IDK man, compared to the dystopia we have now, the world of Pleasant Valley Sunday is looking better and better.
@ApeLikeCreature
Жыл бұрын
Agreed. My youth in the 60's and 70's was within this world. And it was blissfully happy. No phones, no crime, happy blu-collar family days and nights, long summer days with friends exploring, bike riding, fort making...people are always chasing an imaginary ring, we had the ring.
@map3384
Жыл бұрын
I have to agree. Being a young kid in late 60s and early 70s suburbia wasn’t bad at all.
@davegink9222
Жыл бұрын
In my opinion, Micky Dolenz had one of the best voices of the 1960s some of the notes he could hit were incredible. Just listen to him at the end of this song.
@EviMlcak
Жыл бұрын
He's my favorite Monkee.
@petermcgill1315
Жыл бұрын
Oh, this riff sounds like that riff…? Are you begging for another lawsuit?
@Nooz2u
Жыл бұрын
That fact is so overlooked; Micky had incredible range. Listen to the end of 'Daily Nightly'.
@thedudeabides3138
Жыл бұрын
Couldn’t agree more, he really was a bit special.
@marisa5359
Жыл бұрын
Yep. Definitely one of my favorite voices of all time. It's so uniquely beautiful and instantly identifiable.
@carnacthemagnificent2498
Жыл бұрын
My thoughts on the Monkees in general: they are remembered as a sort of '60s version of Milli Vanilli. That's false, the voices on those records were theirs. But they didn't play the instruments? True, early on. That was mostly the famed session team the wrecking crew. But who played all the instruments on the Beach Boys 'Pet Sounds'? It was recorded by Brian Wilson and - surprise! - the wrecking crew. So was it a fake album? Were the Beach Boys a fraud because they didn't play the instruments? But they didn't write their own songs! Hah, Lennon and McCartney were an anomaly, most groups didn't. Nobody says Motown is a sham because they sang songs written bu other people over music performed by the wrecking crew. So because the Monkees pretended to be playing they were inauthentic in that regard but in reality they were like a ton of bands in the 60s except for the visual of them pretending to play on TV. Let's just look at the music for what it is, not some canned presumption that it's somehow fake.
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
I completely agree. The Wrecking Crew, the Muscle Shoals guys, Motown, the entire Nashville session scene-all essential to the music of the times. I think the Monkees' story is one of four ambitious, talented guys who ended up as a product of the music industry, in a way that was, unfairly, considered "wrong" by critics. It might even be the beginning of snooty music critics' contempt for anything they considered not "authentic." That same year, the leading authority in the "critics vs. fans" war was launched: Rolling Stone. My guess is that all four Monkees, together or alone, would've achieve success even without the industry packaging them. Nesmith, after all, wrote Linda Ronstadt's first hit (with the Stone Poneys), "Different Drum."
@jake105
Жыл бұрын
I agree. Session musicians were the music industry standard. Then add the songwriters which for the most part were split into composers and lyricists. The bring in the vocalist and it all comes together. The Beatles broke the mold in the mainstream, but the music scene in Nashville and Memphis also the folkies were doing it for a long while before.
@theragingdolphinsmaniac4696
Жыл бұрын
Exactly right. They werent as fake as many prefab music acts since then
@NunyaDammeBiznis
Жыл бұрын
They were filming a TV show and making records. They didn't have the time to play the instruments on their records as well.
@RedSun-Cinema
Жыл бұрын
You're correct in that they didn't play on the early records. However, let's not forget they all knew how to play their instruments but were forbidden by the musical producers from doing so. It was only under threat of quitting the show did the musical producers finally give in and let them play. And let's also consider that at the time these records came out, it was common practice to have studio musicians play on records and have the band play live in concert. That's why you had guys like "The Wrecking Crew" and others like them who were solely studio musicians. This should not take away from the four members of The Monkeys who were great musicians in their own right.
@stevemason5173
Жыл бұрын
They reached a fan base far beyond 12 year olds.
@ShamrockParticle
Жыл бұрын
Much to the chagrin of many, hehe
@johntiggleman4686
Жыл бұрын
Yes, I was 17 and watched their show. I have a couple LPs and 6 45s. I don't recall solo work by the others, but Mike Nesmith had several albums that are quite good.
@angelabluebird609
Жыл бұрын
Yes. My friends and were only 7. We were some of the most fortunate kids ever. Our entire childhoods were filled with the best R & B, Soul and Rock and Roll. I heard my older sisters' records, the 50's and 60's. Wouldn't trade that for anything.
@Jac0d9
Ай бұрын
The same can't be said for Hanna Montana or the Johnas Brothers.
@AldousHuxleysCat
Жыл бұрын
So many "bands" were just vocalist in the studio, often backed by a house style band on tour and singing songs their producer choose, The Monkees didn't deserve the derision they received, notably they were accepted by other musicians and I don't think the fans ever cared
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Agree 100%! There have been much worse examples of the industry manufacturing artists. All four Monkees were variously talented guys.
@jazzpunk
Жыл бұрын
I have always wondered why (still) The Monkees caught some much BS for, obviously, using The Wrecking Crew when most Sunshine Pop groups did the same. Was it their TV Show?
@AldousHuxleysCat
Жыл бұрын
@@jazzpunk it may have been that some people felt that they had an unfair advantage with their TV show getting their music played on the radio. Other than that they weren't doing anything that other artist hadn't done in the same era, using outside writers using outside musicians it was commonplace
@daveyvane9431
Жыл бұрын
People don’t like phony stuff
@AldousHuxleysCat
Жыл бұрын
@@daveyvane9431 The Monkees were no more "phoney" than the vast majority of other bands of that era. They eventually were able to gain control of their music, riding many of their own songs and playing their own instruments. Pretty much the Beach boys only sang on their albums, and this was true of more groups than you can imagine. Studio time is very expensive and they don't have time to do take after take because the drummer can't keep proper time or the bass player can't get the rhythm right. You bring in studio musicians they cut the tracks the album goes out and then the band goes on tour. Much of the music recorded today isn't even played by human beings. It's pretty easy to program a lot of the beats and rhythms, then somebody just comes in and sings over it with a machine behind them to correct their vocal pitch. I was listening to a song the other day and it was nothing more than a drum machine and about five notes played on a synthesizer that were then sequenced then varied repetitively. I'll take that phony band the monkees any day
@flashflame4952
Жыл бұрын
Thanks to Carol King and Gerry Goffin for coming up with some incredible songs.
@rainstein3680
Жыл бұрын
"Pleasant Valley Sunday" is possibly the best song among albums full of amazing songs!!! The Monkees proved credible artists and it is a travesty that they are not in the RRHOF!!!! RIP DAVY, MIKE AND PETER!!
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
When you dig into their catalog you really find some great stuff.
@jazzpunk
Жыл бұрын
...some of the lyrical content was very dark/mature. "Cuddly Toy", anyone?
@patbrennan6572
Жыл бұрын
Lets not forget Mickeys vocal range, right up there with the best.
@mmonroe4738
Жыл бұрын
Written by Goffin and King
@thosdot6497
Жыл бұрын
@@InsideTheSong - some of the best songs of the era, because they had some of the best popular songwriters and session musicians of all time. Not to take anything away from the vocals and later efforts of their own, but their early hits were as good as anything else out there.
@darryl3422
Жыл бұрын
Remember Monkees records on the back of Cereal boxes? Pleasant Valley Sunday was one of them and it sounded pretty good Mickey is a seriously underrated singer
@solarguy1702
Жыл бұрын
I had Valerie
@darryl3422
Жыл бұрын
Right you never what song you'd get They also had the Archie's and Bobby Sherman..Ugh!
@jamescpotter
Жыл бұрын
Say what you will about the songs message, the recording is brilliant! Energy, passion, sincerity, not to mention a bevy of talent from the boys (Mike's lead guitar work is stellar and Mickey's best vocal) and the contributing musicians (especially Eddie Hoh) this song kicks ass. It's their pinnacle of work. Thanks for covering this masterpiece.
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Completely agree. It's absolutely a masterpiece. Thanks for watching!
@dennislockhart7678
Жыл бұрын
@Inside the Song I agree completely, but I've spent the last 55 years thinking this song was about the San Fernando Valley...you know, Valley Girl...because it fits so perfectly as I can attest from personal experience.
@LarryGonzalez00
Жыл бұрын
Chip Douglas said that he based the Monkees' riff on George Harrison's opening riff on "I Want To Tell You" from Revolver.
@chrome_tape
Жыл бұрын
Had the amazing pleasure of meeting & working with Micky Dolenz a few months ago. He is still an extremely sweet, funny and creative man. I did get to tell him Pleasant Valley Sunday is my favorite song of theirs and he was grateful for it. Also considering I'm from suburban NJ (the same area King wrote the song about) is surreal.
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Love it! I was born in Jersey but haven't lived there in decades. Still miss it.
@amethystanne4586
Жыл бұрын
How fortunate you were! As a young teenager, I had a serious crush on Mickey. DH&I are from Hunterdon County. We moved our family to Kentucky in 1988 before the county became heavily suburban.
@chrome_tape
Жыл бұрын
@@amethystanne4586 One of the benefits of working in radio is meeting these legends!
@lindaeasley5606
Жыл бұрын
Their songs were written by some choice song writers. Carol King ( Pleasant Valley Sunday) Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart( Last Train To Clarksville) And they DID sing on their recordings. The Monkees were making some quality music that stacks up better than anything written in the last 20 years
@jake105
Жыл бұрын
The Monkees were actual musicians before the 1966 TV show. Mickey and Davy were childhood actors who sang. Mickey played guitar and sang in a band and Davy was a real drummer. Peter was a folky and muti-instrumentalist and everybody knows and Mike Naismith was a real singer songwriter.
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Yeah, they were all talented guys. Music industry packaging is mostly the reason they ended up with a bad rep for so long. But they got respect from the big names at the time.
@ShamrockParticle
Жыл бұрын
Micky had to learn the drums, is passable at them, but he is a terrific vocalist and guitar player
@Ruda-n4h
Жыл бұрын
@@InsideTheSong At their worst the Monkees were a competent 60’s pop group, unambitious but appealing. At their best, on any number of singles or album tracks they could rival ANY of their contemporaries. And that, for a group of people put together by TV executives to pretend to be a musicians is quite a compliment.
@augustusbetucius2931
3 ай бұрын
Nesmith was also a solid rhythm guitar player. Listen to the live recording "Cosmic Partners" it's just him, Red Rhodes a bass player and drummer. Nesmith holds it down and fills it as solidly as any rhythm guitarist I've ever heard.
@creayoga
Жыл бұрын
The echo and reverb at the end were to give the song a psychedelic accent which definitely helped sell records in 1967. Also implied that they could see the things referred to in the song because they were "turned on," "cool" not "square." Excellent video.
@seansweeney3532
Жыл бұрын
Yea, the signature riff was yet another Beatles tune, I want to Tell You, which was more recent to when the sing was cut... in fact, it was this use of a major scale with a minor 7 that has made it a R&R trope... starting with What'd I Say, in 1959, then lifted by Bobby Parker in his R&B hit Watch your Step, which although it wasn't a hit in the white market, it lit up the discotheques all over Europe, and even here in the states, despite not charting nationally... it was then lifted by the Beatles for I Feel Fine, in which the Beatles, recognizing its origins, gave Ringo a chance to show off his chops playing that famous drum part to What'd I Say... one of the songs he was known for playing flawlessly, when none of the other Liverpuddlian drummers could TOUCH it... and the Beatles from this point on were constantly using that flat 7 from then on, because it sounded cool, and put that one cool minor note to make the major key more bearable.
@regaltip8A
Жыл бұрын
Exactly. I cant believe that the uploader overlooked that basic fact. Riff was based totally on I Want To Tell You
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Same here. I don't know how I missed it, and I thank everyone who's brought it up. For God's sake, "I Want to Tell You" is also in A! I think I was too distracted by the silly fake Tool song, frankly.
@seansweeney3532
Жыл бұрын
@Inside the Song well, it became their trope. And by extension, everyone elses!
@arribaficationwineho32
Жыл бұрын
Ringo….”chops”…..funny
@usmc-veteran73-77
Жыл бұрын
To be honest, I do not know the difference between an A Major or a C Major. I loved the Monkees then and (an almost 68yr old) I still love the Monkees today. BTW I'm a big Led Zeppelin, then and now. Big difference in music. Semper Fi from an old Marine Sergeant.
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for watching! My uncle was in the Corps in the early '60s. I never served, but thank you for your service, Sergeant. And I love Zeppelin!
@usmc-veteran73-77
Жыл бұрын
@Inside the Song thank you. I always tell people the same thing, it was an honor to serve our great Nation and our beloved Marine Corps, I served 1973 to 1977. Tell your uncle Semper Fi
@jazzpunk
Жыл бұрын
Thank you for your service!
@GoGreen1977
Жыл бұрын
I'm almost 68, as well, and I've been a fan of the Monkees and Led Zeppelin since forever....
@usmc-veteran73-77
Жыл бұрын
@@GoGreen1977 we grew up with some great music. I turn 68, next week May 9th.
@SHAYUPIVER
5 ай бұрын
I'm 45, and when I was a kid, I discovered the Monkees through reruns of the show. And I fell in love with the band and their music. I don't care if they were just actors. They always made me smile. And the music still is on my playlists. ❤
@grene1955
Жыл бұрын
I'm a singer songwriter, and I can tell that every songwriter builds from and is influenced by other songwriters and performances. It's a natural progression and there's nothing wrong with it. Not copying of course, but thinking, "That's a cool riff" or lyric, and it can send you on your own exploration and evolution. Plus add in what the current trends might be and what will help you make your mark, and you get "augmented creativity"!
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Same here. I don't how many times I've heard something in a tune I wrote years ago and realized that I inadvertently lifted a little motif. But even so, you're right about the building, exploration, and innovation. We all start by consciously ripping something off (Sabbath and Tull in my case) and then trying to make our own statement.
@steverlfs
Жыл бұрын
I have never understood what is being criticized? Everything described makes perfect sense: the rock band does practice, people do mow their lawns, and who wouldn't be happy if their roses bloomed? The only ones who would sneer at this would be wealthy elites looking down on average people as peasants.
@atanamorell2
Жыл бұрын
Conform or be cast out. It's not a Pleasant Valley Sunday for everyone. Only for the status symbol seekers. No diversity there, only sameness. No sickness, disability, neurodiversity, or mental problems allowed. Only barbequing on green lawns. It's the American Dream. It's a happy cocoon that shields the residents and destroys their empathy for other people's problems outside of their bubble. Those who can't or won't conform to the perfection Pleasant Valley demands are completely alien and are not to be discussed in polite society.
@johndipinto8816
Жыл бұрын
I think it's just the idea that to the person singing the song, everything and everyone is always the same every day (Sunday in particular), and the people all around are increasingly content with seemingly mundane "creature comforts" and little or no adventure in their lives. It's not a terribly harsh criticism, and as another poster pointed out, in the 1950's and early 60's the country was still coming off the upheaval of the Great Depression and World War II, so for adults the chance to feel settled and comfortable again was probably very welcome. Teenagers at the time were feeling stifled and rebellious though, which is why to me the song takes on a whole other feel when I hear Carole King's demo of it. Although she was over 20 when she recorded it, she sounds like a teenage girl singing it, and the lyrics make much more sense being sung from that POV.
@thomastimlin1724
Жыл бұрын
This is all history now. The Monkees never" lost their public," which was pre teen and teenage girls primarily, and little kids in general. The reruns of the show began immediately on Saturday mornings and new young fans emerged. It's incredibly obvious and was that the Monkees were designed for that market, designed after the Beatles and their Hard Days Night film image and not the underground FM radio station playlist club. And they were band trying to make it big...and irony in itself. They stepped up rehearsed hard and became a band, going on gigantic tours with large crowds. they had to fight Din Kirschner and th e producers to play on their own records too, they took up the challenge and did it. the pressures of filming a TV show and recording at night NO OTHER band was doing. Those that criticized them, ignoring the fact that they were a TV show and NOT a real band, never were intended to be, which was up front. The naysayers were idiot critics and piranhas looking for something to kill, and they still are...many other artists basically never played their own instruments on records and used the Wrecking Crew on their records, and song writers for all or some songs, such as Sonny and Cher, the Mamas and the Pappas [except John Phillips] and nobody bitched about that. There are many in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fickle Fame that did not write their own stuff most of the time. the real culprits are the ones that invented the show and Don Kirchner, not the band members.
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Couldn't agree more. All four were talented guys with different strengths, and it's great for them that their fame did last. (I was one of those little kids watching the reruns in the '70s.) I don't find any fault with the guys themselves, or frankly even the idea of a manufactured rock band. If it works, it works. Music industry sleazeballs are another matter.
@waynej2608
Жыл бұрын
Most definitely. Well said. The Beatles liked them and offered words of encouragement to The Monkees when they visited London. The Beatles were in the process of completing a little album called Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Groovy times! 😎👍
@questioneverything1682
Жыл бұрын
Very understandable, especially given the times. Nesmith was a songwriter ("Different Drum" by The Stone Ponies put Linda Rondstadt on the public map; Jones was an actor with a good voice ("Oliver!"); Tork was a smart but so-so folk singer from the New York cafes; Dolenz was a Hollywood TV actor since childhood who also had a good singing voice. They each responded to a trade newspaper ad and were hired (A TV series - 13 episodes - at SAG scale pay, music, low-demand comedic acting, silliness and "chicks!" What's not to like?) When challenged as a pre-fab music group, Davey Jones once quipped "THE BEATLES were the FIRST pre-fab music group." Meanwhile, Dolenz and Tork hung out in Laurel Canyon, smoking pot with "legitimate" musicians Crosby Stills and Nash, The Byrds, The Mamas and Papas, Joni Mitchel, a few of The Eagles, etc, etc.
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Love "Different Drum"! And anyone who played a role in getting Linda Ronstadt more famous was a helpful guy. What a voice.
@waynej2608
Жыл бұрын
@@InsideTheSong Totally agree. Linda did proper justice to Nesmith's impressive tune. He appreciated her rendition, of course. She's amazing!
@beatlejeb
Жыл бұрын
According to Chip Douglas, the opening riff was borrowed from The Beatles' "I Want To Tell You" from their Revolver album.
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Aha! Yep, I can absolutely hear that. And that one is actually also in A. Good call, thanks for pointing it out!
@stevenadams1795
Жыл бұрын
Paperback Writer is in G and Day Tripper is in E. The riff is a variation of the Harrison song I Want To Tell You.
@andrewnbrown
Жыл бұрын
There's also a hint of George's If I Needed Someone in the chord changes in the verse
@nicksherreard1215
Жыл бұрын
Agreed it’s the same notes and almost in the same order just faster
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Several viewers have correctly pointed out that the Monkees' riff was created by producer/session man Chip Douglas, inspired by a different Beatles song than the two mentioned in the video: "I Want to Tell You," from Revolver (1966). And that song is actually in A major (and its riff in A Mixolydian). What an omission! I appreciate the correction. Chip was also the guy who made the change to the lyrics in the bridge.
@georgeprice4212
Жыл бұрын
Nice nod to Rush ya did there.
@davidbaise5137
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for this. The A on the “and” of beat four next sounds on the downbeat of four…. A nice displacement that makes you turn your head a little.
@jazzpunk
Жыл бұрын
Chip's bass playing (I assume) on "PVS" is pretty damn cool.
@impalaman9707
Жыл бұрын
I found the chords patterns of the two Beatles songs and "Pleasant Valley Sunday" to be really happy riffs! All three of those songs put me in a good mood every time I hear them! Really upbeat and positive sounding chords!
@richardhoff1626
Жыл бұрын
Pleasant Valley Way, runs through West Orange and Verona New Jersey. My dentist is on that road and I have had root canal there. It was not a Pleasant Valley Monday. Get grumpy about the suburbs, write a song, get a pop band to record it, make millions in royalties. That is the American Dream.
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
It's what I would've done. You know, if the thought had occurred to me....
@ericr5431
Жыл бұрын
Love this song and Carol King's demo. You can also listen to I'm Your Captain (Grand Funk), I Want To Tell You (Beatles, Ted Nugent) and Time Out (Joe Walsh). All variations on a theme.
@marywealth6475
Жыл бұрын
I always noticed that Grand Funk similarity.
@jazzpunk
Жыл бұрын
"Time Out"? Wow! Love that album..."County Fair" & "Welcome To The Club", too!
@ssunfish
Жыл бұрын
I think Pleasant Valley Sunday is the Monkee's best single. The music, singing and lyrics are my favorite from them.
@davemathews7890
Жыл бұрын
My favorite is "Daily Nightly"
@nomoreturningaway1459
Жыл бұрын
Hey sunfish, how about Tapioca Tundra, Shades Of Gray, Words, Just A Game … how can we choose? Arg!
@ROBYNMARKOW
Жыл бұрын
I "adapted" this song to refer a suburb in Simi Valley, California where my brother lives ( excerpt: 🎶"Another Simi Valley Sunday,brush fires burning everywhere. The nearest mini-mall is miles away,but no one seem to care " 🎶
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Love it!
@nlpnt
Жыл бұрын
I had guessed the original was based on The (San Fernando) Valley, but north Jersey isn't a surprise. Had to be just outside LA or just outside NYC.
@markfinley3703
Жыл бұрын
Nice rewrite. I also write additional lyrics to songs I like. My goal is to write something so true to the original song that unless you already know the song by heart, you won't know which verse is original or which ones I added.
@gagegirl51
Жыл бұрын
Why are you so against this Monkee song? You act as if the guys stole the cords from the Beatles…they didn’t write the lyrics or the music. I have a trained ear in music they are not exactly the same, I can hardly hear the similarities so if you want to complain that they are you go talk to King and Goffin (and their version SUX) but don’t down the Monkees for it. Their version is a gazillion times better
@robertnewell5057
Жыл бұрын
Have to agree with you, but in fairness, the only King versions I have heard are a demo and a grim live version for 2000 odd. I never like Carole's singing or her singer/songwriter material, but she could sure write hit songs appropriate to a wide range of bands. Finally, the similarlty to the Beatles is tiny and a musical footnote.
@davidaston5773
Жыл бұрын
A great song perfectly explored. I always find the 'they're not a real band' tiresome and very ironic siince they had the best song writers who would become (rightly so) big in the 70s. And all the big bands used session players. In the case of the Beatles? Their producer George Martin did a lot of composing and arranging of parts of their songs as well as having an extensive back ground in classical music which involves non band members. Brian Wilson used the Wrecking Crew on much of his ground breaking work. So, it sounds to me a lot of snobbery and very likely jealousy. As for the song? "Pleasant Valley Sunday" is a comment on the 60s and a prediction of how things would be in the 80s. Maybe, the ending is the song itself, is the song and meaning becoming part of the fabric of the same system it comments on? Distorted and lost in time? Because time is the one thing which will never grow old. Everything else is part of it. A slave and willing participant in it. OR maybe it's JUST a great song and nothing more? David
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Thank you, and thanks for watching! I agree re the Monkees' access to top-notch songwriting (I may have to do a Neil Diamond song someday) and the use of session players in those days (and today of course). Sometimes a Beach Boys record was Brian Wilson's genius, the other guys' voices, and the Wrecking Crew. Even the mighty Who had Jimmy Page on "I Can't Explain." The goal is a great record, and if that's how you get it, so what? Also, one could argue that many, if not all, of the big groups in those days were manufactured to some extent. The Monkees just got nailed for it, unfairly so. (I don't know if I can defend Milli Vanilli though....) I think it can be both a great song and something more, but that's actually something that makes it great: it's open to interpretation, but it doesn't need interpretation to be great.
@davidaston5773
Жыл бұрын
Nicely said@@InsideTheSongand I never knew Jimmy page was on "I can't explain". The entire process of selling music to the masses (regardless of era or technology used) is a production. And requires a form of manufacturing and presenting the talent to the public in a way which is palatable. Milli Vanilli and similar is where you're entering fraud. What would a video about that even more interesting is the history of the REAL voices who did the actual recording. Either the entire music industry has a very unpleasant and abusive side to it. Even criminal. The Monkees used and then spat out. In the case of Bobby Fuller and others they were managed by real life organised crime. And that is a completely different ball game. All would make for very fascinating if unnerving watching? David
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
That absolutely would be interesting. More than one '60s rocker has pointed out the role of organized crime in the business then: Buddy Knox, Jimmy Bowen, Van Morrison, the guys from the Four Seasons. The guy who operates the studio where Buddy Holly recorded (I did a tour some years back) had some stories too about what Norman Petty dealt with. Then there's the whole Col. Parker thing....
@davidaston5773
Жыл бұрын
@@InsideTheSong Great balls of FIRE! THEY ALL sound like great material for not one video BUT.... an entire series focusing on organised crime in the music industry? You were able to see the place where BUDDY HOLLY recorded?!? John Lennon would've loved that. I'm glad that Sun studios and Motown are still around. Well, if you want to be inspired there's an episode of the Trace Evidence, KZitem channel, about Bobby Fuller. And much more. 40 to the 60s the Mafia had it's fingers in a lot of pies. And it wasn't a smart idea to say no. David
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
I've been to Norman Petty's studio and to the Sun studio in Memphis: both great experiences. If they did tours, I'd go to Abbey Road. Very few people go to Norman's studio, so my father and I were the only ones there, and I got to play the celesta (from "Everyday"), the piano, and the weird little organ-like thing that's on "Sugar Shack" by the Fireballs. Not sure they still do tours (the guide was pretty elderly), but if they do, it's recommended.
@6catalina0
Жыл бұрын
“Pleasant Valley Sunday” was written by Carol King
@stevehaug3603
Жыл бұрын
You must have slept thru the first half of this video.
@bwtv147
Жыл бұрын
Elvis didn't write his songs, neither did Sinatra, Dean Martin, or Bing Crosby. Were they fake? BTW a song Nesmith wrote put Linda and the Stone Ponies on the map. Not everybody can be Hank Williams or Chuck Berry.
@ian_b
Жыл бұрын
It's a great song, my favourite Monkees song, but the message- attacking suburbia- is churlish. The suburbs represented peace, stability and minor affluence after decades of War and Depression. A better world in which to bring up a family. Denouncing them as "boring" ignores how much people yearned for "boring" after too many "interesting times" (of the Chinese saying). There is something rather mean spirited about it.
@blank557
Жыл бұрын
I've heard a lot of criticisms of suburbia culture and lifestyle, and appreciate how the blandness and sameness of it that irritates the younger generation to yearn for something else. But keep in mind, for many Americans who just endure the Great depression, WW2, and Korea, it was a haven to find peace and get away from all that sacrifice, pain and suffering they endure in the lean and hard years. Believe me, when one gets on it years, peace becomes very appealing when the excitement of noise and crowds fade away. For many in the 1950's and 60's after the wars suburbia, for all its faults was far superior to what they had in the past, and the opportunity to buy a house with a GI bill and benefit was a dream come true compared to paying rent and living in a dirty tenement building in the city.
@TalusAT90
Жыл бұрын
Extremely well done! Interesting and compelling. Loved the music theory! (Had the lunch box.)
@JimFeeley
Жыл бұрын
I'm thinking, this is a pretty good video. Then the Tool bit! Awesome touch. Really. Thanks!
@TheFlowNetwork
Жыл бұрын
Head is a great movie with an awesome soundtrack! I don't think Dennis Hopper was in it...pretty sure you mean Jack Nicholson, who also wrote the script.
@barefoot191
Жыл бұрын
Say what you want about the Monkees, but when they delved into the psychedelic music scene, they were as good as anybody with songs like Daily Nightly and The Porpoise Song.
@nomoreturningaway1459
Жыл бұрын
Yeah barefoot, I really love The Porpoise Song
@RobHollanderMusic
Жыл бұрын
Carole King and Gerry Goffin's Suburban Dystopia, that is.
@petermcgill1315
Жыл бұрын
The Monkees were actors??? SPOILERS!!!
@curtislowe4577
Жыл бұрын
Fortunately the vast majority of us wanted and still want to live the Pleasant Valley Sunday life. A decent house in a decent neighborhood and the career to pay for it. As an 11 year old I couldn't understand what the song was about and discussed it with my mom. She explained that the lyrics were whiny and complainy about a comfortable and pleasant middle claas American life. At that early age I came to understand that the lyrics of many, many songs were just plain dumb. As I got older I came to understand that some people - artists in particular - simply cannot be satisfied or content with the normal that most of us actually seek. Normal bores them. They are addicted to excitement - functionally they are adrenaline junkies and sometimes outright hedonists. How was the squeaky guitar effect created on Black Sabbath "The Thrill Of It All" from the Sabotage album? It starts after intro at 1:02 and continues until bridge at 2:40.
@catzkeet4860
Жыл бұрын
Or maybe the "pleasant valley Sunday" really is a soulless pastiche of what we "think" we should want while all the time, yearning to get off the middle class suburban treadmill, working to afford the car, the house, the pool, the country club memberships, that we can't enjoy because we're too busy working, other than as "performance art" on "pleasant valley Sundays"
@curtislowe4577
Жыл бұрын
@@catzkeet4860 That comment sounds like something a progressive true believer would write. True believers are required to infer they are an authority even on matters that they have no first hand knowledge of. There is and never has been any guarantee that happiness comes from status even though that is a common fictional character personality defect. I may be misremembering this quote: 'money cannot buy happiness but it can buy off unhappiness'. Isn't that the basis of welfare, guaranteed income and raising the minimum wage? An attempt by big government to create middle class citizens by legislative fiat and deficit spending?
@GoGreen1977
Жыл бұрын
I was 12 in 1967, growing up in a very lovely, wooded suburban subdivision outside of a Midwestern city. I immediately understood and agreed with the more subtle message of the lyrics. But there was nothing I could or particularly wanted to do about it, and I loved the melody, the arrangement, and Mickey's voice. Ironically, the song still reflects the lives and lifestyles of the residents in many suburbs today. Not much has changed, including that it is still my favorite song recorded by Monkees.
@garrettdavis6500
Жыл бұрын
I still watch the TV show ( I'm 62, now) I still think it's hilarious, & the music's ( mostly) Great.
@Jermfrog
Жыл бұрын
this was fascinating. great comparison to the paperback writer - one of the few unheralded beatles tunes. and love the tool version. i'd pay for that. and of course the rush nod is wildly appropriate.
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. I like the thought that a quartet of legendary rock groups could be the Beatles, Rush, Tool, and the Monkees.
@jhaduvala
Жыл бұрын
Paperback Writer "unheralded"? By who? Martians?
@gabrielleangelica1977
Жыл бұрын
Boring suburbs? Try being poor in the city...how clueless.
@ThirteenAmp
Жыл бұрын
That does not sound like tool whatsoever Danny would never play such a trash rhythm
@richardgale4827
Жыл бұрын
"Pre-fab Four"? Nah, them's The Rutles.
@davidgress6535
Жыл бұрын
The story of the intro sounding like paperback writer has been told so many times over the song's lifetime but my favorite version is this one I heard it went something like this ; The intro to pleasant valley Sunday sounds like it was borrowed from John Lennon and Paul McCartney version of paperback writer . That could be a compliment to Lennon/ McCartney from King/ Goffin being that Lennon/McCartney Said that they wanted to be the next Goffin/King. And as the beatles, Lennon/McCartney often copied Goffin/ King on a lot of early beatles music. So now with pleasant valley Sunday sounding like the beatles' paperback writer is this idea . Pleasant valley Sunday is Goffin/King trying to sound like the beatles with paperback writer while what we have with the beatles' paperback writer is Lennon/McCartney trying to sound like Goffin/King. So pleasant valley Sunday just completes the musical circle because it sounds like Goffin/ King trying to sound like the beatles who in turn started out trying to write like Goffin /King . So basically pleasant valley Sunday is just Goffin / King trying to sound like Goffin/King via through Lennon /McCartney. It happens everyday in pop music.
@antrygis1
Жыл бұрын
A lot of girls, (My sister too) got a crush on at least one of these guys....yeah. But they were fun. I knew they were kind of put together but they were FUN! And the show was our generations 3 Stooges with music. It was a lot of fun. Goofy fun. Good memories. And a lot of their songs were good and written by folks who wrote a lot of hits of that time. Great memories.
@DEVOn.A.Skertic
Жыл бұрын
Well.....now I do need the version from TOOL. Thanks for putting that into my head.
@jamesswapinski9190
Жыл бұрын
Chip Douglas came up with the opening riff Nesmith learned it from him
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Many thanks!
@HarborLockRoad
Жыл бұрын
Chip was a top member of Gene Clarks post byrds band.... If you listen to the lost gene clark album, " gene clark sings for you", theres no proof its them, but who else could it be? Its awesome, and they look young and energetic enough at the time to have pulled it off. If its them, kudos! 👍😁❤️
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Wow, that's an interesting find! Thanks, and thanks for watching!
@brianarbenz1329
Жыл бұрын
@@HarborLockRoad I thought he was referring to Chip from My Three Sons! 🤦♂
@jazzpunk
Жыл бұрын
DOH!!!
@GuitarLessonsBobbyCrispy
Жыл бұрын
I always loved that guitar intro, and yes it is indeed very 'Beatles' sounding, as well as the song, ever since I was a kid in the 1970's.
@ks8452
Жыл бұрын
I'm 65 and I have Pleasant Valley Sunday on my MP3. I always turn it up when it plays. Great song.
@jameschriss8664
Жыл бұрын
This is really a superb analysis. Congratulations.
@nomoreturningaway1459
Жыл бұрын
Nice work, man. I had always tied Mike’s licks to I Want To Tell You, Last Train To Clakesville, and felt you could play it with Paperback Writer, but you snagged me on Day Tripper. Right on. I get off on everything from Loretta Thorpe to Mozart to The Allman Brothers to Rick Nelson to Al di Meola to The Association to Bob Marley and The Monkees. And Jones was right. They weren’t the first “prefab” band. Who was the first drummer of The Beatles? And are The Byrds fake because they used studio musicians? Dolenz … “the four kings of EMI are sitting stately on the floor, … “ when he was falling for Samantha and Lennon told the Monkees - or Nez - they were doing good. Thanks for reminding us that they and the this song made us feel like dancing.
@tangogrrl
Жыл бұрын
"What if Tool were to cover this song?" Love that
@davemathews7890
Жыл бұрын
I'm so glad the people are beginning to treat The Monkees seriously. Some of their music was bubble gum pop, but other songs (this and "Daily Nightly") were thoughtful and deserve close analysis.
@ShamrockParticle
Жыл бұрын
DN was also experimental, with the Moog synthesizer track really hitting the spot. The early recording (a bonus track on one of the re-release albums) lacks the Moog and it's a radically flatter sound that it's hard to believe
@davemathews7890
Жыл бұрын
@@ShamrockParticle Thank you for the information. I've never heard the early recording of DN. The first time I remember hearing the Moog after this song came out was Walter/Wendy Carlos' score of the film, "A Clockwork Orange." That was close to 5 years after DN. There were probably other Moog recordings in between, but the soundtrack is the one I remember. Very cold and chilling. I always thought that "Randy Scouse Git" reflected an experimental attitude. It's like the Monkees combined 3 or 4 songs into one. And it's still very listenable.
@stevehaug3603
Жыл бұрын
As far as some of their music being bubble gum/pop, they were an extremely successful commercial gold mine intentionally targeting a certain audience, and twelve year olds were not into music like In A Godda DeVitta.
@John-bd2gz
Жыл бұрын
Peter is playing an electric piano on that one, possibly a Wurlitzer. Also, the Pleasant Valley guitar riff is also echoing "Last Train to Clarksville". Also, there are different mixes of Pleasant Valley that have different endings.
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Ah, thank you for the update on the electric piano. I couldn't seem to find that when I was researching it.
@harrywood6150
Жыл бұрын
I still think they was up there with the Best 😊
@MothraBlues
Жыл бұрын
Great breakdown of a stone cold classic pop song! Have subscribed in the hope of more song breakdowns in the future. Cheers from Aotearoa, New Zealand. 👍✌🖖
@jacquelinestapleton9490
Жыл бұрын
Loved them. I watched that show on Saturdays as a kid. Fond memories of them.
@brokinarrow1
Жыл бұрын
you can make those connections with hundreds of pop songs,it wasn't a direct rip off in my opinion.
@HarborLockRoad
Жыл бұрын
My fave monkees song too. Are yall aware the eagles cover of seven bridges road is actually a blatant ripoff of mike Nesmith/ ian matthews rework of steve youngs original? Look up ian Matthews 1971 version that mike nesmith produced. Its been proven the eagles heard it performed live, and also posessed the album, given by hand to them by matthews, of British fairport convention fame whod gone solo after sandy denny joined the band. Nesmith was great, its a pitty the monkees debacle sullied his career for history. ( PS: this story in itself would be a great episode for you to explore!!!)
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for that interesting info! I'll dig into that. There's also the possibility (likelihood?) that the Eagles lifted "Hotel California" from Jethro Tull's "We Used to Know."
@georgeprice4212
Жыл бұрын
Mike Nesmith had a few singles released on the Colpix label under the name Michael Blessing.
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Thanks for that little nugget! I think I have a compilation from the '90s of his solo stuff. I'll look for them there.
@georgeprice4212
Жыл бұрын
@@InsideTheSong They probably wouldn’t be on there, as they weren’t major league hits.
@njiuma
Жыл бұрын
The similarities of "Day Tripper" & "Paperback Writer" to "Pleasant Valley Sunday" are undeniable. However: I heard a long time ago that the opening riff was inspired by "I Want To Tell You": Chip Douglas, a former member of The Turtles who produced the Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd album, played bass and came up with the guitar part, which was based on The Beatles "I Want to Tell You." He taught it to Nesmith, who overdubbed it twice. You can see him play the line during a close-up for the "video." Perhaps there's a way to verify...?
@jenniferschillig3768
Жыл бұрын
Hope to see more of your song analyses!
@floydmays6308
Жыл бұрын
Most rock songs have parts that are “nipped” as McCartney says, from other songs. The Beatles never denied that practice. After all, there’s only 8 notes all music has come from. That’s why rhythm, tempo, feel, and sonics are so important.
@jazzpunk
Жыл бұрын
C'mon...there's 12 notes. :-)
@mattskustomkreations
Жыл бұрын
Not “nipped”, “nicked”.
@terrymiller111
Жыл бұрын
@@jazzpunk In some music (eg. some Eastern music), there's more. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microtonal_music
@jazzpunk
Жыл бұрын
@@terrymiller111 Absolutely. I stayed close to home (Western music)...although, there are those who play within the microtonal world here, as well: David Fiuczynski, Joe Maneri, etc.
@deerfish3000
Жыл бұрын
There used to be a radio show back in the mid eighties called Kids America. I remember I wrote a letter to the show requesting this song. A couple weeks later, I was live on the show requesting it over the phone. This was 1986 when they had their big comeback and MTV and a local TV station in Detroit, Channel 50, used to show their old episodes. Good times!
@OmniphonProductions
Жыл бұрын
13:08 - Why the photo of Neil Peart on the line, "Conform, or be cast out?" If anything, he represents an approach that draws on the greats that preceded him...giving proper credit to his influences in the process...while continuing to innovate at a level that makes _others_ try (and generally fail) to be like _him._ Having said that, Stewart Copeland is my favorite drummer, _despite_ the fact that...when I first started playing drums, back in the late '80s...I set up my kit in front of the TV and practiced along to (1) VH1 and (2) The Monkees reruns. Great video! Considering how many of _today's_ stars got their start in pre-fab teen pop bands...that don't write their own material or play instruments...The Monkees deserve a break. P.S. If I'm correctly informed, the main reason _Head_ was so bizarre was that The Monkees wrote it while holed up in a hotel, getting high with Jack Nicholson.
@paulnolan4971
Жыл бұрын
Some of the greatest pop melodies of the 60s.
@pat5882
Жыл бұрын
Actually, there’s a good deal of paper back writer in Clarksville. They needed a “B” side for the monkees theme. Bobby Hart hopped in his car back then turns on the radio and catches the ending of paperback writer. And Clarksville was immediately born then.
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Good point. And the electric guitar fills in "I'm a Believer" are evocative of various Beatles riffs too. At some point I guess you just say "Late '60s pop music had cool but similar guitar riffs"!
@pat5882
Жыл бұрын
@@InsideTheSong Thanks! Up until the Pepper album, many a band/song writer(s) were doing their best to capture the Beatle sound from the previous 3 1/2 years. A few years back i was listening to Snoopy’s Christmas(Royal Guardsmen) my daughter asked if it was the Beatles. I said i always thought the same thing when i was a kid. She was about 14 then.
@hanleyk
Жыл бұрын
Anti-Vietnam song: "Last Train to Clarksville" (1966) was written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. In an interview, Hart explained, "Yes, it was a Vietnam War protest song about a young man who gets drafted. The train is taking him to an Army post, and he knows that he may die in Vietnam." About the last line, "And I don't know if I'm ever coming home," "We couldn't be too direct with The Monkees. We couldn't really make a protest song out of it - we kind of snuck it in." In a 2016 interview, Dolenz said, "Considering that it was a Monkees song, I was always surprised that the record company even released it unless it just went right over their head." Clarksville, Tennessee is near Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the home of the 101st Airborne Division.
@mattgrant6910
Жыл бұрын
Great video 👏🏼
@InsideTheSong
Жыл бұрын
Thank you much!
@marymccarthy8253
5 ай бұрын
Hello Charles, I just finished listening to your, breaking down of the song, 'Pleasant Valley Sunday ' sung by The Monkees. Thank-you for all of your efforts in doing this for all of us. I really enjoyed . Now can you explain something I came across while reading some information, background of this song. It was said that the truth behind this song is, its about an elderly man, remembering better days in his life. Is this true? I wish I read this explanation alot earlier in my life. I was befriended in April. 1977, by David Jones, and I could have asked David if that was true? Also befriended by our Peter Tork in 1979 I could have asked either one . I believe they would had known the truth of the background of this song. Just like, to a very shocked me! At a Monkees convention, a fella named Michael Boyce, ( not related to TOMMY BOYCE) he told me, and other people around me, The real background of Harry N 's 'Cuddly Toy' is O'de to a gang bang' I was shocked! He said it was presented hiding the true background, because it was planned for The Monkees fans, and it would had never got passed the ethics committee. Recently, I read, this song real background was about ,a young girl, being passed around members of a motorcycle gang! That made me feel sick! Can't believe David Jones, had to sing lead on this song! With such a sickening background 😪 But I feel when you are under contract, you have to follow thru, regardless of your personal feelings, whatever they may be? David was a very professional, ethical entertainer, but God knows ,what all was asked, of all the guys ❤ I wrote about all, this because it bothered me for yrs. I just wished I'd gotten the chance to ask the guys, in yrs. passed.❤ MaryMcCarthy
@splashfreelance2376
2 ай бұрын
I know I'm being 'that guy', but I can't imagine ambitious wannabe influencers caring about authentically playing their instruments these days. Even actual pop stars like Dua Lipa don't play instruments, and often have their voice barely heard if at all over the prerecorded backing tracks when playing live. All that grinding and gurning would make it hard to play and sing. No really, the dancing and booty shaking is a full time occupation, it's amazing they can sing at all. And I don't want to pick on Dua Lipa particularly, I just read something recently about how the story of her being a real, jobbing musician is basically made up. Yes, she can play keys, and probably strum a guitar but that's what they teach them at stage school and rock school these days. Even Amy Winehouse, about as authentic as you can imagine and I doubt ever mimed to a recorded vocal, was a stage school brat. The world has changed since the 60s.
@fueledbylove
Жыл бұрын
Why 12 yrs old I was 8 and tuned in every Sat. morn and even ate Corn Flakes. The Monkees made me laugh and the music was superb. Liked the Beatles too but their cartoon was dopey & kid stuff, compared to the Monkees TV show
@brockreynolds870
4 ай бұрын
Considering their success.. you would have thought that they would have had many more than 6 top 10 hits. By comparison, The Supremes had TWENTY.
@johnsain
Жыл бұрын
The activities in the song would be replaced today.....by big screen TV's and computers in every room.....and hours, .....not in the garden.....but online,...and indoors....perhaps endless hours playing video games....perhaps checking out porn.........roses are in-bloom?....no, my marijuana plants are in-bloom....and don't forget the selfies in the bathroom mirror.....checking out the latest youtube lip-plumping, breast and butt enhancing videos.... and excessive make-up techniques....for both gals and guys....and then what's that latest tiktok challenge again?.....Yep,...I think I'd prefer to be the people in the original song.......How ironic is that Mrs King?
@rf396
Жыл бұрын
The Monkees were ABSOLUTELY manufactured and THEY never disputed that but who gives a damn? Actually the fact that R&S actually managed to cast musicians with talent not to mention Micky who, (saddled with drums exactly as McCartney had been saddled with bass) had developed a unique approach that was his own due to a weak right foot from an injury causing him to shift behind the kit. So, ok they didn't technically play on the first two albums but again they weren't HIRED for that and when they DID get that chance they pulled it off on Headquarters, unfortunately they didn't continue this but they proved they COULD do it. But lets blow away all the idiotic outrage that swirled around them. Here is a FACT.The band did influence other younger musicians coming up myself included. When I began playing drums, besides Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich who seemed other worldly and unreachable even as an influence, Ringo and Mickey were approachable, real and of course, closer in age to us as young people. Its why Ringo was King and still is, BUT both he AND Micky made being a drummer in a band not only look like the best job in the universe but Micky actually lead the band on vocals as well. This was huge to a young kid growing up. I'm not sure if the band themselves every realized or accepted the major influence they had on a ton of us. Manufactured? yup. Brilliant? ALSO yup.
@marcepard8049
5 ай бұрын
Thanks for this. My first big time concert was the Monkees at the Denver Coliseum when I was in 6th grade. I lived in NW Kansas and our family always went to Denver at least once each summer. My brother and I convinced our parents to take us to the Monkees concert. It blew me away and was hooked on live music. Recently, Mickey and Mike were also the last big-ish show I went to, this time in KC shortly before Mike died. It was during Covid, but after vaccines, and it was a terrific show. Near me in the audience were grandmothers who brought their granddaughters, who already know all the songs! Mickey’s performance was strong and the stories and songs were warm, but it was clear that Mike was fading. I’m super glad I went.
@eksit101
Жыл бұрын
You start this video off acting like they were supposed to be a band. NO, IT STARTED OFF AS A TV SHOW, ALL MUSIC MADE WERE SPECIFICALLY MADE FOR SHOW!
@mason4490
4 ай бұрын
I always thought the riff was lifted from the Beatles...not Paperback Writer or Day Tripper- but rather I Want to Tell You. I don't know for certain if all of those were all George Harrison inventions, but I'll bet the one on I Want to Tell You is. The Beatle song came out a year before the Monkees song.
@pressureworks
Жыл бұрын
3:12 George Hamilton doll ??? (Far right). Are these examples of counterfeit merchandise ? As these dolls don't even look like any of the .onkees
@pcperez72
Жыл бұрын
The riff was played by Nesmith on a black Les Paul. The same he used to play 'listen to the band' on TV's 33 1/3 monkee per revolution. Musically, the most talented musician was Tork, no doubt. Some argue Stephen Stills would make a difference. I don't think so. In the first years, the Monkees were locked inside Kirshner's cage, so Stills would be nulled as well. Also , Tork was his friend and roommate . Both had the same influences. I don't regret for a minute not including Stills on the show. Monkee's were a symbol of an era. Headquarters proved them talented musicians and Randy's Scouse Git proved a superb song with superb interpretation. An era one had to truly sing. No auto tune available.
@dantefloressq
Жыл бұрын
Oof. This is the kind of conversations i have with myself. So glad youtube recommended and happy to subscribe
@nazfrde
Жыл бұрын
You really need to normalize the volume levels of different sources/segments. I had to turn my volume way up to hear your voice, and then some piece of music BLASTED my eardrums. Oh, and you're playing Paperback Writer wrong.
@shannonwittman950
Жыл бұрын
In a parallel reality, Pete Tork might've been pulled west by joining one of the rising folk-rock bands of the 1970's (recommended by pal Steve Stills). Mike Nesmith, who was a gifted songwriter (in my opinion), might've gone to form a country-rock band emerging in the latter part of the 20th century. In this reality we all know -- the four guys needed a break in the entertainment business and they got it, only to discover the network TV giants wanted to gobble 'em up -- and then spit 'em out when the public lost interest.
@mfrankel8321
Жыл бұрын
Charles, what a brilliant piece of analysis on an excellent Monkees song. It never occurred to me that the opening riff could borrow from Paperback Writer and Day Tripper, but you do make a compelling case. Pieces like yours are KZitem at it's very best. Count me in as a subscriber. Thank you!
@davids5336
Жыл бұрын
You can analyze anything to such a degree, that you'll find all kinds of details and nuances that make sense and ironically and paradoxically have no meaning or common sense at all! Anything in life can become boring, monotenaus and anxiety and depression inducing! My favorite song of all time is Hotel California by The Eagles! Life is a combination of hell and heaven, and everything in between and beyond! A mystery until who knows when! Life is all over the place, maybe a simulation, a dream/nitemare, a Twilight Zone and or Outer Limits program, Windmills Of Your Mind, and just so much more, but I have to stop at some point! Something to ponder I suppose! Until whenever! Goodbye!
@SGBassplayer
9 ай бұрын
“Pleasant Valley Sunday” is not my favorite song of theirs, but for my money it tops The Beatles’ version of the same song (“Penny Lane”) handily. It’s not their fault they didn’t write it; plenty of successful musical acts didn’t write (or even play instruments on) the songs they sang, either at the time, prior to, or since. It’s called “the music industry” for a reason.
@SIXPACFISH
Жыл бұрын
Davy Jones was by all accounts a good drummer, and Micky Dolenz was a fair guitarist. All four of them were actually good musicians. But the producers didn't want the cutest one hidden behind the drum set. So Davy and Micky had to learn new instruments, which they did. Mike Nesmith was a good songwriter, and wrote my favorite Monkees song What Am I Doing Hangin Round. The 3 riffs you mention sound nothing alike. Using your logic every song that uses notes are all the same. And no one seems to care. When you half-assed mixed the two, it sounded like crap. Stop hating on people who you will never have even 01% of their talent or success. You are simply jealous that they got handed a great deal that you will never get. And they made the best of that deal!
@jeffcarlson3269
Жыл бұрын
Cash Box obviously missed the intended satire behind the song... so what?... it is not like the first time Cash Box has called satires quaint and missed their point...probably. what about Ode to Billy Joe.. or Harper Valley P.T.A.? .. I am sure they had the same review for those ditties..... they cannot help it if they did not have their finger on pulse of the Pop genre back in those days... they were more geared toward Soul, R & B, and Country..
@Brianp823
Жыл бұрын
Peter Tork was also a member of the Laurel Canyon club and was good friends with Steven Stills. Stills also tried out for the monkees and Tork introduced Buffalo Springfield at the Monterey Pop festival in 1967.
@MichaelBoltonsEntireCatalog
Жыл бұрын
I'd take a Pleasant Valley Sunday long before a Vanguard Blackrock Shithole. Mono single version of PVS far exceeds the stereo on PAC&J or any of the compilations.
@nothingisrealnothingtogeth6833
Жыл бұрын
I think the easiest way to really sum up The Monkees would be: they were the Pinocchio equivalent of the music industry. They were supposed to just be fake, artificial, almost wooden. But from the very moment they were made, they wanted to become real, which they did, very soon into it. They rejected being a product almost instantly, but just weren't allowed to publicly show it until they started performing live as just the four of them since late 1966.
@DavidPetrovich108
Жыл бұрын
Great video offering! I really like the approach that you take. Maybe it's just me, but it drives me crazy when people don't tune their guitars when doing riff demos. Great offering, though!
@syater
Жыл бұрын
Great pop song and an entertaining analysis of it! I wasn't aware that urbanites Gerry and Carole had a front row seat of the suburbs, having just moved into one. Lyrically it does seem to be critical of suburbs, paricularly "rows of houses that are all the same," built and sold inexpensively allowing veterans to start family life now that they were back from WWII. If not exactly a paean to tract housing, the lyrics nevertheless seem to celebrate that sort life to a degree as well. Rose gardens, TVs, garage bands, barbecues may have numbed outsiders Gerry and Carole's souls but allowed them to observe and encapsulate an American way of life that millions lived inside. Great post !
@funnybone2632
Жыл бұрын
Pleasant Valley Sunday wasn't the Monkees' Suburban Dystopia. They never recorded their own music in the studio, and their songs were written by someone else. And the songs they sang over were picked for them by someone else. They were hired to be Beatles knock-offs so the producers could make some $$$.
@laurencaulton103
Жыл бұрын
Carole King and husband Gerry Goff had moved to the suburbs from NYC. Goff really didn't like it, hence the anti-suburbia lyrics.
@Derpy1969
Жыл бұрын
I’m not a music major and can’t carry a tune but I think you can sing the following text during the non-verbal portion of PVS: Blah blah blah blah Blah blah blah blah Blah blah blah blah blah blah Blaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh….. (x2) Sounds good.
@orthicon9
Жыл бұрын
That opening riff shows up later (1970) on Grand Funk Railroad's "I'm Your Captain". It's a great riff.
@maryannmoran-smyth3453
Жыл бұрын
The Monkees were my favorite first band when I was a kid and all I cared about was singing the songs and not about the bullshit behind it and well maybe that’s the point… Now some years later, I still play my guitar every day and try and recapture that feeling of being a kid and it works every time… Keep on rockin
@jeffreyjacobs390
Жыл бұрын
We always want what we do not have ..... when we get it - if we should be that lucky - it often brings more than we thought it all about ! They could all perform .... just not at a level the Studio Pros would have done ! The real issue was EGOS ..... well ego to be exact ! That would be the big shot Don Kirschner who always got his way, presumed omnipotent in decisions .... he had no talent beyond business ..... draw your own conclusions.
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