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TL;DR:

  • Elvis Presley’s songwriters wrote one of The Monkees’ songs.
  • Peter Tork said he upstaged Micky Dolenz by singing the track.
  • The tune in question became a hit in the United States and the United Kingdom.
Elvis Presley with a guitar
Elvis Presley | Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

Elvis Presley‘s songwriters wrote one of The Monkees’ songs. Subsequently, Peter Tork said the track was a personal favorite of his. The tune in question became a hit in the United States and the United Kingdom.

A pair of songwriters wrote ‘Hound Dog,’ ‘Jailhouse Rock,’ and other Elvis Presley songs

Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller were a songwriting duo who wrote or co-wrote Elvis hits such as “Hound Dog,” “Trouble,” “Jailhouse Rock,” and “Don’t.” In addition, the duo penned songs by other artists, such as Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me” and The Coasters’ “Yakety Yak.”

During a 2015 interview with National Rock Review, Tork discussed the Prefab Four’s songbook. “We had a tremendous crew of songwriters working for us,” he said. “So if I say that the Monkees songbook was maybe the third best songbook in pop history, behind maybe only The Beatles and the Stones, this is not me patting myself on the back, this is me going ‘Look at that’ … as I think you would too.”

Peter Tork revealed he loved singing 1 of The Monkees’ songs while clowning around on the stage

Tork was asked about his favorite song to perform live. “I’ve always thought that ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday’ was The Monkees’ best single so that one stands out very well,” he said. “Right now there’s a song called ‘D.W. Washburn’ which was a late Monkees hit, it did well. I’m now singing bass on that. 

“So I’m having a lot of fun going ‘D.W. Washburn’ (singing the song with a deep voice and laughing),” he said. “So Iately, I’m enjoying myself on that and I start to clown around something fierce. I think I upstage Micky with it.” Notably, Leiber and Stoller wrote “D.W. Washburn.”

Related

The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz Revealed How Elvis Presley Changed His Life as a Musician

How The Monkees’ ‘D.W. Washburn’ performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“D.W. Washburn” reached No. 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for seven weeks. The tune appeared on The Monkees’ album Then & Now … The Best of The Monkees, which hit No. 21 on the Billboard 200 and stayed on the chart for 34 weeks.

According to The Official Charts Company, “D.W. Washburn” peaked at No. 17 in the United Kingdom and remained on the chart for six weeks. Meanwhile, Then & Now … The Best of The Monkees never charted in the U.K.

Leiber and Stoller had a huge impact on Elvis’ career and an impact on The Monkees’ career as well.

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