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  • Micky Dolenz of The Monkees is especially fond of “Pleasant Valley Sunday.”
  • He said one interpretation of the song is an urban legend.
  • “Pleasant Valley Sunday” became a big hit for The Monkees in the United States.
The Monkees' Micky Dolenz with a guitar
The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz | Gems/Redferns

“Pleasant Valley Sunday” is one of The Monkees‘ most famous songs. During an exclusive interview with Showbiz Cheat Sheet, The Monkees’ Micky Dolenz laughed at an urban legend about the lyrics of the song. He revealed what actually inspired the classic track. 

Micky Dolenz named his favorite of The Monkees’ uptempo rock songs

Dolenz revealed he doesn’t have a favorite Monkees song. He said that would be as difficult as choosing a favorite song by The Beatles or Johnny Mathis. “The range of songs can be quite wide,” he said. “It depends.”

Dolenz noted the group’s musical versatility. “In the case of The Monkees, we with [Mike] Nesmith, we had country Western tunes,” he said. “With Peter [Tork], we had bluesy, rocky tunes. With [Davy Jones], there were ballads and a Broadway feeling. With me, it was rock ‘n’ roll, Chuck Berry, and screaming and yelling.” Dolenz opined “Pleasant Valley Sunday” was the best of The Monkees’ uptempo rock songs.

Micky Dolenz laughed at the idea that The Monkees’ ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday’ is a song about an asylum

According to a popular urban legend, “Pleasant Valley Sunday” is a song about an asylum. Dolenz laughed at the notion. “It’s not true at all!” he said. “Quite simply, Carole King told me she and Gerry Goffin were driving to [Monkees manager] Don Kirshner’s house in New Jersey and there’s a street there — I’ve seen it, I’ve been on the street — called Pleasant Valley. And they were going to a meeting at his house.”

Dolenz gave more insight into the song. “I don’t know when they started writing [the song] or how, but it’s a very residential street and there’s a lot of people mowing the lawn and barbecues and all the references in the song,” he added. “In the ’60s, there was this sort of anti-establishment, anti-residential thing. Everything was about hippies and youth and stuff like that.” Dolenz said this attitude informed the lyrics of the track.

Carole King near a plant
Carole King | Jim McCrary/Redferns
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The way listeners reacted to ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday’

“Pleasant Valley Sunday” became a big hit for The Monkees. It reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 10 weeks. “Pleasant Valley Sunday” appeared on the album Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. reached No. 1 for five of its 64 on the Billboard 200.

“Pleasant Valley Sunday” was a more modest hit in the United Kingdom. According to The Official Charts Company, the track peaked at No. 11 in the U.K., staying on the chart for eight weeks. Meanwhile, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. reached No. 5 there and remained on the chart for 11 weeks. “Pleasant Valley Sunday” is a classic Monkees song even if an urban legend about it isn’t true.

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