"Girl" is the 8th single by British singer/actor Davy Jones, written by Charles Fox and

Norman Gimbel Norman Gimbel (November 16, 1927 – December 19, 2018) was an American lyricist of popular songs, television and movie themes. He wrote the lyrics for songs including "Killing Me Softly with His Song", " Ready to Take a Chance Again" (both with ...

. It is not Jones' most successful single ("

Rainy Jane "Rainy Jane" is a song written and originally recorded by Neil Sedaka in 1969, covered two years later by Davy Jones. Sedaka's rendition became a minor hit in the U.S., Canada and Australia. Davy Jones version Former Monkees The Monkees w ...

", peaking at 52 on ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 32 on ''Cash Box'' and number 14 in Canada), but his most remembered one, appearing in ''

The Brady Bunch ''The Brady Bunch'' is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family with six children. The show aired for five seasons and, after ...

'' episode "Getting Davy Jones" and again in ''

The Brady Bunch Movie ''The Brady Bunch Movie'' is a 1995 American comedy film that parodies the 1969–1974 television series ''The Brady Bunch''. The film was directed by Betty Thomas, with a screenplay by Laurice Elehwany, Rick Copp, and Bonnie and Terry Turner, and ...

''.

'' Brady Bunch'' TV appearance

In ''

'' episode "Getting Davy Jones", Jones is singing the song in a local recording studio when Marcia Brady comes in and asks if she can talk with Jones to ask him to perform at the junior high school prom. Jones responds by coming to her house later that evening and accepting personally. Near the end credits, all the Brady children are sitting on the steps and singing the song before Marcia comes home from the prom.

'' The Brady Bunch Movie'' appearance

In ''

'', Marcia Brady introduces Jones at the school prom. Jones gets a huge reception from the teachers (who were young during the height of Jones' career), while the students give him a cold reception (for being "out of touch" with the times). Jones starts singing "Girl", much to the dismay of the students. The band in the background gets a little edgy and starts to back him with the then-popular style of

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

rock. Jones goes along with it and finishes the song to wild applause from the teachers and (having won them over) the students (since the genre of the music fits well with the decade). The original version of "Girl" can also be heard playing in the background at different points of the movie, most notably the car jack scene. Jones himself also makes an appearance as a judge along with

Micky Dolenz George Michael Dolenz Jr. (born March 8, 1945) is an American actor, musician, TV producer and businessman. He is best known as the drummer and one of three primary vocalists for the pop-rock band the Monkees (1966–1970, and multiple reunions ...

and

Peter Tork Peter Halsten Thorkelson (February 13, 1942 – February 21, 2019), better known by his stage name Peter Tork, was an American musician and actor. He was best known as the keyboardist and bass guitarist of the Monkees and a co-star of the TV ...

in the talent show scene.

Availability

Due to the fact that it was a poorly received single and was not included on his 1971 album, the original version of "Girl" was hard to find for a long time. It can now, however, be found as a bonus track on the ''Davy Jones'' CD and on the soundtrack of '' A Very Brady Sequel''. The "grunge" version is widely available as part of the soundtrack to ''The Brady Bunch Movie''. This version currently stands as Jones' best selling song on iTunes. It also appears, in a slightly different version, as the main-title theme for the 1971 movie ''

Star Spangled Girl ''Star Spangled Girl'' is a 1971 American romantic comedy film directed by Jerry Paris and based on the 1966 Neil Simon play ''The Star-Spangled Girl''. It stars Sandy Duncan, Tony Roberts, Todd Susman, and Elizabeth Allen. Plot In a Los Ang ...

'' starring

Sandy Duncan Sandra Kay Duncan (born February 20, 1946) is an American actress, comedian, dancer and singer. She is known for her performances in the Broadway revival of ''Peter Pan'' and in the sitcom ''The Hogan Family''. Duncan has been nominated for thr ...

. In June 2012, Friday Music issued ''Davy Jones: The Bell Recordings (1971-72)'' on compact disc, and also issued a limited-edition green vinyl 45 (on the Bell label, but showing the Friday Music logo) of the original version of "Girl", backed with Jones' biggest single hit, "Rainy Jane". In September 2012 it was issued again on red vinyl.

References

External links

YouTube

YouTube
{{authority control 1971 singles 1971 songs Davy Jones songs Songs with lyrics by Norman Gimbel Songs with music by Charles Fox (composer)