Last Train to Clarksville - wikipedia Last Train to Clarksville `` Last Train to Clarksville '' US single cover Single by The Monkees from the album The Monkees B - side `` Take a Giant Step '' Released 16 August 1966 Format 7 '' Recorded 25 July 1966 RCA Victor Studios, Studio A Hollywood, CA Genre Rock Length 2 : 46 Label Colgems # 1001 Songwriter ( s ) Tommy Boyce Bobby Hart Producer ( s ) Tommy Boyce Bobby Hart The Monkees singles chronology `` Last Train to Clarksville '' ( 1966 ) `` I 'm a Believer '' ( 1966 ) `` Last Train to Clarksville '' ( 1966 ) `` I 'm a Believer '' ( 1966 ) `` Last Train to Clarksville '' was the debut single by The Monkees. It was released August 16, 1966 and later included on the group 's 1966 self - titled album, which was released on October 10, 1966. The song, written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, was recorded at RCA Victor Studio B in Hollywood on July 25, 1966 and was already on the Boss Hit Bounds on 17 August 1966. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 on November 5, 1966. Lead vocals were performed by The Monkees ' drummer Micky Dolenz. `` Last Train to Clarksville '' was featured in seven episodes of the band 's television series, the most for any Monkees song. Contents 1 Song 2 Chart performance 2.1 Weekly charts 2.2 Year - end charts 3 Covers 3.1 Riblja Čorba version 3.2 Track listling 3.3 Personnel 3.4 Other versions 4 References 5 External links Song The song, written by the songwriting duo Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, has been compared to The Beatles ' `` Paperback Writer '', particularly the `` jangly '' guitar sound, the chord structure, and the vocal harmonies. The Beatles song had been number one in the US charts three months earlier. The lyrics tell of a man phoning the woman he loves, urging her to meet him at a train station in Clarksville before he must leave, possibly forever. There was no explicit reference to war in the song but its last line, `` And I do n't know if I 'm ever coming home '', was an indirect reference about a soldier leaving for the Vietnam War. It has often been presumed that the song refers to Clarksville, Tennessee, which is near Fort Campbell, Kentucky, the home of the 101st Airborne Division, which was then serving in Vietnam. However, according to songwriter Bobby Hart, that was not the case. Instead, according to Hart, `` We were just looking for a name that sounded good. There 's a little town in northern Arizona I used to go through in the summer on the way to Oak Creek Canyon called Clarkdale. We were throwing out names, and when we got to Clarkdale, we thought Clarksville sounded even better. We did n't know it at the time, ( but ) there is an Army base near the town of Clarksville, Tennessee -- which would have fit the bill fine for the storyline. We could n't be too direct with The Monkees. We could n't really make a protest song out of it -- we kind of snuck it in ''. Although `` Clarksville '' is in the song title, the video accompanying the song on the Monkees ' TV show showed a sign pointing to `` Clarkesville ''. Hart got the idea for the lyrics when he turned on the radio and heard the end of The Beatles ' `` Paperback Writer ''. He thought Paul McCartney was singing `` Take the last train '', and decided to use the line when he found out McCartney was actually singing `` Paperback Writer ''. Hart knew that The Monkees TV series was being pitched as a music / comedy series in the spirit of The Beatles movie A Hard Day 's Night, so he was hoping that by emulating The Beatles, this song might lead to a successful single, which it did. To help ensure that, he decided to include a distinctive guitar riff and wrote in the `` Oh No - No - No, Oh No - No - No '' lyrics as a response to The Beatles ' famous `` Yeah Yeah Yeah ''. Although LA 's `` Wrecking Crew '' provided the instrumental backing for many of the early Monkees ' songs, Boyce and Hart 's band Candy Store Prophets did the session work for this song. The lead guitar part was written and played by Hollywood session musician Louie Shelton who would eventually become a mainstay on Monkees recordings. Chart performance Weekly charts Chart ( 1966 -- 1967 ) Peak position Australia Go - Set 14 Ireland ( IRMA ) 5 New Zealand ( Listener ) 6 U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Chart ( 1966 ) Peak position Canada RPM Magazine Chart ( 1967 ) Peak position UK Singles Chart 23 Year - end charts Chart ( 1966 ) Rank U.S. Billboard Hot 100 6 Chart ( 1967 ) Rank Canada 12 Covers Riblja Čorba version `` Zadnji voz za Čačak '' Single by Riblja Čorba B - side `` Lud sto posto '' Released May 13, 1987 Format 7 '' single Recorded Genre Hard rock Length 2 : 44 Label PGP - RTB Songwriter ( s ) Boyce and Hart, Bora Đorđević Riblja Čorba singles chronology `` Nesrećnice nije te sramota '' ( 1987 ) Nesrećnice nije te sramota 1987 `` Zadnji voz za Čačak '' ( 1987 ) Zadnji voz za Čačak1987 `` Zadnji voz za Čačak '' ( trans. `` Last train to Čačak '' ) is a song by Serbian and former Yugoslav rock band Riblja Čorba, from their 1987 album Ujed za dušu. B - side features the song `` Lud sto posto '' ( `` 100 % Crazy '' ). The single was not available in the shops, but given as a gift with an issue of Politika Ekspres Track listling `` Zadnji voz za Čačak '' - 2 : 44 `` Lud sto posto '' - 4 : 15 Personnel Bora Đorđević - vocal Miša Aleksić - bass guitar Vidoja Božinović - guitar Nikola Čuturilo - guitar Vicko Milatović - drums Other versions Ed Bruce covered the song on a March 1967 single on RCA. Bluegrass artists Jim & Jesse McReynolds recorded an instrumental version on their 1972 Hilltop Records album Mandolin Workshop. A cover by Plastics appears on the 1979 album Welcome Plastics. A rerecorded version was released on a flexi - disc coupled with the 1981 album Welcome Back. A cover by Cassandra Wilson appears on her 1995 album New Moon Daughter. On January 15, 2008, a cover of the song was made available as downloadable content for the music video game series Rock Band. * The January 2009 issue of PlayStation : The Official Magazine lists The Monkees ' `` Last Train to Clarksville '' as fourth on its list of Rock Band 's `` Five Most Unexpectedly Rockin ' Downloadable Songs ''. Four Tops covered the song on their album Reach Out, issued in July 1967. Kids Incorporated covered the song in 1985 in the Season 2 episode `` The Abominable Show - Man ''. Australian independent band Woodlock covered the song in 2016. References ^ Jump up to : The Monkees Greatest Hits Rhino Entertainment R2 75785 Liner notes Jump up ^ `` KHJ 's ' Boss 30 ' Records In Southern California ! Issue No. 59 - Previewed August 17, 1966 ''. 1966 - 08 - 17. Retrieved 2012 - 05 - 12. Jump up ^ Ashley Brown, ed. ( 1990 ). Marshall Cavendish Illustrated History of Popular Music. Six ( Reference ed. ). Marshall Cavendish. ISBN 1 - 85435 - 021 - 8. ^ Jump up to : `` Last Train To Clarksville by The Monkees Songfacts ''. Jump up ^ Kotal, Kent ; Forgotten hits. `` The Music of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart ''. Retrieved 5 February 2015. Jump up ^ ' The Monkees : The Day - by - Day Story of the 1960s TV Pop Sensation ' by Andrew Sandoval, Thunder Bay Press, 2005, Page 46 Jump up ^ ARAX, MARK ; FELDMAN, PAUL ( 24 June 1988 ). `` OBITUARIES : Backed Up Major Artists : Jesse Ed Davis, 43 ; Noted Rock Guitarist '' -- via LA Times. Jump up ^ `` The Irish Charts -- Search Results -- Last Train to Clarksville ''. Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 11, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Top 100 Hits of 1966 / Top 100 Songs of 1966 ''. Jump up ^ `` Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada ''. Jump up ^ `` Rock Band ' Five Most Unexpectedly Rockin ' Downloadable Songs '', PlayStation : The Official Magazine ( January 2009 ) : 58. Jump up ^ Kids Incorporated - Last Train To Clarksville ( 1985 ) Jump up ^ `` Last Train to Clarksville - Single by Woodlock on iTunes ''. iTunes. 16 September 2016. Retrieved 17 June 2018. External links Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics `` Zadnji voz za Čačak '' at Discogs The Monkees Micky Dolenz Davy Jones Michael Nesmith Peter Tork Production / management Don Kirshner Bob Rafelson Bert Schneider Ward Sylvester Lester Sill Raybert Productions Chip Douglas Hank Cicalo Studio albums The Monkees More of the Monkees Headquarters Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees Head Instant Replay The Monkees Present Changes Pool It ! Justus Good Times ! Box sets Listen to the Band Music Box The Headquarters Sessions The Monkees : Original Album Series Compilation albums Greatest Hits ( Colgems ) Barrel Full of Monkees Re-Focus Greatest Hits ( Arista ) Monkeemania ( 40 Timeless Hits ) More Greatest Hits of The Monkees Monkee Business Monkee Flips Hit Factory Then & Now... The Best of The Monkees Missing Links Missing Links Volume Two 25th Anniversary Collection Greatest Hits ( Rhino ) Barrelful of Monkees : Monkees Songs for Kids ! Missing Links Volume Three I 'm a Believer and Other Hits Daydream Believer and Other Hits The Monkees Anthology The Definitive Monkees The Best of The Monkees Monkeemania ( The Very Best of the Monkees ) Live albums Live 1967 Summer 1967 : The Complete U.S. Concert Recordings Live ! 2001 : Live in Las Vegas Extended Versions Singles `` Last Train to Clarksville '' `` I 'm a Believer '' `` A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You '' `` Pleasant Valley Sunday '' `` Daydream Believer '' `` Valleri '' `` D.W. Washburn '' `` Porpoise Song '' `` Tear Drop City '' `` Listen to the Band '' `` Good Clean Fun '' `` Oh My My '' `` That Was Then, This Is Now '' `` Heart and Soul '' `` Every Step of the Way '' `` She Makes Me Laugh '' `` You Bring the Summer '' `` Me & Magdalena '' Film / television The Monkees ( episodes ) Head 331⁄3 Revolutions per Monkee Hey, Hey, It 's the Monkees Related articles Discography Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart An Evening with The Monkees : The 45th Anniversary Tour The Monkees ( book ) The Monkeemobile New Monkees Songs Book Ed Bruce Albums If I Could Just Go Home ( 1968 ) Shades of Ed Bruce ( 1969 ) Ed Bruce ( 1976 ) The Tennessean ( 1977 ) Cowboys & Dreamers ( 1978 ) Ed Bruce ( 1980 ) One to One ( 1981 ) I Write It Down ( 1982 ) You 're Not Leaving Here Tonight ( 1983 ) Home Coming ( 1984 ) Tell'em I 've Gone Crazy ( 1984 ) Night Things ( 1986 ) Puzzles ( 1965 ) This Old Hat ( 2002 ) Singles `` Last Train to Clarksville '' `` Mammas Do n't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys '' `` Texas ( When I Die ) '' `` The Man That Turned My Mama On '' `` Girls, Women and Ladies '' `` ( When You Fall in Love ) Everything 's a Waltz '' `` You 're the Best Break This Old Heart Ever Had '' `` Love 's Found You and Me '' `` Ever, Never Lovin ' You '' `` My First Taste of Texas '' `` After All '' `` You Turn Me On ( Like a Radio ) '' `` Nights '' Related topics Discography Trey Bruce Lynn Anderson Bret Maverick Fire Down Below Riblja Čorba Bora Đorđević Miša Aleksić Vicko Milatović Vidoja Božinović Nikola Zorić Rajko Kojić Momčilo Bajagić Nikola Čuturilo Vladimir Golubović Zoran Ilić Vladimir Barjaktarević Studio albums Kost u grlu Pokvarena mašta i prljave strasti Mrtva priroda Buvlja pijaca Večeras vas zabavljaju muzičari koji piju Istina Osmi nervni slom Ujed za dušu Priča o ljubavi obično ugnjavi Koza nostra Labudova pesma Zbogom, Srbijo Ostalo je ćutanje Nojeva barka Pišanje uz vetar Ovde Minut sa njom Uzbuna ! Live albums U ime naroda Nema laži, nema prevare - Zagreb uživo ` 85 Od Vardara pa do Triglava Beograd, uživo ' 97 -- 1 Beograd, uživo ' 97 -- 2 Gladijatori u BG Areni Niko nema ovakve ljude ! Koncert za brigadire EPs Trilogija 1 : Nevinost bez zaštite Trilogija 2 : Devičanska ostrva Trilogija 3 : Ambasadori loše volje Compilations Riblja Čorba 10 The Best Of Fish Dish Dobra stara vremena Najbolje Bolje od najboljeg Treći srpski ustanak Bolje od najboljeg 2 To je bilo neko lepše i srećnije vreme Vol. 1 To je bilo neko lepše i srećnije vreme Vol. 2 To je bilo neko lepše i srećnije vreme - Balade 1994 -- 2004 19 najvećih hitova Trilogija Box Set ( 1978 - 1990 ) Singles `` Lutka sa naslovne strane '' `` Rock ' n ' Roll za kućni savet '' `` Nazad u veliki prljavi grad '' `` Kad hodaš '' `` Nesrećnice nije te sramota '' `` Zadnji voz za Čačak '' Associated acts Suncokret Rani Mraz Warriors Pop Mašina Dah Opus Rok Mašina Siluete Električni Orgazam Bajaga i Instruktori Bezobrazno Zeleno Oliver Mandić Babe Van Gogh Related articles Riblja Čorba discography SFR Yugoslav pop and rock scene Serbian rock Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Last_Train_to_Clarksville&oldid=850628848 '' Categories : 1966 singles 1966 songs The Monkees songs Billboard Hot 100 number - one singles RPM Top Singles number - one singles Song recordings produced by Bobby Hart Song recordings produced by Tommy Boyce Songs about telephone calls Songs about trains Songs written by Bobby Hart Songs written by Tommy Boyce United States National Recording Registry recordings Debut singles Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats Singlechart usages for Ireland2 Singlechart called without artist Music infoboxes with deprecated parameters Talk Contents About Wikipedia Français Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 17 July 2018, at 01 : 47 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who played lead guitar on last train to clarksville
Answer: Hollywood session musician Louie Shelton