My Top 1000 Songs #409: Porpoise Song
One of the stand-out examples of late 60s psych-pop comes from an unlikely source--a Monkees song penned by Carole King/Gerry Goffin (who also wrote the prior Monkees track to make this list). The bath of organ, the hypnotic melody, Mickey Dolenz' languid delivery, and some touchstone headphone-friendly sonic tweaks make for a very pleasant trip. And, sure, the lyrics walk the line between heady and cheesy, more like Goffin/King conjuring acid trip imagery based on an article they read in the New York Times than through actual experience. But, hey, it's the Monkees, not Hendrix, and it fits.
Plus, as the theme to the twisted 1968 Monkees film Head, it perfectly set the tone for that movie's failed yet astonishing mash-up of commercial tv pop and drug-fueled absurdity.
Carole King's original demo:Dolenz & Nesmith in 2021, shortly before the latter's passing:Great version from psych-pop revivalists The Grip Weeds:
The B-side is killer.
ReplyDeleteIt's a great pairing! The B is a more traditional Carole King song, so we get a great look at her (and Dolenz's) range on the single. The whole Head album is pretty amazing, though it's more an EP once distilled down to the core Monkees tracks.
DeleteAlways loved MD’s voice
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