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.

The song is written and performed in a Bo Diddley style, staying mostly on a single chord (A Major), while strumming barre chords (from B Major to E Major) down a 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.

While the movie included the song performed live by the Monkees in Salt Lake City, Utah (on May 21, 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 movie version intercut Vietnam War footage, and 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, 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 II, in 1990. This version on the Apple iTunes Store is incorrect, but Amazon's MP3 matches.

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.

The Monkees
  • Micky Dolenz
  • Davy Jones (deceased)
  • Michael Nesmith
  • Peter Tork
Production/management
  • Don Kirshner
  • Bob Rafelson
  • Bert Schneider
  • Ward Sylvester
  • Lester Sill
  • Raybert Productions
  • Chip Douglas
  • Hank Cicalo
Studio albums
  • The Monkees
  • More of the Monkees
  • Headquarters
  • Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd.
  • The Birds, The Bees & The Monkees
  • Head
  • Instant Replay
  • The Monkees Present
  • Changes
  • Pool It!
  • Justus
Box sets
  • Listen to the Band' (box set)
  • Music Box (box set)
  • The Headquarters Sessions
Compilation albums
  • Greatest Hits (Colgems)
  • The Monkees Golden Hits (Colgems)
  • Barrel Full of Monkees
  • Re-Focus
  • Greatest Hits (Arista)
  • More Greatest Hits of The Monkees
  • Monkee Business
  • Monkee Flips
  • Hit Factory
  • Then & Now... The Best of The Monkees
  • Missing Links
  • Missing Links Volume Two
  • Greatest Hits (Rhino)
  • Barrelful of Monkees: Monkees Songs for Kids!
  • Missing Links Volume Three
  • The Monkees Anthology
  • The Best of The Monkees
Live albums
  • Live 1967
  • Summer 1967: The Complete U.S. Concert Recordings
  • Live!
  • 2001: Live in Las Vegas
Singles
  • "Last Train to Clarksville"/"Take a Giant Step"
  • "I'm a Believer"/"(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone"
  • "(Theme from) The Monkees"/"Mary, Mary"
  • "A Little Bit Me, a Little Bit You"/"The Girl I Knew Somewhere"
  • "I Wanna Be Free"/"You Just May Be the One"
  • "Pleasant Valley Sunday"/"Words"
  • "Daydream Believer"/"Goin' Down"
  • "Valleri"/"Tapioca Tundra"
  • "D. W. Washburn"/"It's Nice to Be With You"
  • "Mary, Mary"/""What am I Doing Hangin' 'Round?"
  • "Porpoise Song"/"As We Go Along"
  • "Tear Drop City"/"A Man Without a Dream"
  • "Someday Man"/"Listen to the Band"
  • "Good Clean Fun"/"Mommy and Daddy"
  • "Oh My My"/"I Love You Better"
  • "Do It in the Name of Love"/"Lady Jane"
  • "That Was Then, This Is Now"
  • "Heart and Soul"/"MGBGT"
  • "Every Step of the Way"/"(I'll) Love You Forever"
Film/television
  • The Monkees (Episode list)
  • Head
  • 33⅓ Revolutions Per Monkee
  • Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees
Related articles
  • Discography
  • Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart
  • The Monkees (book)
  • New Monkees
  • The Monkeemobile
  • An Evening with The Monkees: The 45th Anniversary Tour
  • Book
  • Category


Famous quotes containing the words circle and/or sky:

    Wise child, didst hastily return
    And mad’st thy mother’s womb thine urn.
    How summed a circle didst thou leave mankind
    Of deepest lore, could we the center find!
    Ben Jonson (1572–1637)

    Suspended lion face
    Spilling at the centre
    Of an unfurnished sky ...
    Philip Larkin (1922–1986)