1966 Folk-Pop Anthem Nobody in the Band Liked Hit No. 1 60 Years Ago
Sixty years ago this week, an iconic '60s folk-pop quartet hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with a song nobody in the band actually liked.
The Mamas & the Papas climbed to No. 1 with "Monday, Monday" on May 7, 1966, and held the top spot for three straight weeks. It would turn out to be their only chart-topper.
A Song Written in 20 Minutes
Songwriter John Phillipscranked out Monday, Monday in roughly 20 minutes after bandmate Denny Doherty prodded him for new material while the group waited for "California Dreamin'" to break out. The track landed on their 1966 debut album, If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears, released through Dunhill Records that February. Members of the legendary Wrecking Crew handled the instrumental backing, including Hal Blaine on drums, Joe Osborn on bass, and Larry Knechtel on keys.
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Doherty sang lead, and he later said he thought the track was a throwaway. "Nobody likes Monday, so I thought it was just a song about the working man," he said. CassElliot and Michelle Phillips reportedly weren't fans either.
A No. 1 Hit and a Grammy
The public disagreed. Monday, Monday knocked off the previous chart-topper and held the No. 1 spot for three weeks straight. If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears climbed all the way to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the only Mamas & the Papas album to ever do that. On March 2, 1967, the group took home a Grammy for Best Contemporary (R&R) Group Performance, Vocal or Instrumental.
Sixty years on, the song still gets cued up every time someone needs a soundtrack for hating their alarm clock.
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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 12:23 PM.