The Monkees will always be compared to The Beatles. One of The Monkees decided to create a rumor that they outsold The Beatles. Anyone who paid any attention to The Monkees’ career should have known that one detail made the rumor impossible.

1 of The Monkees said the band outsold The Beatles and The Rolling Stones combined

During a 2019 interview with Studio 10, The Monkees” Mike Nesmith said a certain rumor originated from a conversation he had with an Australian journalist. “I was up to my eyeballs in media veracity, which means ‘Are these guys lying to us?’” Nesmith recalled. “So, when we sat down, he said, ‘Well, what would you like to talk about?’ I said, ‘Well, I’m happy to talk to you about anything you want to talk about, but I’m going to lie the whole time.’ He said that, ‘So, The Monkees [were] very popular. How many records did you guys sell?’ 

“I went ‘Hoo hoo hoo hoo hoo!’” Nesmith added. “I said ’35 million. It’s bigger than The Rolling Stones and The Beatles combined in 1963.’” For the record, The Monkees wouldn’t even form until 1966! Nesmith wondered how far the rumor would travel. Nesmith noted that his cheeky lie had made it to the present day.

The Prefab Four had 1 world record the Fab Four didn’t

While The Monkees didn’t outsell The Beatles, they did achieve a chart milestone that The Beatles did not. Billboard reports The Monkees were the first act to release four No. 1 albums in a calendar year. Those records were The Monkees, More of the Monkees (exactly what it says on the tin!), Headquarters, and Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd. Most of the band’s big hits can be found on those four albums.

That’s still an impressive feat today. It shows how the band and their songwriters were working at a breakneck pace. In the 21st century, it’s surprising when a major artist releases two albums in one year, much less four. On top of that, it’s interesting that the public was ready to hear so many Monkees albums over such a short span of time.

How The Bealtes and The Monkees performed on the charts

The Beatles absolutely outshined The Monkees on the American charts. The Fab Four had 20 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. That’s massive. The songs in question were “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” “Eight Days a Week,” “I Feel Fine,” “Love Me Do,” “All You Need Is Love,” “Can’t Buy Me Love,” “She Loves You,” “Help!,” “A Hard Day’s Night,” “Yesterday,” “Hello Goodbye,” “Hey Jude,” “Get Back,” “Let It Be,” “Penny Lane,” “Paperback Writer,” “Ticket to Ride,” “We Can Work It Out,” “The Long and Winding Road”/”For You Blue,” and “Come Together”/” Something.”

Meanwhile, The Monkees had three No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100. Those tracks were “Last Train to Clarksville,” “I’m a Believer,” and “Daydream Believer.” It’s impressive whenever any artist reaches No. 1, and The Monkees reached No. 1 three more times than most artists. However, their chart success paled in comparison to the Fab Four’s. That’s true for just about everyone.

The Monkees were a huge band — even if Nesmith felt the need to exaggerate their popularity for laughs.