(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone by The Monkees

Album: More Of The Monkees (1966)

Charted: 20

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The Monkees had a popular TV series that ran for two seasons starting in 1966. "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" is one of their early songs, playing on the fourth episode on October 3, 1966 and again the next week.

The song was written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, who intended it for Paul Revere And The Raiders. Boyce and Hart also wrote The Monkees hits "Last Train To Clarksville" and "Valleri."
The song is about a girl who walks all over a guy, but now he's decides he's not going to take it any more, telling her, "I'm not your steppin' stone." He's wise to the fact that she's just using him to boost her status.
Monkees drummer Micky Dolenz sang lead and was the only Monkee to perform on the song - session musicians handled the instruments and the backup vocals. In their early years, Monkees songs were usually recorded by top session players because they were hired as actors, not musicians - the concept of their show was misadventures of a fictional band.

But the four members of the group had genuine musical talent and wanted to perform on their songs. They got their wish in 1967 when producers relented and let them play their own instruments on their recordings. The group was a viable touring act, performing live through 1969 even after their show ended. They enjoyed a resurgence in 1986 when MTV started airing reruns of their show, so they re-formed that year and again started touring.
The Sex Pistols covered this song for their 1979 album The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. Their version, which was also released as a single, features a snarling lead vocal from lead singer Johnny Rotten.
British group The Farm had their first hit with a 1990 remake of this called "Stepping Stone."
Monkees keyboardist/bass guitarist Peter Tork on the song's relevance: "The songs that we got [in the '60s] were really songs of some vigor and substance. '(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone' is not peaches and cream. It comes down hard on the subject, poor girl. And the weight of the song is indicated by the fact that the Sex Pistols covered it. Anybody trying to write ''60s songs' now thinks that you have to write '59th St. Bridge.' [Sings] 'Feeling groovy!' Which is an okay song, but has not got a lot of guts. 'Stepping Stone' has guts."

Comments: 22

Rj from OntarioSid Vicious didn't sing the Sex Pistols version. It''s distinctly Rotten. You might be confused as he only sang one famous cover of "My Way". [Sorted, thank you. -editor]
Jerry from Dunreith, InWas home on leave from Vietnam when I first heard this song...
Chris from Lake Forest, CaThis is a song that I think The Beatles could have written (similar feel to "Taxman"), would have loved to hear John Lennon on lead vocal.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn February 5, 1967, the Monkees' second studio album, 'More of the Monkees', peaked at #1 on Billboard's Top 200 Albums chart, it remained in the top spot for a total of eighteen weeks...
Two tracks from the album made the Top 100 chart, "I'm A Believer", peaked at #1 for 7 weeks, while the record's B-side, "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone", reached #20...
Davy Jones passed away at the age of 66 on February 29th, 2012...
May he R.I.P.
* The quartet knocked themselves out of the top spot on the Top 200 Albums chart, their debut album, 'The Monkees', had been #1 for thirteen weeks, which means the quartet held the #1 spot for thirty-one consecutive weeks.
Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn December 17, 1966, the Monkees performed "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" on the Dick Clark ABC-TV Saturday-afternoon program, 'American Bandstand'...
At the time the song was in it's first week on Billboard's Top 100 chart at position #77, four weeks later it would peak at #20 {for 1 week} and it spent eight weeks on the Top 100...
And on the same 'Bandstand' show the 'made for TV' quartet also performed the record's A-side, "I'm A Believer", at the time it was at #8, it would peak at #1 for seven weeks...
Between 1966 and 1987 the quartet had twenty-one songs make the Top 100; six made the Top 10 with three reaching #1*, "Last Train to Clarksville" for 1 week in 1966, "I'm A Believer" for 7 weeks in 1966, and "Daydream Believer" for 4 weeks in 1967...
Davy Jones passed away at the age of 66 on February 29th, 2012...
May he R.I.P.
* They just missed having a fourth #1 record when "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You" peaked at #2 {for 1 week} in 1967, the week it was at #2, the #1 record for that week was "Somethin' Stupid" by Nancy Sinatra and Frank Sinatra.
Carlos from Los AngelesThe Wrecking Crew played all the early Monkees sessions / they the go to / default sessions players.
Markantney from BiloxeJun 2015,

I was a young idiot when their show came out on reruns when I was a kid in the 70s, so of course I loved it.

But I've always thought this was their best song and wished Mikey sang lead more.
Killer from BaltimoreCarbeau?
Esskayess from Dallas, TxI just listened to the version of this song that Paul Revere and the Raiders recorded in January of 1966 (months before the Monkees existed) and it's very obvious that Boyce and Hart used virtually the same arrangement for it that the Raiders did.
Dan from Las Vegas, NvRegardless of who wrote what for who, don't you like this song?
Jeeze, nobody knew for a long time that Lionel Ritchie wrote Kenny Rogers' songs (hits). I wrote some for someone else too. Who cares? Do you like the song? That's all that needs to be said and heard.
The Monkees are a part of American culture - admit it or not, like it or not.
Jennifer Harris from Grand Blanc, Mione of my favorites.
Michael from Levittown, NyI'm pretty sure that Peter is not the voice screaming "no". It is probably Boyce, Hart or one of the session guys who sing all the backing voices on the track. In those early days, the Monkee who would be the lead voice was usually overdubbed onto the music track that was performed by the session players. I believe Boyce and Hart played instruments on their compositions as did Carol King, Neil Diamond, Neil Sedaka and many other composers.
Mike from Stevenson Ranch, Casounds like peter screaming no in the song so that would make it at least 2 minkees on the song
Darren from North Delta, Bcmicky dolenz is the best vocalist for this fun group....too bad about losing the show...davey wasnt bad, but a little bubble gum...good for the girls i guess....
Dakota from Mansfield, OhThis sound's like a song Bob Dylan would have wrote and sung...
Jim from Christchurch, New ZealandThe Monkees were never given enough credit for what they did do, which was great music and people focus too much on the fact that (in the beginning) they had no control and had to do what they were told. Props to them for finally taking control.
Larry from Coral Springs, FlI became a Monkees fan after i 1st heard of them from a classmate as I bought all their albums. This song was one of my faves
Barbara from Fort Collins, CoI don't have an I pod
Barbara from Fort Collins, CoI have always loved the Monkees
James from Seattle, WaThe Sex Pistols performed (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone early in their career rather than later and the vocals were performed by John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) not Sid Vicious. Sid performed the song after he left the Sex Pistols with his band The Idols in New York after the Sex Pistols disbanded.
John from Lansing, MiDon't know if it was actually intended for Paul Revere & The Raiders, but this song was released one year earlier by that band as a track on their "Midnight Ride" album.
Stefanie from Rock Hill, ScNever been a huge fan of the Monkeys, but they were given some good songs, and this is one of them.

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