"Joanne" is a song written and performed by

Michael Nesmith Robert Michael Nesmith or Mike Nesmith, (December 30, 1942 – December 10, 2021) was an American musician, songwriter, and actor. He was best known as a member of the pop rock band the Monkees and co-star of the TV series ''The Monkees'' (1966� ...

, his only hit song as a solo artist. The single was issued by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

in mid 1970, from the album ''Magnetic South'', the first album released by Nesmith and The

First National Band The First National Band or Michael Nesmith and The First National Band was a short-lived American collaborative band, led by Monkee Michael Nesmith. During the two active years, The First National Band released three albums in the country rock ...

after he left The

Monkees The Monkees were an American rock and pop band, formed in Los Angeles in 1966, whose lineup consisted of the American actor/musicians Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith and Peter Tork alongside English actor/singer Davy Jones. The group was conce ...

. In the United States, the song peaked at No. 21 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Top 100 on 3 October 1970. It went to No. 4 in Canada, No. 3 in Australia, and No. 1 in New Zealand. In the U.S., it was the most successful solo chart hit for any member of The Monkees. "Joanne" was the second single issued from ''Magnetic South'', following the release of "Little Red Rider" (which did not chart). On the B-side of "Joanne", the track "One Rose" appears. RCA later reissued "Joanne" backed with "Silver Moon", as a single in its 45 rpm "Gold Standard Series". "Silver Moon" was originally issued as a single from Nesmith's next album ''

Loose Salute ''Loose Salute'' is the second solo album by American singer-songwriter Michael Nesmith released during his post-Monkees career. Issued by RCA Records in 1970 and dedicated to Tony Richland, it peaked at No. 159 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts ...

'', released in November, 1970. "Joanne" was a staple on all of Nesmith's solo concert tours and has appeared on all three of his live albums: ''

Live At The Palais ''Live at the Palais'' is a live album by American singer-songwriter Michael Nesmith, originally released in 1978. It was recorded in 1977 at the Palais Theatre in Melbourne. Most of the songs on the album were derived from the half-dozen albums ...

'', ''

Live at the Britt Festival ''Live at the Britt Festival'' is a live album by Michael Nesmith, released in 1999. It was recorded live at the Britt Festival in Jacksonville, Oregon, on June 19, 1992. To prepare for the concert, Nesmith conducted a limited U.S. tour which feat ...

'' and '' Movies of the Mind''. Nesmith would also spoof ''Joanne'' on his home video, ''

Elephant Parts ''Elephant Parts'' is a collection of comedy sketches and music videos made in 1981 by Michael Nesmith, formerly of the Monkees. Nesmith produced the video through his company Pacific Arts. ''Elephant Parts'' is one hour long with parody commerci ...

'', with the song ''Rodan''. The song was covered by

Andy Williams Howard Andrew Williams (December 3, 1927 – September 25, 2012) was an American singer. He recorded 43 albums in his career, of which 15 have been gold certified and three platinum certified. He was also nominated for six Grammy Awards. He hos ...

on his 1970 album, ''

The Andy Williams Show ''The Andy Williams Show'' was an American television variety show that ran from 1962 to 1971 (alternating during the summer of 1970 with ''Andy Williams Presents Ray Stevens'')Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh, ''The Complete Directory to Prime Time N ...

.''

Personnel

– vocals, rhythm guitar * O.J. "Red" Rhodes – pedal steel guitar * John Ware – drums *

John London John Carl Kuehne (February 6, 1942 – February 12, 2000), better known as John London, was an American musician and songwriter, and was involved in several Hollywood television and movie productions. He was most notably associated with both the ...

– bass * Earl P. Ball – piano

Chart history

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

1970 singles Songs written by Michael Nesmith Andy Williams songs Number-one singles in New Zealand Country rock songs 1970 songs RCA Victor singles {{1970s-country-song-stub