The music and lyrics were composed by the group's members, Eric Burdon, John Weider, Vic Briggs, Danny McCulloch, and Barry Jenkins.
Eric Burdon and the Animals performed at the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival at the peak of the Summer of Love; they followed Johnny Rivers onstage and were introduced by Chet Helms.
In his book, Monterey Pop, Joel Selvin wrote that, at the festival, "Burdon did nothing short of reinvent himself in front of the audience.
"[citation needed] The song "Monterey" was subsequently written in tribute to the group's experiences at the festival, and proved to be one of the new band's biggest hits.
The Strings come in on the line: "You wanna find the truth in life,/ Don't pass music by,/ And you know I would not lie", sounding like a Hindu chant.
Some radio edits omit the instrumental section, which is heard in the middle of the song, as well as shortening the ending, due to its going over the three minute limit.