Porpoise Song (Theme from Head)
Encyclopedia
"Porpoise Song" is a song written by Gerry Goffin
and Carole King
and performed by pop/rock quartet The Monkees
on their album Head. The song was released as a single in 1968, and reached #62 on the Billboard Hot 100
.
The song’s lyrics and melody echoes the psychedelic vibe of mid-1960s rock music. Micky Dolenz
provides the vocals, which are distorted by echoing effect, and a mix of organ riffs, cello, string-bass, woodwinds and horns float in and out of the tune. The lyrics call into question the order of the world and one’s place therein, and there are also veiled in-joke references to Dolenz’s childhood work as the star of the television series Circus Boy
.
In the Monkees' 1968 feature film Head
, the song appears at the beginning and the end of the production, when the group's members jump from a bridge as a means to permanently escape their lives. Solarization visual effects are used on screen to mirror the psychedelic nature of the song’s lyrics.
The song also appears on several "greatest hits" albums by The Monkees, and it was featured in Vanilla Sky
, a 2001 film with Tom Cruise
, Penelope Cruz
and Cameron Diaz
.
Gerry Goffin
Gerry Goffin is an American lyricist. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 with former songwriting partner and first wife, Carole King. he has co-written six Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers.-Career:Goffin enlisted with the Marine Corps Reserve after graduating from...
and Carole King
Carole King
Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. King and her former husband Gerry Goffin wrote more than two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have become standards. As a singer, King had an album, Tapestry, top the U.S...
and performed by pop/rock quartet The Monkees
The Monkees
The Monkees are an American pop rock group. Assembled in Los Angeles in 1966 by Robert "Bob" Rafelson and Bert Schneider for the American television series The Monkees, which aired from 1966 to 1968, the musical acting quartet was composed of Americans Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork,...
on their album Head. The song was released as a single in 1968, and reached #62 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
.
The song’s lyrics and melody echoes the psychedelic vibe of mid-1960s rock music. Micky Dolenz
Micky Dolenz
George Michael "Micky" Dolenz, Jr. is an American actor, musician, television director, radio personality and theater director, best known as a member of the 1960s made-for-television band The Monkees.-Biography:...
provides the vocals, which are distorted by echoing effect, and a mix of organ riffs, cello, string-bass, woodwinds and horns float in and out of the tune. The lyrics call into question the order of the world and one’s place therein, and there are also veiled in-joke references to Dolenz’s childhood work as the star of the television series Circus Boy
Circus Boy
Circus Boy is an American action/adventure/drama series that aired in prime time on NBC, and then on ABC, from 1956 to 1958. It was then rerun by NBC on Saturday mornings, from 1958 to 1960...
.
In the Monkees' 1968 feature film Head
Head (film)
Head is a 1968 psychedelic comedy-adventure major motion picture, starring TV group The Monkees , and distributed by Columbia Pictures...
, the song appears at the beginning and the end of the production, when the group's members jump from a bridge as a means to permanently escape their lives. Solarization visual effects are used on screen to mirror the psychedelic nature of the song’s lyrics.
The song also appears on several "greatest hits" albums by The Monkees, and it was featured in Vanilla Sky
Vanilla Sky
Vanilla Sky is a 2001 American psychological thriller film directed, co-produced and co-written by Cameron Crowe. The film is an English-language remake of the 1997 Spanish movie Abre los ojos , the screenplay for which was written by Alejandro Amenábar and Mateo Gil...
, a 2001 film with Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
, Penelope Cruz
Penélope Cruz
Penélope Cruz Sánchez is a Spanish actress. Signed by an agent at age 15, she made her acting debut at 16 on television and her feature film debut the following year in Jamón, jamón , to critical acclaim...
and Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Michelle Diaz is an American actress and former model. She became famous during the 1990s with roles in the movies The Mask, My Best Friend's Wedding, and There's Something About Mary. Other high-profile credits include the two Charlie's Angels films, voicing the character Princess Fiona...
.
Covers by other artists
- 1988: BongwaterBongwater (band)Bongwater was a psych rock band formed in 1985 and dissolved in 1992. The group was founded by Ann Magnuson and Mark Kramer , who had worked together previously in Pulsallama. The group also featured drummer Dave Licht and guitarists [Dave Rick] and later Randolph A. Hudson III...
on the 7" limited-edition single You Don't Love Me Yet, Shimmy 7-98 - 1995: TroubleTrouble (band)Trouble is an American doom metal band noted as one of the pioneers of their genre, alongside bands such as Candlemass and Saint Vitus. The band created a distinct style taking influences of the British heavy metal bands Black Sabbath and Judas Priest, and psychedelic rock of the 1970s...
on the album Plastic Green HeadPlastic Green HeadPlastic Green Head was the sixth album by the American doom metal band Trouble, released in 1995. First released on the Music for Nations label in Europe, it was distributed in the U.S. by Century Media Records. Soon after the release of this album, Trouble went on an extended hiatus after their... - 1996: The WondermintsThe WondermintsWondermints is a band from Los Angeles, California, United States. The main members are Darian Sahanaja , Nick Walusko and Mike D'Amico...
on the album Wonderful World of The Wondermints - 1997: The Lightning Seeds as a B-sideA-side and B-sideA-side and B-side originally referred to the two sides of gramophone records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. The terms have come to refer to the types of song conventionally placed on each side of the record, with the A-side being the featured song , while the B-side, or...
to the single Sugar Coated Iceberg - 1999: The ChurchThe Church (band)The Church is an Australian rock band formed in Sydney in 1980. Initially associated with new wave and the neo-psychedelic sound of the mid 1980s, their music later became more reminiscent of progressive rock, featuring long instrumental jams and complex guitar interplay...
on the album A Box of Birds - 2003: DJ Nobody (also known as Elvin Estela, later of Blank BlueBlank BlueBlank Blue is a Los Angeles based band that features DJ Nobody Elvin Estela , Niki Randa , and newly flanked by Andres Renteria , and Brian Akio Martinez...
) on the album Pacific Drift: Western Water Music, Vol. 1 - 2004: ...And You Will Know Us By the Trail of Dead...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead is an American alternative rock band from Austin, Texas. The chief creative members of the band are Jason Reece and Conrad Keely . The two switch between drumming, guitar and lead vocals, both on recordings and live shows...
, both live and on their 2004 EPExtended playAn EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
Worlds ApartWorlds ApartWorlds Apart is an album by ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. It was released on January 25, 2005 by Interscope Records and reached #92 on the UK Album Chart.... - 2010 Andrew WK, live and on youtube.