D. W. Washburn

"D. W. Washburn"
"D. W. Washburn"
	US single cover
Single by The Monkees
B-side	"It's Nice to Be with You"
Released	8 June 1968
Recorded	17 February and 1 March 1968; RCA Victor Studios, Hollywood, California, United States
Genre	Pop rock
Length	2:46
Label	Colgems #1023
Songwriter(s)	Jerry Leiber; Mike Stoller;
Producer(s)	The Monkees
The Monkees singles chronology

"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.

The Monkees' version was a non-album single, and was also 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), chosen by a well-meaning charity for a wash-up and a meal. Washburn declines the offer, though, 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, their version of "D.W. Washburn" was the first single they released after the second and final season of their series on NBC concluded. All their previous singles reached the top 3 of the Billboard Top 100 due to strong promotion through their use in various episodes; without this exposure, the song became the band's first to miss the Top Ten in the U.S. Billboard charts, reaching No. 19.^[1] It was also their last US Top 40 single until "That Was Then, This Is Now" in 1986.

Lester Sill, president of Colgems Records at the time, later regretted his decision to release the song as the follow up to Valleri. "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." In the early 1950s, Sill was influential in guiding and developing the careers of the Leiber and Stoller songwriting team.

Peter Tork spoke about the song. “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. They had recorded the song on October 31, 1967 with Date Records. The B-side of the song was "Everybody's Woman."

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

The Monkees continued to perform the song during their 1980s and later reunions. One performance was 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, the B-side, "It's Nice to Be With You". Written by Jerry Goldstein, it also charted in the U.S., reaching No. 51 on the Billboard Hot 100^[2] and No. 26 on Cashbox.^[3] It charted best in Canada, where it reached No. 15.

References[]

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

External links[]

Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics

[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] [1]^{[dead link]}

[1]

[2]

[3]

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Live albums	Live 1967 20th Anniversary Tour 1986 Summer 1967: The Complete U.S. Concert Recordings 2001: Live in Las Vegas Extended Versions The Mike & Micky Show
Singles	"(Theme From) The Monkees" "Last Train to Clarksville" "I'm a Believer" "A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You" "Pleasant Valley Sunday" "Daydream Believer" "Valleri" "D. W. Washburn" "Porpoise Song" "Tear Drop City" "Listen to the Band" "Good Clean Fun" "Oh My My" "Do It in the Name of Love" "Christmas Is My Time of Year" "That Was Then, This Is Now"
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Related articles	Daydream Believers: The Monkees' Story Discography Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart An Evening with The Monkees: The 45th Anniversary Tour The Monkees (book) The Monkeemobile New Monkees Songs
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B-sides	"Brazil" "Searchin'" "Zing! Went the Strings of My Heart" "Three Cool Cats" "Besame Mucho (Part II)" "Lovey Dovey" "Money Honey" "Saturday Night Fish Fry"
Other songs	"Autumn Leaves" "But Beautiful" "Don't Get Around Much Anymore" "Easy Living" "Frosty the Snowman" "Gee, Baby, Ain't I Good to You" "I Love Paris" "If I Had a Hammer" "The 'In' Crowd" "Moonglow" "Moonlight in Vermont" "Mustang Sally" "My Babe" "On Broadway" "On the Sunny Side of the Street" "Satin Doll" "The Way You Look Tonight" "Willow Weep for Me" "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To"

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Years given are for the recording(s), not first release, except where noted.
As leader or co-leader	Modern Sounds (1951) Popo (1951) Shorty Rogers and His Giants (1953–54) Cool and Crazy (1953) Bud Shank – Shorty Rogers – Bill Perkins (1954–55) Collaboration (1954) Shorty Rogers Courts the Count (1954) Martians Come Back! (1955) Martians Stay Home (1955) The Swinging Mr. Rogers (1955) Way Up There (1955) Portrait of Shorty (1957) Shorty Rogers Plays Richard Rodgers (1957) Wherever the Five Winds Blow (1957) Afro-Cuban Influence (1958) Chances Are It Swings (1958) Gigi in Jazz (1958) The Wizard of Oz and Other Harold Arlen Songs (1959) The Swingin' Nutcracker (1960) An Invisible Orchard (1961) The Fourth Dimension in Sound (1961) Bossa Nova (1962) Jazz Waltz (1962) Mavis Meets Shorty (with Mavis Rivers, 1962) Gospel Mission (1963) Yesterday, Today and Forever (and Bud Shank, 1963) California Concert (with Bud Shank, 1985)
With Stan Kenton	Innovations in Modern Music (1950) Stan Kenton Presents (1950) Popular Favorites by Stan Kenton (1950–53) The Kenton Era (1950–51) The Innovations Orchestra (1950–51)
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Sideman with others	Collaboration West (Teddy Charles, 1952–53) Evolution (Teddy Charles,1953–55) Jimmy Giuffre (Jimmy Giuffre, 1954–55) The Jimmy Giuffre Clarinet (Jimmy Giuffre, 1956)
Soundtracks	The Man with the Golden Arm (with Elmer Bernstein, 1955) Shorty Rogers Meets Tarzan (from Tarzan, the Ape Man, 1959) Baby the Rain Must Fall (film released 1965) Stagecoach (collaboration with Jerry Goldsmith, film released 1966) Heart Beat (1979)
Arranger	Christmas Album (Herb Alpert, released 1968) Chet Baker & Strings (1953–54) You're the Reason I'm Living (for Bobby Darin, 1962–63) Bobby Darin Sings The Shadow of Your Smile (for Bobby Darin, released 1966) Ode to Billie Joe (for Bobbie Gentry, released 1967) Local Gentry (for Bobbie Gentry, released 1968) The Delta Sweete (for Bobbie Gentry, released 1968) Reza (for Terry Gibbs, 1966) Lena Like Latin (for Lena Horne, 1963) In Love Again! (for Peggy Lee, 1963) Pass Me By (for Peggy Lee, 1965) The West Coast Sound (for Shelly Manne, 1953–55) My Son the Jazz Drummer! (for Shelly Manne, 1962) Portrait of Carmen (for Carmen McRae, 1967) The Sound of Silence (for Carmen McRae, 1967–68) The Wichita Train Whistle Sings (for Michael Nesmith, 1968) Big Swing Face, 1967) Buddy & Soul (for Buddy Rich, 1969) A Spoonful of Jazz (for Bud Shank, 1967) Comin' Home Baby! (for Mel Tormé, 1962)
Arranger for The Monkees	The Monkees Present (1966–69) "Daydream Believer"/"Goin' Down" (released 1967) "D. W. Washburn" (released 1968) The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees (1967–68)