" Steppin' Stone" is a rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 song by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. It was first recorded by Paul Revere & the Raiders

Paul Revere & the Raiders

Paul Revere & the Raiders is an American rock band that saw considerable U.S. mainstream success in the second half of the 1960s and early 1970s with hits such as "Kicks" , "Hungry" , "Him Or Me - What's It Gonna Be?" and the 1971 No...

 and appeared on their 1966 album Midnight Ride

Midnight Ride (album)

Midnight Ride is the fifth studio album by American pop rock group Paul Revere & the Raiders. Produced by Terry Melcher and released in May 1966, the album featured the U.S. top five single "Kicks."...

.

The song is simple musically, with a repeating verse chord progression

Chord progression

A chord progression is a series of musical chords, or chord changes that "aims for a definite goal" of establishing a tonality founded on a key, root or tonic chord. In other words, the succession of root relationships...

 of E Major, G Major, A Major and C Major, and a repeating bridge in cut time of E major, G major, A major, and G major.

Monkees version

It is best known as a hit for The Monkees

The Monkees

The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...

 (US #20) (making it the first Monkees B-side to chart) Musicians featured on the Monkees recording are: lead vocal: Micky Dolenz

Micky Dolenz

George Michael "Micky" Dolenz, Jr. is an American actor, musician, television director, radio personality and theater director, best known as a member of the 1960s made-for-television band The Monkees.-Biography:...

, backing vocal: Tommy Boyce, Guitar: Wayne Erwin, Gerry McGee, Louie Shelton, Organ: Bobby Hart, Bass: Larry Taylor

Larry Taylor

Larry Taylor is an American bass guitarist, best known for his work as a member of Canned Heat from 1967. Before joining Canned Heat he had been a session bassist for The Monkees and Jerry Lee Lewis...

, Drums: Billy Lewis, Percussion: Henry Levy.

The Monkees' version differs between the single version, stereo

Stereophonic sound

The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective...

 album version and mono album version (though all three stem from the same recording). In the stereo version, the track's title is sung just before the second verse, whereas on the single and mono album versions, this segment is left instrumental. Additionally, the stereo version has an edit in the fadeout. The mono album version does not have this edit and therefore has a longer coda

Coda (music)

Coda is a term used in music in a number of different senses, primarily to designate a passage that brings a piece to an end. Technically, it is an expanded cadence...

. The single also does not have the edit, but it fades the song earlier than the mono album. All Monkees hits compilations through the mid-1990s used the stereo version. Since the 1995 Greatest Hits collection on Rhino Records, most collections use the single version.

Other versions

The song has been covered by many artists, such as the Sex Pistols

Sex Pistols

The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...

, Vicious White Kids

Vicious White Kids

The Vicious White Kids were a punk rock band from London that formed for one concert on August 15, 1978, at the Electric Ballroom in London. Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious was the lead singer...

, Johnny Thunders

Johnny Thunders

Johnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. , was an American protopunk guitarist, singer and songwriter.He came to prominence in the early '70s as a member of the New York Dolls...

, The Merton Parkas

The Merton Parkas

The Merton Parkas were a mod revival band, formed in the Merton area of South London in the mid 1970s, by Danny Talbot , his brother, Mick Talbot , Neil Hurrell and Simon Smith ....

, Blutgräfin, Minor Threat

Minor Threat

Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band formed in Washington, D.C. in 1980 and disbanded in 1983. The band was relatively short-lived, but had a strong influence on the hardcore punk music scene, both stylistically and in establishing a "do it yourself" ethic for music distribution and...

, State of Alert

State of Alert

State of Alert was an American hardcore punk group formed in Washington, D.C. in 1980, and disbanded in 1981.-History:State of Alert were fronted by Henry Garfield, who would later rise to fame as Henry Rollins. They formed in October 1980 and disbanded in July 1981...

, the Flies, The Farm

The Farm (band)

The Farm were a British band from Liverpool, popular through the early 1990s. Their album Spartacus reached the top position on the UK Albums Chart when it was released in March, 1991.-History:They formed in early 1983....

, The Feminine Complex

The Feminine Complex

The Feminine Complex were an all-female American garage rock band in the 1960s. The band formed while the girls were attending Maplewood High School in Nashville, Tennessee. They released only one album, Livin' Love, in 1969...

, D.S.-13, Six Feet Under

Six Feet Under (band)

Six Feet Under is an American death metal band from Tampa, Florida, formed in 1993. The band was originally a side project by Cannibal Corpse vocalist Chris Barnes with guitarist Allen West of Obituary...

, Trashmen, Hot Nasties

Hot Nasties

The Hot Nasties were a punk rock band from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They were of the first wave of Canadian punk rock and notably featured future Liberal Party of Canada strategist and lawyer Warren Kinsella on bass and vocals.-History:...

, Per Gessle

Per Gessle

Per Håkan Gessle is a Swedish pop singer-songwriter, guitarist, and harmonicist. He is the lead singer of the Swedish pop group Gyllene Tider and formed Roxette with Marie Fredriksson...

, Les Thugs

Les Thugs

Les Thugs are a punk band from France. The band were formed in 1983 with five members and were soon reduced to four in the same year: Eric Sourice on guitar and lead vocals, Thierry Meanard on guitar, Christophe Sourice on drums, and Gerald Chabaud on bass up until 1983. Chabaud was replaced by...

 and W.C. Fields Memorial String Band. It was also a hit for PJ & Duncan in 1996, when it reached number #11 on the British Singles Chart.