D. W. Washburn

Last updated
"D. W. Washburn"
The Monkees single 07 D W Washburn.jpg
US single cover
Single by The Monkees
B-side "It's Nice to Be with You"
Released8 June 1968
Recorded17 February and 1 March 1968
RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood, California, United States
Genre Pop rock
Length2:46
Label Colgems #1023
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) The Monkees
The Monkees singles chronology
"Valleri"
(1968)
"D. W. Washburn"
(1968)
"Porpoise Song"
(1968)

"D.W. Washburn" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, recorded by both the Coasters and the Monkees. It was also included in the musical Smokey Joe's Cafe (revue) .

Contents

The Monkees' version was a non-album single and a double-sided hit, backed with "It's Nice to Be with You," also a non-album single. The music was arranged and conducted by Shorty Rogers.

Lyrics

The lyrics tell a story of a derelict (Washburn) who is chosen by a well-meaning charity to be cleaned up and fed a meal. Washburn declines the offer, preferring his jobless, drunken but easygoing lifestyle to a life of responsibility. He mentions, "I do believe I got it made."

Recordings

Recorded during the sessions for The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees , the Monkees' version of "D.W. Washburn" was the first single that they released after the second and final season of their NBC television series had concluded. All of their previous singles had reached the top three positions on the Billboard Top 100 because of heavy promotion during episodes of the television show; without this exposure, "D.W. Washburn" became the band's first to miss the top ten in the U.S., reaching #19. [1] It was also their last American Top 40 single until "That Was Then, This Is Now" in 1986.

Colgems Records president Lester Sill later regretted his decision to release the song as the followup to "Valleri," saying: "I loved the sound of the song – the demo that I heard. Then I realized after we did it and it came out that it was really a downer. It was a story about a guy in the gutter, about a bum. I thought that there was kind of a comical, dixieland feel to it that I felt was rather different. In hindsight, I realized it was an awful mistake."

Peter Tork said: "Originally, there was a black bass singer on the take. Bert Schneider said, 'Wait a minute! It’s one thing to have Tommy (Boyce) and Bobby (Hart) singing 'ohhs' and 'ahhs' in the background; it's another to have a prominent black bass singer responding that way.' The only thing about that song that was noticeable was that it's Leiber-Stoller. I imagine it was an old Leiber-Stoller tune from way, way back that nobody had done yet. It sounds like middle Coasters, you know. The thing about the Monkees project at the end was, I think basically Bert and Bob (Rafelson) were running out of steam. That's what I think. I think for some reason, somehow, they had had it. They started off with a lot of enthusiasm, and I think the pressures brought them down. I think Bert's still reeling, to tell you the truth." The original version with the black bass singer was released on The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees box set in 2010.

The Coasters released their version of the song in July 1968, which they had recorded on October 31, 1967 for Date Records. The B-side of the song was "Everybody's Woman".

A medley of "D.W. Washburn" and "L. David Sloane (A Good Man Is Hard to Find)" by the Hutch Davie Calliope Band entered the Cash Box Looking Ahead survey on August 25, 1968.

The Monkees continued to perform the song during their 1980s and later reunions, including a performance on Nashville Now , a country music showcase.

"It's Nice to Be With You"

Also recorded during the sessions for The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees was the B-side "It's Nice to Be With You." Written by Jerry Goldstein, it also charted in the U.S., reaching #51 on the Billboard Hot 100 [2] and #26 on the Cash Box chart. [3] Its greatest success occurred in Canada, where it reached #15.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Coasters</span> American vocal group

The Coasters are an American rhythm and blues/rock and roll vocal group who had a string of hits in the late 1950s. With hits including "Searchin'", "Young Blood", "Poison Ivy", and "Yakety Yak", their most memorable songs were written by the songwriting and producing team of Leiber and Stoller. Although the Coasters originated outside of mainstream doo-wop, their records were so frequently imitated that they became an important part of the doo-wop legacy through the 1960s. In 1987, they were the first group inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller</span> American songwriting and record producing duo

Leiber and Stoller were an American Grammy award-winning songwriting and record production duo, consisting of lyricist Jerry Leiber and composer Mike Stoller. As well as many R&B and pop hits, they wrote numerous standards for Broadway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jailhouse Rock (song)</span> 1957 single by Elvis Presley

"Jailhouse Rock" is a song recorded by American singer Elvis Presley for the film of the same name. It was written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. RCA Victor released the song on a 45 rpm single on September 24, 1957, as the first single from the film's soundtrack EP. It reached the top of the charts in the U.S. and the top 10 in several other countries. The song has been recognized by the Grammy Hall of Fame, the American Film Institute, and others.

<i>The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees</i> 1968 studio album by the Monkees

The Birds, the Bees & the Monkees is the fifth studio album by the Monkees, and their first album released after the cancellation of their TV show. Released in April 1968, it was the first Monkees album not to reach Billboard's number one, peaking at No. 3 on the U.S. charts. It was also their first album to miss the UK charts altogether, with their four previous efforts all having reached the top ten. The album has sold over a million copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">On Broadway (song)</span> 1963 single by The Drifters

"On Broadway" is a song written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil in collaboration with the team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daydream Believer</span> 1967 single by the Monkees

"Daydream Believer" is a song composed by American songwriter John Stewart shortly before he left The Kingston Trio. It was originally recorded by the Monkees, with Davy Jones singing the lead. The single reached No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in December 1967, remaining there for four weeks, and peaked at No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. It was the Monkees' third and last No. 1 hit in the U.S.

"Young Blood" is a song written by Doc Pomus along with the songwriting team Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller that first became a hit by The Coasters in 1957.

"Chapel of Love" is a song written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwich and Phil Spector, and made famous by The Dixie Cups in 1964, spending three weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The song tells of the happiness and excitement the narrator feels on her wedding day, for she and her love are going to the "chapel of love", and "[they'll] never be lonely anymore." Many other artists have recorded the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Searchin'</span> 1957 single by the Coasters

"Searchin'" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller specifically for the Coasters. Atco Records released it as a single in March 1957, which topped the R&B Chart for twelve weeks. It also reached number three on the Billboard singles chart.

<i>Missing Links Volume Three</i> 1996 compilation album by The Monkees

Missing Links Volume Three is a compilation album of rare and previously unreleased songs by The Monkees issued by Rhino Records in 1996. It is the third and final volume of a three-volume set, preceded by Missing Links in 1987 and Missing Links Volume Two in 1990.

"Charlie Brown" is a popular Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller song that was a top-ten hit for the Coasters in the spring of 1959. It went to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, while "Venus" by Frankie Avalon was at No. 1. It was the first of three top-ten hits for the Coasters that year. It is best known for the phrase, "Why's everybody always pickin' on me?"

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Love Potion No. 9 (song)</span> 1959 song

"Love Potion No. 9" is a song written in 1959 by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally performed by the Clovers, who took it to No.23 on the US as well as R&B charts that year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pearl's a Singer</span> 1977 Elkie Brooks song

"Pearl's a Singer" is a song made famous by the British singer Elkie Brooks, as taken from her 1977 album Two Days Away which was produced by the song's co-writers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The original version of "Pearl's a Singer" had been introduced by the duo Dino and Sembello – also the song's co-writers – on their 1974 self-titled album which Leiber and Stoller had produced.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm a Woman (song)</span> Original song written and composed by Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller

The song "I'm a Woman" was written by famed songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and was first recorded in 1962 by Christine Kittrell.

"One Kiss Led to Another" is a song written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and performed by The Coasters. The song reached #11 on the R&B chart and #73 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1956. The song appeared on their 1957 album, The Coasters.

Ralph F. Palladino, known as Ralph Dino, and John Anthony Sembello, were an American singing and songwriting duo in the early 1970s. They recorded one album together, which included the original version of the song "Pearl's a Singer", co-written with leading songwriters and record producers Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, and later a hit in the UK for Elkie Brooks.

<i>Monkeemania (The Very Best of the Monkees)</i> 2011 greatest hits album by The Monkees

Monkeemania (The Very Best of the Monkees) is a two-disc Monkees compilation released in 2011. It contains 57 of the Monkees' songs, including hit singles, B-sides, album tracks and rarities. Several of these songs were unreleased in the 1960s, but were eventually issued on the Monkees' Missing Links archival compilation albums.

<i>Daydream Believer and Other Hits</i> 1998 greatest hits album by The Monkees

Daydream Believer and Other Hits is a budget-price Monkees compilation released in 1998. It contained 10 of The Monkees' greatest hits, plus lesser-known classics. The album did not include any material from the 1980s or 1990s reunions, focusing strictly on the band's 1960s output.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shoppin' for Clothes</span> 1960 single by the Coasters

"Shoppin' for Clothes" is a novelty R&B song in the talking blues style, recorded by American vocal group the Coasters in 1960. Originally credited to Elmo Glick, a songwriting pseudonym of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who also produced the track, it was partly based on the 1956 song "Clothes Line ", written by Kent Harris and recorded by him as Boogaloo and his Gallant Crew. Harris later received a co-writing credit on "Shoppin' for Clothes."

"Girls Girls Girls", or "Girls! Girls! Girls!", is a song written and produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller.

References

  1. "The Monkees - Awards - AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 14 July 2018.
  2. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN   0-89820-089-X
  3. [ dead link ]