One of my most hidden secrets is the fact that, as a teenager, I was obsessed with The Monkees (and no, I’m not that old . They showed the re-runs on MTV). They may have actually been the first “boy band” since they were “built” by someone else. They most likely starred in the world’s first music videos. And I don’t care how dorky they may have been to most people, I still say they were cool. And from time to time, they had some most excellent music. Check out these lyrics:

Shades of Gray

When the world and I were young,

Just yesterday.

Live was such a simple game,

A child could play.

It was easy then to tell right from wrong.

Easy then to tell weak from strong.

When a man should stand and fight,

Or just go along.

I remember when the answers seemed so clear

We had never lived with doubt or tasted fear.

It was easy then to tell truth from lies

Selling out from compromise

Who to love and who to hate,

The foolish from the wise.

It was easy then to know what was fair

When to keep and when to share.

How much to protect your heart

And how much to care.

But today there is no day or night

Today there is no dark or light.

Today there is no black or white,

Only shades of gray.