Saturday September 10, 2022 “Pleasant Valley Sunday” The Monkees

So today we have singing monkees and these Monkees are singing about a pleasant valley Sunday on a Saturday…weird.  More importantly we’re through with those irritating parables as this song is exactly as it seems lyrically, and I couldn’t be happier.

Let’s get this out right away, The Monkees were not just a prefabricated band in a bad TV series but they were a cultural and musical phenomenon.  Sure they didn’t play their own instruments on most of their recordings but then neither did Buffalo Springfield, the Byrds and most of the bands that recorded in the 60s.  Record companies didn’t want to risk expensive studio time with untested musicians but would rather have their own professional staff musicians record albums and songs.

The Monkees were also blessed with some of the very best songwriters of that moment, Carole King and Jerry Goffin, Neil Diamond, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, John Stewart and so many others and in 1967 and 1968 Monkees recordings outsold the number of records that the Beatles and the Rolling Stones sold in the US…together.

None of the individual members would go on to post Monkee fame with perhaps the exception of Michael Nesmith who would produce some independent movies like Repo Man and Tapeheads and release some additional records as the First National Band but the Monkees together represent a musical moment that is both important and relevant and they should have the respect that a band deserves that has ten top ten singles, including three number one records, sold more than 65 million records and who were important enough to be identified, like their Beatle counterparts, by first names only…Peter, Mike, Davey and Mickey.

Monkee credibility: both Liberace and Frank Zappa made guest appearances on their TV show and Mike Nesmith was invited and attended the recording of the Beatles “A Day in the Life” and would introduce the world to Linda Ronstadt with her Stone Poneys recording of “Different Drum” which Nesmith wrote.

Stay safe and well…and sure, in hindsight maybe this should have been ‘parable week’ but who would have opened song of the day if you thought it was going to be some excruciating parable…so I went with animals…everyone loves animals. 

The local rock group down the street

Is trying hard to learn their song

They serenade the weekend squire

Who just came out to mow his lawn

Another pleasant valley Sunday

Charcoal burning everywhere

Rows of houses that are all the same

And no one seems to care

 See Mrs. Gray, she's proud today

Because her roses are in bloom

And Mr. Green, he's so serene

He's got a TV in every room

Another pleasant valley Sunday

Here in status symbol land

Mothers complain about how hard life is

And the kids just don't understand

 Creature comfort goals, they only numb my soul

And make it hard for me to see

(Ah ah ah) ah thoughts all seem to stray to places far away

I need a change of scenery

 Ta ta ta ta, ta ta ta ta

Ta ta ta ta, ta ta ta ta

 Another pleasant valley Sunday

Charcoal burning everywhere

Another pleasant valley Sunday

Here in status symbol land

Another pleasant valley Sunday (a pleasant valley Sunday)

Another pleasant valley Sunday (a pleasant valley Sunday)

Another pleasant valley Sunday (a pleasant valley Sunday)

Another pleasant valley Sunday (a pleasant valley Sunday)

Another pleasant valley Sunday (a pleasant valley Sunday)