Last Train to Clarksville
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"Last Train to Clarksville" is a number-one single by The Monkees, included on the group's 1966 self-titled album.
Written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, the song tells the story of a young man who has been drafted and is trying to arrange one last date with his girlfriend before shipping off to Vietnam (thus explaining the repeated line, "... and I don't know if I'm ever coming home.") Like many hit Monkees songs of the era ("Cuddly Toy", "Pleasant Valley Sunday'"), the song pairs a fast, chipper melody with darker lyrics. Micky Dolenz performs the lead vocal, with Boyce playing acoustic guitar.
Recorded at RCA Victor Studio A, Hollywood, on July 25, 1966, "Last Train to Clarksville" peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States.
The song's title appears to refer to the city of Clarksville, Tennessee, and by implication to nearby Fort Campbell, Kentucky, but Hart claims that this is a coincidence and that the choice of the name "Clarksville" was arbitrary.[1]
| Preceded by "96 Tears" by ? & the Mysterians |
Billboard Hot 100 number one single November 5, 1966 |
Succeeded by "Poor Side of Town" by Johnny Rivers |
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