.
Interestingly, there is a recurring myth that the song was written specifically for a TV episode. While it was featured in the episode "The Monkees in a Ghost Town" (which aired in October 1966), the song existed as part of Kirshner's massive publishing catalog. It was a product of the "hit factory" system, but because of Diamond’s talent, it rose above the assembly line.
Breaking Down the Lyrics: Mary vs. Sandra
Let's look at the "plot" of the song. It’s a classic trope.
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- Mary: She’s the girl who makes him feel good, the safe choice.
- Sandra: She’s the one who "looks so fine," the temptation.
The singer is paralyzed. He’s begging tomorrow to stay away because tomorrow is when he has to make a choice. It’s relatable. Everyone has felt that Sunday-night dread where you wish the clock would just stop. By framing a teenage romance problem as a looming "tomorrow," Diamond tapped into a universal human emotion: the fear of consequence.
The Sound of 1966: Production Nuances
If you're a production nerd, Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow is a goldmine. Jeff Barry produced it, and he was a master of the "Wall of Sound" lite. It’s not as dense as a Phil Spector record, but it’s thick.
The percussion is what drives it. There’s a constant, rattling tambourine and a shaker that never lets up. This was the "Monkee sound." It was designed to sound good on AM radio and tiny transistor speakers. They pushed the mid-range frequencies so the vocals would cut through the static of a car radio.
Then there’s the backing vocals. The "la la la" sections aren't just filler. They act as a rhythmic counterpoint to Davy’s lead. It’s sophisticated pop. It wasn't just thrown together; it was engineered to be an earworm.
Critical Reception and Legacy
When More of the Monkees hit the shelves, critics weren't exactly kind. They saw the band as a corporate gimmick. But the fans didn't care. The album stayed at number one for 20 weeks. Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow became a staple of their live shows later on, once they finally got the chance to play as a real band.
In the decades since, the song has been vindicated. Power pop fans point to it as a blueprint for the genre. It’s got the crunch, the melody, and the slight edge that bands like The Raspberries or Big Star would later refine. Even the punk-adjacent bands of the 70s recognized the tight songwriting.
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Common Misconceptions About the Song
A lot of people think all four Monkees played on the track. They didn't. This was during the height of the Kirshner era where the actors were largely kept out of the studio except for vocals. Nesmith was furious about this, but it resulted in a technically perfect record.
Another myth is that the song was a flop because it wasn't a standalone A-side single in the US. In reality, it didn't need to be. It was so popular on the radio that it charted on the Billboard Hot 100 based on airplay and its inclusion on the B-side of "I'm a Believer" in some territories. It was a "shadow hit."
How to Listen Today
If you want the best experience, find the stereo remix from the 90s. The original mono mix is punchy, but the stereo version lets the "sitar" and the percussion breathe. You can really hear the layers of the Wrecking Crew's performance.
Look for the More of the Monkees Deluxe Edition. It includes backing tracks without the vocals. Listening to the song as an instrumental reveals just how complex the arrangement actually was. The bass line is particularly busy, bouncing around the melody in a way that suggests the influence of James Jamerson from the Motown sessions.
Practical Takeaways for Music History Fans
Understanding Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow requires looking at the broader context of the 1960s music industry.
- Acknowledge the Ghostwriters: The Monkees' legacy is built on the backs of geniuses like Neil Diamond, Carole King, and Harry Nilsson. Without them, the show would have been a footnote.
- Study the Wrecking Crew: If you like the "sound" of this era, look up the musicians. Hal Blaine on drums and Joe Osborn on bass are likely the ones you're actually hearing.
- Appreciate the Craft: Don't dismiss "bubblegum." The technical skill required to make a three-minute song this perfect is immense.
Look Out Here Comes Tomorrow is a reminder that even in a commercialized environment, great art can happen. It’s a song about indecision, written by a future legend, performed by a man who was arguably the first modern teen idol. It captures the frantic, exciting, and slightly scary feeling of being young in a world that’s changing faster than you can keep up with.
To really dive into this era, your next step should be comparing the Monkees' version with Neil Diamond's own recording from his The Feel of Neil Diamond album. You'll notice Diamond plays it a bit slower, more folk-rock than pop. It changes the entire vibe of the lyrics from "anxious teen" to "brooding artist." Then, check out the live versions from the Monkees' 1967 tour—the one where they actually played their own instruments. You can hear the raw energy of a band trying to prove they were real, using a song that was born in a laboratory. It’s the ultimate irony of their career.