Circle Sky
"Circle Sky" is a song written by Michael Nesmith of The Monkees, which appeared on their sixth album, the Head soundtrack, and also in the film Head as a live concert performance.
| "Circle Sky" | |
|---|---|
| Song by The Monkees | |
| from the album Head | |
| Released | December 1, 1968 |
| Genre | Rock |
| Label | Colgems |
| Songwriter(s) | Michael Nesmith |
Background and inspiration
The song is written and performed in style reminiscent to the work of musician Bo Diddley, staying mostly on a single chord (A Major), while strumming barre chords (from B Major to E Major) down the guitar neck for the intro, outro, and breaks, and from B minor to D minor for the bridge. The lyrics are impressions of sights and sounds on a Monkees tour, while "Hamilton's smiling down" refers to a Hamilton music stand, used for rehearsals and recording.
Release
While the movie included the song performed live by the Monkees in Salt Lake City, Utah on May 17, 1968, during a free show at the Valley Auditorium, the original soundtrack album instead substituted a studio recording, made by Nesmith and session musicians (an unexplained decision that became a major source of tension in the group). The film version intercut Vietnam War footage with concert footage, and featured several mirrored shots of the band onstage.
A lo-fi transcription of the concert version was included on an Australian Monkees compilation in the early 1980s, Monkeemania (40 Timeless Hits),[1] while an alternate studio take appeared on a Rhino Records album, Monkee Flips, in 1984. A stereo recording of the concert version finally appeared on Missing Links Volume Two, in 1990. This version on the Apple iTunes Store is incorrect, but Amazon's MP3 is correct.
A reworked version of the song opened the Monkees's 1996 reunion album, Justus, featuring a rare Davy Jones guitar performance. This version is harder rocking than the original but is otherwise identical musically. The lyrics, however, have been changed in several spots.
Personnel
Studio version:
- Michael Nesmith - lead vocal, guitar, organ, percussion
- Keith Allison - guitar
- Bill Chadwick - guitar
- Eddie Hoh - drums, percussion
Live version (May 17, 1968):
- Michael Nesmith - lead vocal, guitar
- Davy Jones - percussion, organ
- Peter Tork - bass
- Micky Dolenz - drums, percussion
Justus version:
- Michael Nesmith - lead vocal, guitar
- Davy Jones - guitar
- Peter Tork - bass
- Micky Dolenz - drums
References
- "'Monkeemania: 40 Timeless Hits From The Monkees' LP". The Monkee Live Almanac. 2014-02-01. Retrieved 2015-01-14.
