Welcome to another Songful Style challenge! If you’re new here, Songful Style is a fun monthly series where my fabulous co-hosts, Shelbee from Shelbee on the Edge and Marsha from Marsha in the Middle, and I put together outfits inspired by a song. Last month, we styled Follow the Sun by Xavier Rudd (chosen by me). This time, Marsha picked Pleasant Valley Sunday by The Monkees—such a catchy tune, but if you listen closely, it’s got a bit of an underlying message.
What’s the Song About?
Pleasant Valley Sunday came out in 1967 and was written by the legendary Gerry Goffin and Carole King. The inspiration? Life in the suburbs! Goffin and King lived in New Jersey at the time, and the song is basically poking fun at the whole “perfect neighbourhood” vibe—where everything looks great on the surface, but underneath, people might not be as happy as they seem.
A Look at the Lyrics
It all sounds lovely, right? Well, not quite. Check out these lyrics:
“Another Pleasant Valley Sunday / Here in status symbol land / Mothers complain about how hard life is / And the kids just don’t understand.”
It’s basically saying, “Yep, everything looks picture-perfect, but is anyone actually happy?” It’s got that classic Monkees fun sound, but there’s definitely a little bit of sarcasm in there! See the full lyrics at the end of the post.
The Monkees’ Vibe
The Monkees started out as a TV band, but they became a huge deal—at one point outselling The Beatles and The Rolling Stones! Crazy, right? And while a lot of their songs were happy-go-lucky, Pleasant Valley Sunday shows they had a bit of an edge too. If you want to learn more about them, I recommend visiting Marsha’s blog, because she was such a huge fan back in. the day and can tell you all sorts!
My Thoughts on the Song
I love how this song tricks you—it’s so upbeat, but when you pay attention, you realise it’s actually making a point about chasing the “perfect life.” It’s one of those tunes you can dance around to but also stop and think about.
For this challenge, I wanted to capture that mix—the fun, bright sound of the song but with a little nod to its deeper message.
My Pleasant Valley Sunday Outfit
As soon as I watched the music video, one of The Monkees’ tops instantly reminded me of a dress I own, so I knew I had to use it for this look! Since it’s still February and a bit chilly, I layered the thin summer dress over a chocolate brown turtleneck and paired it with light brown faux leather leggings (which, thankfully, have a warm inside!). To keep with the warm tones, I wore chocolate brown Timberland heeled boots and added a long gold pendant necklace along with large circular gold earrings. For extra warmth, I threw on a chocolate brown cardigan when needed. And yes, everything—except for the bag and necklace—is from Vinted!
Speaking of bags, I went with a light brown handbag from Parfois. Not my favourite, but I don’t have many brown bags, and if I’d had an orange one, I definitely would have chosen that to match the dress!
The whole outfit gives off a bit of a 60s and 70s hippie vibe, which is exactly what I was going for—because let’s be honest, The Monkees ooze that energy in spades!
What do you think of Pleasant Valley Sunday? Are you a Monkees fan? Let’s chat in the comments! Make sure you check out Shelbee’s post here and Marsha’s post here to see their takes on it! Oh and don’t forget to link up your posts to the linky, below! And join us next month when we’ll be style Shelbee’s song choice—Wish I Knew You by The Revivalists.
Pleasant Valley Sunday Lyrics
Your local rock group down the street
Is trying hard to learn this song
To serenade the weekend squire
Just came out to mow his lawn
Another Pleasant Valley Sunday
Charcoal burnin’ everywhere
Rows of houses that are all the same
And no one seems to care
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
My thoughts all seem to stray to places far away
I need a change of scenery
Another Pleasant Valley Sunday
Charcoal burning everywhere
Another Pleasant Valley Sunday
Here in status symbol land
Another Pleasant Valley Sunday
Another Pleasant Valley Sunday
Another Pleasant Valley Sunday
Another Pleasant Valley Sunday
Another Pleasant Valley Sunday
