Last Train to Clarksville – Monkees

Chart Position: 1

• #6 bestseller for 1966
• Lead vocals: Mickey Dolenz
• Written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart
• Instruments: Wrecking Crew
• Recorded in Los Angeles CA
• The television series ‘The Monkees’ premiered on NBC in Sept 1966, the same week this song was released
• Monkees are from Los Angeles CA
• Clarksville is a real town located in Tennessee
• Peter York, a young actor who was one of The Monkees, showed up at a recording studio expecting to play an instrument on songs for the series, but learned the instrumental tracks were already completed by session musicans collectively called The Wrecking Crew
• Among the future stars who also answered an ad in Variety seeking to become a Monkee were Harry Nilsson, Steven Stills and John Sebastian
• Later recorded by George Benson (1966), Standells (1967) and Cassandra Wilson (1995)