Last Train to Clarksville
"Last Train to Clarksville" | ||||
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Single by the Monkees | ||||
from the album The Monkees | ||||
B-side | "Take a Giant Step" | |||
Released | August 16, 1966[1] | |||
Recorded | July 25, 1966 RCA Victor Studios, Studio A Hollywood, CA | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:46 | |||
Label | Colgems 1001 | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) |
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The Monkees singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Last Train To Clarksville" (Official Live Video) on YouTube |
"Last Train to Clarksville" is a song by American rock band the Monkees. It was released as the band's debut single on August 16, 1966, and was later included on the group's self-titled album, which was released on October 10, 1966.[5] The song, written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, was recorded at RCA Victor Studio B in Hollywood on July 25, 1966,[5] and was already on the Boss Radio "Hit Bounds" playlist on August 17, 1966.[6] The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending November 5, 1966.[7] Lead vocals were performed by the Monkees' drummer, Micky Dolenz.[8] "Last Train to Clarksville" was featured in seven episodes of the band's television series, the most for any Monkees song.
Composition
The song was written by the songwriting duo of
Hart knew that the Monkees' TV series was being pitched as a music/comedy series in the spirit of the Beatles' film A Hard Day's Night, and he was hoping that by emulating the Beatles the song might become a successful single.
The lyrics tell of a man phoning the woman whom he loves, urging her to meet him at a train station in Clarksville before he must leave, possibly forever. There is no explicit reference to war in the song, but its last line, "And I don't know if I'm ever coming home," was an indirect reference to a soldier leaving for the
Recording
Boyce and Hart's band, Candy Store Prophets, performed the instrumental session work on the recording.[13]
B-side
The single's B-side, "Take a Giant Step," later appeared as the closing track on Side 1 of the Monkees' debut album.[14] Micky Dolenz performed lead vocals.[14]
The song is presented as a plea to a heartbroken girl to move on from her past romantic disappointments and to "learn to live again at last" by "taking a giant step outside your mind." Critic Eric Lefcowitz describes the song as "proto-psychedelic."[15]
Reception
Of "Last Train to Clarksville,"
Personnel
- Micky Dolenz – lead vocal
- Peter Tork and Davy Jones – backing vocals
- Tommy Boyce– acoustic guitar
- Louis Shelton – lead guitar
- Wayne Erwin and Gerry McGee – electric guitars
- Larry Taylor – bass
- Billy Lewis – drums
- Gene Estes – percussion
- Bobby Hart– producers
Chart performance
Weekly charts
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Year-end charts
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References
- ^ "August 1966: The Monkees Debut with LAST TRAIN TO CLARKSVILLE | Rhino".
- ^ Trigger (December 10, 2021). "More Than a Monkee: Mike Nesmith's Seminal Hand in Country Rock". Saving Country Music. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
- ^ a b Stanley, Bob (2014). "Bubblegum Is the Naked Truth: The Monkees". Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! The Story of Pop Music from Bill Haley to Beyoncé. New York: W. W. Norton & Company. p. 205.
- ^ Cafarelli, Carl; Pig Gold, Gary (2001). "Good Clean Fun". In Cooper, Kim; Smay, David (eds.). Bubblegum Music is the Naked Truth. Los Angeles: Feral House. pp. 75–79.
- ^ a b The Monkees Greatest Hits Rhino Entertainment R2 75785 Liner notes
- ^ "KHJ's 'Boss 30' Records In Southern California! Issue No. 59 - Previewed August 17, 1966". August 17, 1966. Archived from the original on June 24, 2010. Retrieved May 12, 2012.
- ISBN 1-85435-021-8.
- ^ "Last Train To Clarksville by The Monkees Songfacts".
- ^ a b Kotal, Kent. "The Music of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart". Forgotten hits. Retrieved February 5, 2015.
- ISBN 978-0-00-834000-1.
- ^ Smith, Chris (February 21, 2019). "Is 'Last Train to Clarksville' about Clarksville, Tennessee?". The Leaf-Chronicle. Retrieved July 30, 2021.
- ^ "After 50 Years, The Monkees Reveal The Surprising Truth Behind "Last Train To Clarksville"". Society of Rock. n.d.
Songwriter Bobby Hart admits to sneaking in the controversial subject matter under the radar,
- ^ Sandoval, Andrew (2005). The Monkees: The Day-by-Day Story of the 1960s TV Pop Sensation. Thunder Bay Press. p. 46.
- ^ Allmusic. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
- ISBN 9780943249018.
- ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. August 27, 1966. p. 16. Retrieved March 3, 2021.
- ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. August 27, 1966. p. 42. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Last Train to Clarksville". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
- ISBN 951-31-2503-3.
- ^ "Flavour of New Zealand, 25 November 1966". Archived from the original on June 1, 2016. Retrieved December 8, 2018.
- ^ "SA Charts 1965–March 1989". Retrieved September 5, 2018.
- ^ "Top 100 Hits of 1966/Top 100 Songs of 1966".
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved November 20, 2016.
External links
- The Monkees - Last Train to Clarksville on YouTube(US)
- The Monkees - Last Train to Clarksville on YouTube(UK)