Farewell Mr. Kirschner, you magnificent bastard

Dr. X posts this from the Hofstra Playhouse:

The Doctor Frankenstein of pop music passes today.  He created the Monkees and the Archies, and got the Rolling Stones to play for scale.   There was no end to his diabolical genius.

Mike Nesmith supposedly put his fist through a hotel room wall when Kirshner asked the Monkees to record this song.  Kirshner got a couple of nobodies for the job, and it became the #1 hit in America, Canada, and the U.K. in 1969.  It is reportedly one of George W. Bush's favorite songs. 
Kirshner, what kind of monster were you?





Bob Marley and Tom Jones covered it competently in their respective styles, and Jonathan King ('Sakkarin') got a worldwide hit with his 1971 cover.  But Wilson Pickett, as was his custom, committed to the song and made it fresh:





Don't care for the song personally.  This one is in heavy rotation at our house...