1966 Songs: Last Train to Clarksville

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Ah-ha! Now I have you where I want you!! It’s time to go back sixty years, and definitely one of the biggest hits of the year. It’s also one of the most enduring songs from 1966. Sing along!! Last Train to Clarksville - The Monkees Back in January, I wrote about the death of Bobby Hart as one of the highlighted music obituaries of 2025. I got shrugs. Now I get revenge!!! Bobby Hart and his songwriting partner, Tommy Boyce, wrote this song. This was the first single by the Pre-Fab Four, as The Monkees were called. They were basically trying to re-create the insanity of A Hard Day’s Night in a TV series. (You really can’t deny the subtle similarity in sound to an early Beatles song with this one.) The influence is still felt today: even MTV acknowledged that The Monkees series was the forerunner to videos. And yet these guys still aren’t in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There’s only one left living: Mickey Dolenz, who sang lead on this song. Get on the ball, Cleveland, and induct them! As for y’all, just enjoy one of the great songs of the 60s. Last Train to Clarksville Written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart Recorded by The Monkees From The Monkees, 1966 I can’t hear you in this noisy railroad station: