Valleri
Encyclopedia
"Valleri" is a song
written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart
for The Monkees
, who had a #3 on Billboard Hot 100
and #1 on Cash Box with it in early 1968. The song also rose to #12 in the UK.
Responding to Screen Gems
president and music supervisor Don Kirshner
's early-morning request for a "girl's-name song" to be used in the Monkees's television series, Boyce and Hart improvised "Valleri" on their way to Kirshner's office, after pretending over the telephone that the song was already finished. Nonetheless, Kirshner was pleased with their work, and "Valleri" took its place on the Monkees recording schedule, with Boyce and Hart producing the original sessions in August 1966.
The original recording (with instrumental backing by the Candy Store Prophets
, plus session musician
Louie Shelton contributing a flamenco
esque guitar solo) was featured in the show's first season in 1967; a staged performance showed Michael Nesmith
copying Shelton's guitar licks, and singer Davy Jones
appearing to physically outgrow his bandmates, through forced perspective
and camera trick shots. While the first version of "Valleri" went unreleased, a few off-air recordings received radio airplay
(thanks to DJs taping the audio directly from the video), and later surfaced on bootleg
recordings.
By the end of 1967, the Monkees had gone from only singing on their records (to meet their filming, recording, and appearance schedules) to also playing, to a mix of both. More importantly, they had gone from having no say over the music production to being in near-complete creative control. Their fifth album, The Birds, The Bees & the Monkees
, rounded out the selection of songs from the show to appear on record, with the second season (1967–1968) being its last. Assuming both performing and producing roles, the Monkees remade both "I'll Be Back Up On My Feet
" and "Valleri", duplicating the latter as closely as possible to the original, to the point of bringing back the Candy Store Prophets and Louie Shelton to perform. Boyce and Hart were not pleased that their production was not being used, but understood the reasons, and still collected writer's royalties. Mike Nesmith had been reluctant to remake the song, and adamant against it being released as a single, declaring it the "worst record ever", but he was overruled by Colgems Records
.
When Lester Sill
of Colgems heard the track, he felt it needed something extra, and had a brass section overdubbed. The remade "Valleri", released on March 2, 1968, made it to Number Three in the US, and was to be the band's last top ten hit of the 1960s. (It was also their last single to receive a push from their television series; its followup, "D. W. Washburn
", was not featured on the show, and only reached #19 in the pop charts. Later singles fared even worse.)
When Davy Jones, Micky Dolenz
and Peter Tork
reunited in 1986 to tour as the Monkees, they featured "Valleri" frequently in their song lineup. The song itself is simple musically; consisting mostly of four chords
(F# Major, E Major, B Major and C# Major) repeated several times, with a change midway (from F# Major to D# minor, twice).
The original recording of "Valleri" was finally released in January 1990, as part of the Rhino Records collection Missing Links, Volume II, along with several other versions of Monkees tunes used in the TV series.
Of note, 1960s record releases of the second version, as well as subsequent hits packages of the song, feature a fade out ending. The original cold ending version heard in one episode of the television series was finally released on Arista's "Then and Now... The Best of the Monkees" in 1986. Subsequent hits packages and reissues of the single on their Flashback label also feature the longer version. Early examples of the Flashback single release have the fade out ending.
Song
In music, a song is a composition for voice or voices, performed by singing.A song may be accompanied by musical instruments, or it may be unaccompanied, as in the case of a cappella songs...
written by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart
Boyce and Hart
Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart were a prolific songwriting duo, best known for the songs they wrote for The Monkees.-Early years:Hart's father was a church minister and he himself served in the Army after leaving high school, Upon discharge,...
for 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,...
, who had a #3 on 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...
and #1 on Cash Box with it in early 1968. The song also rose to #12 in the UK.
Responding to Screen Gems
Screen Gems
Screen Gems is an American movie production company and subsidiary company of Sony Pictures Entertainment's Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group that has served several different purposes for its parent companies over the decades since its incorporation....
president and music supervisor Don Kirshner
Don Kirshner
Don Kirshner , known as "The Man With the Golden Ear", was an American song publisher and rock producer who is best known for managing songwriting talent as well as successful pop groups, such as The Monkees, Kansas and The Archies.-Early life:Don Kirshner was born to Gilbert Kirshner, a tailor,...
's early-morning request for a "girl's-name song" to be used in the Monkees's television series, Boyce and Hart improvised "Valleri" on their way to Kirshner's office, after pretending over the telephone that the song was already finished. Nonetheless, Kirshner was pleased with their work, and "Valleri" took its place on the Monkees recording schedule, with Boyce and Hart producing the original sessions in August 1966.
The original recording (with instrumental backing by the Candy Store Prophets
Candy Store Prophets
The Candy Store Prophets were a 1960s rock band, headed by singer-songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart. Their lineup included Boyce and Gerry McGee on guitar, Hart on keyboards, Larry Taylor on bass guitar and Billy Lewis on drums....
, plus session musician
Session musician
Session musicians are instrumental and vocal performers, musicians, who are available to work with others at live performances or recording sessions. Usually such musicians are not permanent members of a musical ensemble and often do not achieve fame in their own right as soloists or bandleaders...
Louie Shelton contributing a flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
esque guitar solo) was featured in the show's first season in 1967; a staged performance showed Michael Nesmith
Michael Nesmith
Robert Michael Nesmith is an American musician, songwriter, actor, producer, novelist, businessman, and philanthropist, best known as a member of the musical group The Monkees and star of the TV series of the same name...
copying Shelton's guitar licks, and singer Davy Jones
Davy Jones (actor)
David Thomas "Davy" Jones is an English rock singer-songwriter and actor best known as a member of the Monkees.-Early life:...
appearing to physically outgrow his bandmates, through forced perspective
Forced perspective
Forced perspective is a technique that employs optical illusion to make an object appear farther away, closer, larger or smaller than it actually is. It is used primarily in photography, filmmaking and architecture...
and camera trick shots. While the first version of "Valleri" went unreleased, a few off-air recordings received radio airplay
Airplay (song)
Airplay is a term used in the radio broadcasting industry to state how frequently a song is being played on over-the-air radio stations. For example, a song which is being played several times every day would be classed as receiving a large amount of airplay...
(thanks to DJs taping the audio directly from the video), and later surfaced on bootleg
Bootleg recording
A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance that was not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. The process of making and distributing such recordings is known as bootlegging...
recordings.
By the end of 1967, the Monkees had gone from only singing on their records (to meet their filming, recording, and appearance schedules) to also playing, to a mix of both. More importantly, they had gone from having no say over the music production to being in near-complete creative control. Their fifth album, The Birds, The Bees & the Monkees
The Birds, The Bees & the Monkees
The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees is the fifth studio album by The Monkees released in April 1968. The first Monkees album not to reach Billboard's number one, instead charting at number three and eventually selling over a million copies.-History:...
, rounded out the selection of songs from the show to appear on record, with the second season (1967–1968) being its last. Assuming both performing and producing roles, the Monkees remade both "I'll Be Back Up On My Feet
I'll Be Back Up On My Feet
"I'll Be Back Up on My Feet" is a song by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell, which was recorded by The Monkees during the 1960s.The first Monkees version of the song was recorded on October 26, 1966, during the period when the band did not perform their own instruments as much on their recordings...
" and "Valleri", duplicating the latter as closely as possible to the original, to the point of bringing back the Candy Store Prophets and Louie Shelton to perform. Boyce and Hart were not pleased that their production was not being used, but understood the reasons, and still collected writer's royalties. Mike Nesmith had been reluctant to remake the song, and adamant against it being released as a single, declaring it the "worst record ever", but he was overruled by Colgems Records
Colgems Records
Colgems Records was a record label which existed from 1966 to 1971. It was a joint venture between Screen Gems, the television division of Columbia Pictures, and RCA Records, to issue records by The Monkees and other artists affiliated with Screen Gems. The label would also issue soundtrack...
.
When Lester Sill
Lester Sill
Lester Sill was an American record label executive, best remembered as Phil Spector's partner in Philles Records , and also as the head of both Colpix Records and the later Colgems Records...
of Colgems heard the track, he felt it needed something extra, and had a brass section overdubbed. The remade "Valleri", released on March 2, 1968, made it to Number Three in the US, and was to be the band's last top ten hit of the 1960s. (It was also their last single to receive a push from their television series; its followup, "D. W. Washburn
D. W. Washburn
"D.W. Washburn" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Two famous recordings of the song are by The Coasters and The Monkees. It was also included in the musical Smokey Joe's Cafe.-Lyrics:...
", was not featured on the show, and only reached #19 in the pop charts. Later singles fared even worse.)
When Davy Jones, 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:...
and Peter Tork
Peter Tork
Peter Tork is an American musician and actor, best known as a member of The Monkees.-Early life:Tork was born Peter Halsten Thorkelson in Washington, D.C.. Although he was born in 1942, many news articles report him as born in 1944 in New York City as this was the date and place given on early...
reunited in 1986 to tour as the Monkees, they featured "Valleri" frequently in their song lineup. The song itself is simple musically; consisting mostly of four chords
Chord (music)
A chord in music is any harmonic set of two–three or more notes that is heard as if sounding simultaneously. These need not actually be played together: arpeggios and broken chords may for many practical and theoretical purposes be understood as chords...
(F# Major, E Major, B Major and C# Major) repeated several times, with a change midway (from F# Major to D# minor, twice).
The original recording of "Valleri" was finally released in January 1990, as part of the Rhino Records collection Missing Links, Volume II, along with several other versions of Monkees tunes used in the TV series.
Of note, 1960s record releases of the second version, as well as subsequent hits packages of the song, feature a fade out ending. The original cold ending version heard in one episode of the television series was finally released on Arista's "Then and Now... The Best of the Monkees" in 1986. Subsequent hits packages and reissues of the single on their Flashback label also feature the longer version. Early examples of the Flashback single release have the fade out ending.