"Goin’ Down" started life as a jam following a take of "She Hangs Out" on June 21, 1967. Mike Nesmith and Peter Tork played electric guitar with a rhythm section of "Fast" Eddie Hoh on drums and producer Chip Douglas on bass. The original tracking was recorded to 4-track tape, though it is most likely the recording was transferred to 8-track for later overdubs. The brass parts were recorded September 15, 1967, both a 12-piece accompaniment (which may have been recorded to just one mono track!) plus saxophone and trumpet solos. It is unclear if the vocals were added before or after this instrumentation.
The multitrack tape used to mix "Goin’ Down" is likely broken down as such:
Guitar and bass
Drums
Brass Section
Saxophone and trumpet solos
Vocal
Over the course of the month following the brass overdubs, "Goin’ Down" was mixed to mono in at least three sessions, and likely more. Only one stereo mix survives and no remixes have been made, which likely means the multitrack tape went missing at some point.
A September 28, 1967 mono mix contains the full performance of the song, breaking down at 4 minutes 39 seconds. The amount of reverb applied to the vocal across the mono mixes spans the spectrum of very little to quite a lot; this mix falls somewhere in the middle. The trumpet over the “I’ll float on down to New Orleans” section of the final verse also differs between mixes: here it is mixed down (this is a deliberate choice that will also feature in two completely separate mixes to follow), though one can hear it very quietly here before it is brought up to a much higher level once the chorus starts.
A mono mix intended for the album Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd. was generated on October 4, 1967. It is likely the mix from this early assembly reel which was first released in 1982 on Rhino’s Monkee Business LP. This version was long presumed to be an extended version of the single mix, and it was labeled as ‘Mono Single Version’ on the 2007 2-CD deluxe edition of Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd. Since 2016, this mix has been included on several compilations - often incorrectly labeled as ‘single’ or ‘45 version’ - and prematurely fades the 2007 CD master to match the length of the single. This mix features a very dry vocal and mixes up the trumpet over the “New Orleans” line, though the trumpet that follows playing over the final choruses is quiet in this mix compared to the other mixes. The LP version of 2016’s Monkees Forever betrays the source of the shortened track as the 2007 CD by leaving behind a fraction of a second from the tail of "Cuddly Toy," which preceded "Goin’ Down" on that disc.
The mix featured as the B-side to "Daydream Believer" sounds closer to the September 28 mix than the mix originally slated for the Pisces LP. Like the former, there is reverb on the vocal (though not as much as on the September mix) and the trumpet over the “New Orleans” line is again mixed down. On the 45 mix, from approximately 3:40 through the song’s fadeout, the brass ensemble repeating staccato phrases is also more prominent than in other mixes.
The date of mixing for the actual mono 45 version of "Goin’ Down" is not clear, but it was likely mixed less than one month from release. Promotional copies arrived at radio stations as early as October 25, and retail copies were likely available by the end of the month.
The mono 45 mix also appears in the second season episodes Monstrous Monkee Mash and The Monkees in Paris. Both fade earlier than the 45 mix (around seven seconds for The Monkees in Paris; the Monstrous Monkee Mash appearance fading roughly fifty-five seconds early during the bass and drum breakdown) and The Monkees In Paris version is split into two excerpts, editing 29 seconds between the lines "I should have taken her advice" and "give you three, I’ve been down nine." Both appearances of this mix in the television series are at least partially obscured by sound effects.
Though it was not unusual for tracks of this era to appear in rough or unfinished mixes, with "Goin Down" viewers were treated to a unique live performance by Micky over an instrumental backing track. The 10/4 mono assembly mix shares very similar instrumental characteristics with this 'Live Vocal' mix of the song, which is heard in two episodes of the second season, The Wild Monkees and Monkees In Texas. Both mixes feature the trumpet playing over the "I’ll float on down to New Orleans…" vocals. If you listen carefully, the brass section can be heard more prominently under the first verse in both mixes. It seems possible that the instrumental playback for the live vocal could have been created at the same 10/4 session. The filming of this segment would need to have been completed in early or mid October to be included in the November 13 broadcast of The Wild Monkees.
The 'Live Vocal' version of "Goin’ Down'' was revised slightly when it appeared in Monkees In Texas in December, 1967. There is a very brief edit about 3:50 into the song and the fade of the track is tapered compared to the more abrupt fade heard in The Wild Monkees. The magnetic soundtrack master for Monkees In Texas was the source for the 'Live Vocal' version’s appearance on a 45 included with The Complete Series Blu-ray box set in 2016.
The 'Live Vocal' version of "Goin’ Down" is also the basis for two unique mix excerpts heard in The Monkees’ Paw episode. In the show’s open, 19 seconds from the end of the song (3:39-3:56) are heard, but with the instrumentation dialed way back to highlight Micky singing. In a later scene, Micky has lost his voice, so a 24-second instrumental of "Goin’ Down" is heard. This is basically the first 26 seconds of the 'Live Vocal' backing track but editing out the horn stings which would be heard under the phrase "and word gets around."
Another (possibly rough) mix of "Goin’ Down" made its way into the second season episode A Coffin Too Frequent. This mix is heavily laden with reverb, even on the instrumental track, pushing the vocal far back in the mix. The mix as heard in the episode removes approximately 1 minute 30 seconds by jumping to the final verse from the second. While edited down to only 2:43 (and also slowed down somewhat), this version does continue about 14 seconds longer than the point where the mono 45 mix fades out. This mix, like the September 28 mono mix and the 45 mono mix, mixes down the trumpet near the end during the “New Orleans” lyrics.
The stereo mix for "Goin’ Down" was likely to have been made contemporaneously with the mono mixes, but it was not released until 1986 when Rhino included it on a remastered/updated version of the Monkee Business LP and Arista included it on the expanded CD edition of Then & Now...The Best of The Monkees. The stereo mix pans guitar and bass left, drums and brass right, with saxophone/trumpet solos and vocals (with little reverb, if any) up the center. The trumpet can be heard during the “New Orleans” line and continues through the rest of the track at a quieter level which is closer to the mono mix from the early Pisces assembly reel (and runs about the same length). A compressed mastering of the stereo mix from 2001’s Music Box was unfortunately used for several compilations up through 2016. Less harsh masterings can be found on the common 1995 Greatest Hits and the 2007 deluxe edition of Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones, Ltd.