It’s just a ‘Wet Bank Holiday Monday’ sung to the tune of ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday!’ or making a novel memorable

The Monkees song ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday’ was rolling around my head but more the tune to words ‘It’s just a wet bank holiday Monday!’ At this point I would like to pay a tribute to Davey Jones who died at the relatively young age of 66 years in March this year.

I admit it. I was a member of the Monkees Club when I was very little. That dates me doesn’t it and it prompted me to browse on the internet for the rest of the real lyrics and I was taken aback by the timeless nature of verse two:

‘See Mrs. Gray, she’s proud today
Because her roses are in bloom,
And Mr. Green, he’s so serene,
He’s got a TV in every room.

Another pleasant valley Sunday,
Here in Status Symbol Land,
Mothers complain about how hard life is,
And the kids just don’t understand.
Creature comfort goals, they only numb my soul,
And make it hard for me to see.
Ahhh…thoughts all seem to stray to places far away,
I need a change of scenery.’

If you’d like to read the whole song click on this link:


Wow, what a pertinent message from what I considered to be a frivolous pop band. Isn’t that what a lot of people are striving for today; moving away from ‘Status Symbol Land’ towards something more worthwhile?

The wonderful thing, and sometimes irritating, about a catchy tune is the fact that we cannot get it out of our heads and even more amazing, years later, sometimes we still remember all the words too. Mind you it could be a person, time or place which triggers the memory.

How many novels stand the test of time in the same way? Of course there are the classic we are all introduced to at school but how many others. I could count on two hands those novels which have made such an impact on me that I could call them unforgettable and those are the ones I like to keep and they are not necessarily well known, they just met a particular need at the time. Like songs too, their messages often stand the test of time.

How can we as authors strive to achieve this impossible feat?

  1. Writing the best written novel we can. Goes without saying.
  2. Writing a series perhaps.
  3. Linking a story to a particular setting so that the place stirs memories of the novel and characters for the reader.- ~ a good holiday read maybe
  4. A unique plot line.

What do you think? How are you striving to achieve the impossible?

What can I remember about ‘Pleasant Valley Sunday’?

1. The Monkees sang it.

2. ‘Charcoals burning everywhere’ and

3. ‘no one seems to care’

Not bad I suppose for a song frm the ’60’s’!

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Filed under Book reading, Planning a novel, Reading a novel, Writing a novel

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