R.I.P.: Bobby Hart, Songwriter, Pivotal Figure For 'The Monkees'

Bobby Hart, a pivotal figure in the Monkees' multimedia success and a key collaborator with Tommy Boyce, died at 86 in his Los Angeles home, as confirmed by friend and co-author Glenn Ballantyne. Hart’s health had declined since a hip injury last year.

As part of the Boyce-Hart songwriting duo, Hart co-wrote Monkees hits like "Last Train to Clarksville" and "I'm Not Your Steppin' Stone," and the iconic "Monkees Theme" with its catchy "Hey, hey, we're the Monkees" chant. 

The duo produced six songs for the Monkees’ million-selling debut album, using their band, the Candy Store Prophets, as session musicians. Micky Dolenz credited them with shaping the Monkees’ distinctive sound in Hart’s 2015 memoir, Psychedelic Bubblegum.

Bobby Hart ('38-'25)

Beyond the Monkees, Boyce and Hart pursued their own music, releasing albums like Test Patterns and I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite, and appeared on TV shows like I Dream of Jeannie. Politically engaged, they supported Robert F. Kennedy’s 1968 campaign and wrote "L.U.V. (Let Us Vote)" for the 26th Amendment, lowering the voting age to 18 in 1971. 

Their songs, including the Monkees’ "I Wanna Be Free" and the Days of Our Lives theme, were covered by artists from Dean Martin to the Sex Pistols.

In the 1970s and '80s, Hart collaborated on hits like the Oscar-nominated "Over You" for Tender Mercies and "My Secret (Didja Gitit Yet?)" for New Edition. He toured with Dolenz and Davy Jones, releasing Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart. A 2014 documentary, The Guys Who Wrote 'Em, chronicled Boyce (who died in 1994) and Hart’s legacy. Hart, married twice with two children from his first marriage, was survived by his second wife, Mary Ann Hart.

Born Robert Luke Harshman in Phoenix, Arizona, to a minister, Hart was a shy child who found his calling in music. By high school, he mastered piano, guitar, and the Hammond B-3, and ran an amateur radio station. 

After Army reserve service, he moved to Los Angeles in the late 1950s, initially aiming to be a DJ before becoming a songwriter. As Bobby Hart, he toured with Teddy Randazzo, co-writing "Hurt So Bad" for Little Anthony and the Imperials. 

His partnership with the charismatic Boyce led to their recruitment by Don Kirshner for the Monkees, where they crafted hits like "Last Train to Clarksville" and "Valleri." The Monkees’ theme song emerged from a spontaneous street walk, with Boyce strumming and Hart mimicking hi-hat cymbals, capturing their creative synergy.