The Girl I Knew Somewhere
| "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by the Monkees | ||||
| A-side | "A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You" | |||
| Released | March 8, 1967 | |||
| Recorded | February 23, 1967 | |||
| Studio | RCA Victor, Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | Folk-pop[1] | |||
| Length | 2:32 | |||
| Label | Colgems | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Michael Nesmith | |||
| Producer(s) | Chip Douglas | |||
| The Monkees singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"The Girl I Knew Somewhere" is a song by the American
"The Girl I Knew Somewhere" peaked at #39 on the
Background
The Monkees had enjoyed enormous commercial success with their first two albums, The Monkees and More of the Monkees, both reaching No. 1 on the Billboard 200. However, under the direction of music supervisor Don Kirshner, the group was almost completely barred from studio work, aside from recording as vocalists and writing some original material.[2] Longing to achieve creative freedom, the Monkees, led by Michael Nesmith, who felt especially insulted by Kirshner's condescension, entered months of bitter negotiations that eventually concluded with Kirshner being fired.[3] With his departure, the band was finally given the ability to direct production and play instruments themselves, making the Headquarters sessions the first to feature the Monkees on the arrangements.[4] On the band members' differing styles, Nesmith said: "[It was like] a really good tennis player, and a really good football player, and a really good basketball player, and a really good golfer got together and played baseball. ... We could give it a try. Maybe make a little garage-band music."[5]
Although it was unknown to the record-buying public upon its release, "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" was the first song recorded by the Monkees containing instruments performed by the band members. It was first recorded on January 19, 1967, with Nesmith on lead vocals; however, a second version was recorded on February 23, 1967, with
Since its original distribution, the composition has been featured on nearly all of the Monkees'
Reception
Billboard predicted that the single was "destined to become [the Monkees] third million seller in a row," stating that "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" had equal potential as did "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You."[8]
Personnel
- Micky Dolenz – lead vocals, drums
- Michael Nesmith – electric guitar, 12-string guitar, backing vocals
- Peter Tork – acoustic guitar, harpsichord
- Davy Jones – tambourine
- Chip Douglas – bass guitar
References
- ^ Masley, Ed (January 7, 2024). "Best Monkees songs of all time: 30 classics, from their biggest hits to album tracks". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved January 12, 2024.
- ^ Sendra, Tim. "Headquarters – Review". allmusic.com. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
- ^ Draper, John. "Four Monkees Don't Stop No Show". recordcollectormag.com. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
- ^ Swanson, Dave (May 22, 2015). "48 Years Ago: The Monkees Declare Their Independence". ultimateclassicrock.com. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
- ^ Fox, Randy. "The Monkees' Headquarters Is Still the Real Deal". nashvillescene.com. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
- ^ "The Girl I Knew Somewhere". colli.tripod.com. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
- ^ a b Greenwald, Matthew. "The Girl I Knew Somewhere – Review". allmusic.com. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
- ^ "Spotlight Singles" (PDF). Billboard. March 18, 1967. p. 10. Retrieved March 1, 2021.
