Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Last Train to Clarksville by The Monkees is a song with a secret message. One that never would have gotten airplay if the music industry knew what this squeaky clean band was putting out. And though it seems pretty obvious in hindsight, not everyone got what Last Train was really about. The song’s controversial message was camouflaged by a jangly, upbeat sound and performed by a band that had been manufactured in a lab. The Monkees didn’t write any of their own music, at least not at first. Later though they would fight the power for a chance to write and record their own music. Today, we’re pulling back the curtain on a protest song disguised as a happy-go-lucky singalong that came to be when its writer Bobby Hart heard the Beatles song Paperback Writer and misheard the lyric. When he figured out he’d been singing it wrong he turned his misheard lyrics into a #1 smash. And coming up in an in-depth interview, Hart will tell you the whole story. You’re not going to want to miss this one. The story’s coming up… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.
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#classicrock #shorts #60smusic #themonkees
Hey music junkies, Professor of Rock, always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time.
I’m excited to return to another one of my favorite shows that we do on this channel. It’s called Breakthrough. In this show we break down songs, albums or events that kick open the door to an artist or band’s career and gave them the momentum to rocket to long-term success. On today’s episode, we’re featuring a smash hit that was inspired by a misheard lyrics of another song by a band that was put together by Hollywood to cash in on the Beatles' popularity… the so-called fabricated four: The Monkees. From their 1966 self-titled debut record, it’s the Last Train to Clarksville.
The Monkees were formed after a casting call went out in September 1965 in Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter looking for “Folk & Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in new TV series.” The parts were for specifically for “4 insane boys, age 17–21.” This cattle call of young actors and musicians totaled over 400 who auditioned including some other names that would later become iconic including Stephen Stills, David Crosby, Harry Nillson Paul Williams and Danny Hutton from Three Dog Night. There was also a rumor that Charles Manson tried out but that turned out to be false. In the end of course the finalists, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, Davy Jones, and Micky Dolenz were chosen from a stack of 437 applicants to appear on the 1966 sitcom The Monkees. The show, taking it cue from The Beatle's zany movie A Hard Day’s Night, was about a fictional band and featured plenty of hi-jinx and musical performances.
However, the members of the Monkees were chosen more for their acting abilities, rather than any proven musical talent. Although to their credit, both Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith were already both musicians going in. Screen Gems, the Columbia Pictures’ production company that shot the series, owned a record label called Colgems.
Last Train to Clarksville by The Monkees is a song with a secret message. One that never would have gotten airplay if the music industry knew what this squeaky clean band was putting out. And though it seems pretty obvious in hindsight, not everyone got what Last Train was really about. The song’s controversial message was camouflaged by a jangly, upbeat sound and performed by a band that had been manufactured in a lab. The Monkees didn’t write any of their own music, at least not at first. Later though they would fight the power for a chance to write and record their own music. Today, we’re pulling back the curtain on a protest song disguised as a happy-go-lucky singalong that came to be when its writer Bobby Hart heard the Beatles song Paperback Writer and misheard the lyric. When he figured out he’d been singing it wrong he turned his misheard lyrics into a #1 smash. And coming up in an in-depth interview, Hart will tell you the whole story. You’re not going to want to miss this one. The story’s coming up… NEXT on the Professor of Rock.
--
#classicrock #shorts #60smusic #themonkees
Hey music junkies, Professor of Rock, always here to celebrate the greatest artists and the greatest songs of all time.
I’m excited to return to another one of my favorite shows that we do on this channel. It’s called Breakthrough. In this show we break down songs, albums or events that kick open the door to an artist or band’s career and gave them the momentum to rocket to long-term success. On today’s episode, we’re featuring a smash hit that was inspired by a misheard lyrics of another song by a band that was put together by Hollywood to cash in on the Beatles' popularity… the so-called fabricated four: The Monkees. From their 1966 self-titled debut record, it’s the Last Train to Clarksville.
The Monkees were formed after a casting call went out in September 1965 in Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter looking for “Folk & Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in new TV series.” The parts were for specifically for “4 insane boys, age 17–21.” This cattle call of young actors and musicians totaled over 400 who auditioned including some other names that would later become iconic including Stephen Stills, David Crosby, Harry Nillson Paul Williams and Danny Hutton from Three Dog Night. There was also a rumor that Charles Manson tried out but that turned out to be false. In the end of course the finalists, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork, Davy Jones, and Micky Dolenz were chosen from a stack of 437 applicants to appear on the 1966 sitcom The Monkees. The show, taking it cue from The Beatle's zany movie A Hard Day’s Night, was about a fictional band and featured plenty of hi-jinx and musical performances.
However, the members of the Monkees were chosen more for their acting abilities, rather than any proven musical talent. Although to their credit, both Peter Tork and Michael Nesmith were already both musicians going in. Screen Gems, the Columbia Pictures’ production company that shot the series, owned a record label called Colgems.
