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TL;DR:

  • Mike Nesmith believed there was depth to The Monkees’ “Last Train to Clarksville.”
  • He compared the lyrics of the track to a song from his aunt’s record collection.
  • “Last Train to Clarksville” became a massive hit.
Mike Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork in front of a curtain during The Monkees' "Last Train to Clarksville" era
The Monkees’ Mike Nesmith, Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork | Bettmann / Contributor

Mike Nesmith compared The Monkees‘ “Last Train to Clarksville” to an older song. Subsequently, he revealed singing the track made him get “all choked up.” He also compared lyrics from the track to an earlier classic song.

Mike Nesmith compared The Monkees’ ‘Last Train to Clarksville’ to an earlier song

During a 2021 interview with Rolling Stone, Nesmith discussed the reception of the Prefab Four’s music. Nesmith compared “Last Train to Clarksville” to an earlier song. “I started off listening to my great aunt’s record collection,” he said. “One record she had was The Mills Brothers’ ‘Till Then.’ The lyrics go ‘Someday I know I’ll be back again/Please wait till then.’ It recently dawned on me that it was ‘Last Train to Clarksville:’ ‘And I don’t know if I’m ever coming home … ‘” For context, The Mills Brothers were a traditional pop group that peaked in the 1930s and 1940s.

Nesmith then discussed singing “Last Train to Clarksville.” “When I start to sing it, I get deep with emotion and all choked up,” he said. Nesmith’s voice cracked. “I think, ‘Wait a minute? Are we singing the same song?'”

The Monkees’ Peter Tork once covered The Mills Brothers’ ‘Till Then’

The Monkees continued to tour after Peter Tork’s death in 2019. During a 2019 interview with Billboard, Micky Dolenz discussed touring without Tork. He revealed the tour included a video interlude of Tork playing “Till Then.”

“It’s nothing too maudlin, definitely a tip of the hat and a little bit of a tribute to Peter and his music,” Dolenz said. “I would imagine the audience is always coming out to celebrate The Monkees, but I would imagine there’s something emotionally greater to that celebration now, after you’ve lost one of your guys.”

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The Monkees’ ‘Last Train to Clarksville’ Was Almost Named After a Real Town in Arizona

How ‘Last Train to Clarksville’ performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“Last Train to Clarksville” became a massive hit for The Monkees. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for a week, staying on the chart for a total of 15 weeks. It became the Prefab Four’s first chart-topper in the United States. The song appeared on the group’s self-titled debut album. The Monkees reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for 13 weeks, remaining on the chart for a total of 102 weeks.

According to The Official Charts Company, “Last Train to Clarksville” was a more modest hit in the United Kingdom. There, the tune peaked at No. 23 and stayed on the chart for seven weeks. The Monkees became more popular there, hitting No. 1 for seven weeks and remaining on the chart for a total of 37 weeks.

“Last Train to Clarksville” may not be the most acclaimed song ever but Nesmith saw the value in it.

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