"Last Train to Clarksville" The Making of A Hit

[IGOROZKARSKY]

The Monkees took a lot of sid, but I always liked them.

If you take away the colour (Their TV show), the Monkees

are a continuation of the film "A Hard Days Night".

I read that in an interview with some Monkee, don´t

rekkemember which Ape it was. Jones,Dolenz, Nesmith

or Tork.

[Spoothead12]

Everyone knows The Rutles are the Pre-Fab Four. The Monkees are good, though.

[gittar1]

loui shelton played the "lopening "lick"..which i came up with in rehersal..and i played some "solo " thing s with loui in the "solo section!  gerry mcgee..there was "no " banjo "..on this song !

[sr71ablackbird]

I was just wondering if that was Leeza Gibbons and Rob Weller in the begining ?

[ChuckieInMT]

@sr71ablackbird  Yep, it looks like 'em. Wild, huh?

[sr71ablackbird]

@ChuckieInMT That, it is. I remember when they were on the weekends, and John Tesh and Mary Hart were on during the week.

[loujazz99]

there is no banjo on this song....

[KingPuddinsdaddy001]

You can never know about trains, especially from Clarksville.

[Sixalienasa]

40 years later I find out its a song about a Soldier going off to the Vietnam War.

[montemary]

Are you shitting me? Micky had to explain to Peter and Davy what the song meant. OMFG. lmfao

[ChuckieInMT]

@montemary Micky is STILL COOL!!!

[Brenda2OOO]

A gem from the past, stil glittering.

[loujazz99]

Anyway Louie Shelton played the lead guitar on the record so...

[TheZenBanjoist]

@loujazz99 And it was Doug Dillard of THE DILLARDS, aka The Darlings from the Andy Grffith Show, that played the electric 5-String Banjo in a Bluegrass Style on this song.

Later on, Bobby Thompson play 5-String Banjo on GOOD CLEAN FUN.

[eddiemugavero]

rip my friend tommy boyce. he told me bobby asked him to write the bridge..he came up with the "dit, dit, dit" lyric and got a 50% cowrite cool

[starscard24]

Is the song really refering to Clarksville Tennessee? I searched the internet and am yet to find a site that says for sure that the Clarksville is in TN. I'm in Clarksville TN and have alsway wondered about this.

[moegolden]

it is, but its more of a coincidence....check out the wikipedia page about the song.

[MarshmallowFire]

It's hard to believe such a happy-sounding song has such a gloomy meaning. Heh.

[NYCJuggalo]

The idea is that a soldier being drafted wants to have one last night with his girlfriend. This night would be a happy experience, therefore the happy melody.

[MarshmallowFire]

Hmm. Guess it makes sense that way!

[capkarl2]

Clarksville was the last stop for Vietnam bound soldiers on the East Coast.

[june32]

capkarl2 WOW! I always loved the song, but I never knew that Clarksville was the last stop...

The Monkees (and everything! back then) was so much better than today. It's like comparing NBA players to guys playing ball at your local Y.

[majikcecil]

bcuz the monkees contract didnt allow them to sing any war protest songs & the song writers werent allowed to write any for the group. boyce & hart slipped this one thru. it was a war protest song they managed to slip by the suits!

[capkarl2]

Why would you think this is an anti war song? It's about a soldier going to war. Right or wrong who knows. War is hell but sometimes necessary.

[23literford140]

thanks for this rare clip :)