I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite?

Throughout the mid- and late ‘60s, songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart cultivated an optimistic, sun-dappled sound that put a distinctly Californian twist on the chiming, British Invasion–influenced sound of radio-ready pop. Together they wrote many of The Monkees’ most successful hits and supplied songs to the likes of Paul Revere & The Raiders, The Standells, Jay & The Americans, and even Chubby Checker. Their success as songwriters eventually won them a recording contract with Herb Alpert’s A&M Records, and the three LPs they cut for the label between 1967 and 1969 were rewarding, remarkably consistent collections of carefree sunshine pop. The second of Boyce & Hart’s A&M full-lengths, I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonite?, was their best-selling by far. It was propelled into the charts by the success of the title track, which merged chiming guitars, a gently rueful lyric, and soaring Beatlesque harmonies to create a moment of pure pop perfection. The album’s remaining songs are nearly as charming, from the blue-eyed soul of “Two for the Price of One” to the faux Dylanisms of the unexpectedly tough rocker “Population."