Last Train to Clarksville
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| "Last Train To Clarksville" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by The Monkees | ||||
| from the album The Monkees | ||||
| B-side | "Take a Giant Step" | |||
| Released | August 16, 1966[1] | |||
| Format | 7" 45rpm | |||
| Recorded | July 25, 1966 at RCA Victor Studio B, Hollywood, California[1] | |||
| Genre | Pop rock | |||
| Length | 2:46 | |||
| Label | Colgems single #1001[1] | |||
| Writer(s) | Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart | |||
| Producer | Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart | |||
| The Monkees singles chronology | ||||
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"Last Train to Clarksville" was the debut single by The Monkees, released August 16, 1966, and later included on the group's 1966 self-titled album, that was released on October 10, 1966.[1] The song was recorded at RCA Victor Studio B in Hollywood, on July 25, 1966.[1] The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 on November 5, 1966.[2]
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[edit] Song
The song has been compared to The Beatles' "Paperback Writer", in the style of "jangly" guitar, the chord structure and the vocal harmonies employed. The Beatles song had been number one in the US charts three months earlier. It also resembles the guitar riff in "Blue's Theme", by Davie Allan and the Arrows, from the Peter Fonda biker movie The Wild Angels. The opening/recurring guitar riff on the song "Find Your Way Back", written by Craig Chaquico and performed by Jefferson Starship on their 1980 album Modern Times, is almost identical to the one on "Last Train" in note structure, but very dissimilar in tempo and meter.
The plot comprises a phone call from a military person to his wife / girlfriend, requesting that she 'get the last train to Clarksville' in order to have one last night together before he has to leave on his morning train. He doesn't know when he will return, so this may be a long or dangerous assignment.
Though the Clarksville in the song's title appears to refer to the city of Clarksville, Tennessee — and by implication to nearby Fort Campbell, Kentucky, which is home to the 101st Airborne Division — co-writer Bobby Hart states that this is a coincidence. "There's a little town in northern Arizona I used to go through in the summers on the way to Oak Creek Canyon called Clarkdale," said Hart. "We were throwing out some names and then when we got to Clarkdale we stopped for a minute and thought that sounded pretty good. We thought maybe Clarksville would even be a little better. We didn't know at that time that there is an US Army base near the town of Clarksville, Tennessee, which would have fit the bill fine."[3]
The song was used in an Army produced film shown to new inductees, as early as November, 1967, and at least in the big induction center at Ft. Jackson, South Carolina. It played as the film showed new recruits getting off the train at Ft. Jackson, and would get a big laugh from the men watching the film.
[edit] Chart positions
| Chart (1966) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 1 |
| Chart (1967) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 23 |
[edit] Covers
The Shadows, in 1968 on their album From Hank, Bruce, Brian & John (instrumental version).
Riblja Corba, a 1980s Serbian rock band did a cover "Zadnji voz za Cacak".
On January 15, 2008, a cover of the song was made available as downloadable content for the music video game series Rock Band. The January 2009 issue of PlayStation: The Official Magazine lists The Monkees' "Last Train to Clarksville" as fourth on its list of Rock Band’s "Five Most Unexpectedly Rockin' Downloadable Songs."[4]
Martika as 'Gloria' on Kids Incorporated covered the song in the 1985 episode "The Abominable Show-Man".
The Grascals recorded a bluegrass rendition of the song on their album The Famous Lefty Flynn's.
George Benson, in 1968 on his album Shape of Things to Come (instrumental).
Cassandra Wilson recorded a slow and sad version on her 1995 album New Moon Daughter.
Michael Jackson, recorded a more up tempo version of the song in the summer of 2000.
The Four Tops covered the song on their 1967 album Reach Out along with I'm a Believer.
A sitar-driven instrumental version of the song was used as incidental music in an episode of the television sitcom Outsourced.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e The Monkees Greatest Hits Rhino Entertainment R2 75785 Liner notes
- ^ Ashley Brown, ed (1990). "Marshall Cavendish Illustrated History of Popular Music". Marshall Cavendish Illustrated History of Popular Music. Six (Reference ed.). Marshall Cavendish. ISBN 1854360218.
- ^ Andrew Sandoval (2005). The Monkees: The day-by-day story of the '60s TV pop sensation. Thunder Bay Press. p. 46. ISBN 1592233724.
- ^ "Rock Band’s Five Most Unexpectedly Rockin' Downloadable Songs," PlayStation: The Official Magazine (January 2009): 58.
The Crawdaddies in 2001 recorded a Cajun Rock version of the song for their album "Spice it Up"
| Preceded by "96 Tears" by ? & the Mysterians |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single November 5, 1966 (one week) |
Succeeded by "Poor Side of Town" by Johnny Rivers |
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