Lithobag #3, Mar. 31, 2020: Stepping Stone

[If you missed Lithobag #1, with the preface to this blog series, you can find it here]

[If you don’t know Participatory Lithology, check out its first week summary, and be sure to check our title track before you read on.]

The Monkees started as a kind of “engineered” band to mimic to Beatles. The were conceived to portray a beat band in a series which was aired in the USA between 1965 and 1968 (and which Jack O’Malley from Jug Band Colline Metallifere got to watch in the UK in the mid-Seventies). Then the series was closed, but they kept on playing until 1971 and that wasn’t a bad idea (they have been selling around 75 million records).

Their most famous song outside of the US of A (even though not all may know it is from them) is I’m a believer. This was also covered in Italian in the Sixties by Caterina Caselli, with the title “Sono bugiarda” (I’m a liar), and with completely unrelated lyrics. However, the Monkees song we must propose for participatory lithology is -necessarily- “Stepping stone”, calling sample U007 by Amos.

Rit. I I I I I’l not your stepping stone | Io io io io io no sono la tua pietra da guado

You’re trying to make your mark in so – cie – ty, | stai cercando di affermarti in società

You’re using all the tricks that you used on me, | stai facendo tutti i giochetti che facevi con me

You’re reading all them high fashion maga – zines, | stai leggendo tutte ‘ste riviste di moda

The clothes you’re wearing, girl, are causing public scenes | e coi vestiti che porti, bimba, stai facendo scandalo

When I first met you, girl, you didn’t have no shoes, | la prima volta che ti ho incontrato non avevi nemmeno le scarpe

But now you’re walking ’round like you’re front page news, | ma ora te ne vai in giro come se avessi la prima pagina

You been awful careful ’bout the friends you choose, |sei stata molto attenta agli amici che ti sei scelta

But you won’t find my name in your book of ‘Who’s Who’! | ma non troverai il mio nome nel tuo libro del “Chi è chi..”