# Don't you just love "Joanne" by Michael Nesmith? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 24, 2007, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373 "2007-05-24T16:54:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![GuyNblueJeans](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@GuyNblueJeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuyNblueJeans)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373/1 "2007-05-24T16:54:33Z")
A moment ago I was at Youtube and listened to the song there, the one that shows Paul Newman and his wife. (I play that one only for the song, as the sound quality is best.) It’s such a beautiful song it almost makes me wanna cry. 😛 Seriously, isn’t it a pretty song? ---
**Author:** ![waits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df788c/32.png) [@waits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waits)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373/2 "2007-05-24T19:50:12Z")
I’ve always thought Nesmith was a very underrated songwriter. He did some really good stuff with the Monkees and some of his solo work is very, very good. “Joanne” was probably his biggest (only?) solo hit. It was produced by Felton Jarvis who produced a lot of Elvis’ late '60s material. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373/3 "2007-05-24T19:54:42Z")
I love this song! Mike Nesmith is the only one of the Monkees who has a genuine gift for music, and this is one of his best efforts. If you like Mike, be sure to see [Elephant Parts](http://www.amazon.com/Elephant-Parts-Robert-Ackerman/dp/B0000844IZ/). Sheer genius. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373/4 "2007-05-24T21:01:58Z")
Well I’m intrigued enough I’d give it a listen - how about a link for those who haven’t heard it? ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373/5 "2007-05-24T21:06:51Z")
[QUOTE=Khadaji] Well I’m intrigued enough I’d give it a listen - how about a link for those who haven’t heard it? [/QUOTE] [Here you go.](http://youtube.com/watch?v=ydNvjQTRSlU) ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373/6 "2007-05-24T21:07:27Z")
One of me favs _Then the woman that she was Drove her on with desperation And I saw as she went A most hopeless situation For Joanne and the man And the time that made them both run_ He also wrote Ronstadt’s _Different Drum_ and Nitty Gritty’s _Some of Shelley’s Blues._ ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2007, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373/7 "2007-05-24T22:53:55Z")
Thank you for that link! I love Paul and Joanne, and I’ve always loved that song (I’m an old Monkees fan). This brought tears to my eyes. Peter Tork has a genuine gift for music too, but hasn’t had the solo career Nesmith had. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373/8 "2007-05-25T00:28:31Z")
Nice song, but the lyrics don’t fit all to a montage of Mr. & Mrs. Newman. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373/9 "2007-05-25T03:00:58Z")
Plus it was Mikes mother who invented whiteout. I think he is comfy. ---
**Author:** ![GuyNblueJeans](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@GuyNblueJeans](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuyNblueJeans)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373/10 "2007-05-25T03:14:10Z")
Thanks All for the comments! Thanks for the link! (I still haven’t figured out how to do that on this Apple, thus I always have to do that whole, big thing with all those numbers and letters. ^sigh^) I would love to get a copy of Elephant but the $31 seems a bit steep. Didn’t know the man wrote Different Drummer, another very nice song! Did know that his mom created White Out. (Wish I could come up with something simple to get my impoverished self on Easy Street.🙂 ---
**Author:** ![fishbicycle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aeb1de/32.png) [@fishbicycle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fishbicycle)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373/11 "2007-05-25T03:19:43Z")
I love that song, too. His only other charting records were “Silver Moon” (#42, 1970) and “Nevada Fighter” (#70, 1971). I have the first one, but I’ve never heard the other. I still have to see “Elephant Parts.” Does anyone know if it can be rented? ---
**Author:** ![Operation\_Ripper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/34f0e0/32.png) [@Operation\_Ripper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Operation_Ripper)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373/12 "2007-05-25T03:48:43Z")
Speaking of Elephant Parts, man, I have always dug [Cruisin’](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRWTz3zY1WY). Sunset Sam looked like he was really groovin’ on life, heh. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373/13 "2007-05-25T04:24:41Z")
My boss recently brought me in to her office to check out an email that is making the rounds. It’s a recent picture of Mike, with the caption: Who is this person? The choices, besides ex-rock star, were something like “Corporate CEO”, and “Ambassador to Peru” (or something like that). Don’t give short shrift to Davy and Micky, either. Being Monkees might have been their claim to fame, but they weren’t just some guys off the street. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373/14 "2007-05-25T04:51:19Z")
Check out his music video for “[Rio](http://youtube.com/watch?v=FA7TB4hX51w)”. You just don’t see that kind of fun much anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373/15 "2007-05-25T04:51:28Z")
Mike is a damn fine songwriter. He also wrote and sang my favorite Monkees song: [You Just May Be the One](http://youtube.com/watch?v=q5kt8cxfNRE) (YouTube clip). ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373/16 "2007-05-25T06:08:46Z")
I loved, loved, loved _Elephant Parts_!!! I can’t believe it’s been over twenty years since I’ve seen it! Thanks everyone for the video links. (And btw, does anyone else wonder if Nesmith’s recording career would have been more successful had his albums not been saddled with the names _Infinite Rider on the Big Dogma_ and _From a Radio Engine to the Photon Wing_? My brother, his wife and I were huge Nesmith fans and we loved _Elephant Parts_ and watched it over and over again. Still, we found ourselves rolling our eyes and wishing that Nesmith wasn’t quite so…ahem…humorous when naming his albums and felt that these names likely doomed them from the start.) ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373/17 "2007-05-25T06:16:51Z")
Also should mention that he wrote _Different Drum_, the song that really got things started for Linda Ronstadt. ---
**Author:** ![UntouchedTakeaway](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d78d45/32.png) [@UntouchedTakeaway](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UntouchedTakeaway)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373/18 "2007-05-25T10:32:26Z")
Thanks for that link - that was my favorite, too.. VCNJ~ [QUOTE=spoke-] Mike is a damn fine songwriter. He also wrote and sang my favorite Monkees song: [You Just May Be the One](http://youtube.com/watch?v=q5kt8cxfNRE) (YouTube clip). [/QUOTE] ---
**Author:** ![Meurglys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/258eb7/32.png) [@Meurglys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meurglys)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373/19 "2007-05-25T11:58:33Z")
I liked the end of side one of the original lp, _Loose Salute_ (I think) where he says, ‘We’ll be right back, just as soon as you turn the record over!’ Classic! _Live at the Palais_ used to be one of my favourite live lps… ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [May 25, 2007, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373/20 "2007-05-25T12:26:10Z")
I’ve always enjoyed Mike Nesmith’s songwriting. I’ve Just Begun To Care (Propinquity), which was also recorded by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, is my favorite, followed by Joanne. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-you-just-love-joanne-by-michael-nesmith/405373.md?page=2)