"The Monkey Time" is a song written by Curtis Mayfield and performed by Major Lance. It reached No. 2 on the U.S. R&B chart and No. 8 on the U.S. pop chart in 1963.^[1] It was featured on his 1963 album The Monkey Time,^[2] was arranged by Johnny Pate and produced by Carl Davis.^[3]

The track ranked No. 49 on Billboard magazine's Top 100 singles of 1963.^[4][5]

Other charting versions

• The Tubes released their take on the song as a single in 1983 which reached No. 16 on the U.S. rock chart and No. 68 on U.S. pop chart.^[6] It was featured on their album Outside Inside.

Other versions

• The Miracles - on their 1963 album The Miracles Doin' Mickey's Monkey.^[7]
• Georgie Fame - on his 1964 album Fame at Last.^[8]
• Gene Barge - on his 1965 album Dance with Daddy "G".^[9]
• Archie Bell & the Drells, - on their 1968 album I Can't Stop Dancing.
• The Mad Lads released a version, entitled "Monkey Time '69" on their 1969 album The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Lads.^[10]
• Laura Nyro and Labelle - as a medley with "Dancing in the Street", on their 1971 album Gonna Take a Miracle.^[11]
• Al Kooper - on his 1972 album A Possible Projection of the Future / Childhood's End.^[12] Kooper also released it as a single the same year, but it did not chart.
• Johnny Rivers - on his 1977 album Outside Help.^[13]
• Jimmy Burns - on his 1999 album Night Time Again.^[14]
• The Action - on their 2004 compilation album Uptight and Outasight.^[15]
• The Velvelettes - on their 2004 compilation album The Velvelettes: The Motown Anthology.^[16]