Top Ten Songs by the Kinks
There are many reasons why The Kinks never received their due in the U.S., ranging from poor management, to never cashing in on a trend, to constantly switching record labels. But any listener who seeks out their albums will be overwhelmed with the power and vision of lead singer and songwriter Ray Davies and the current-period sound led by lead guitarist Dave Davies and (mostly) drummer Mick Avory.
It’s an impossible task to pick the 10 best songs of a group as prolific as The Kinks. The easy way out would be to just pick the most radio-friendly songs, but that would be a huge disservice to both the band and the audience. What follows is a list of great songs from all of the varied eras of the group.
#10) Sweet Lady Genevieve Perhaps the greatest song in rock-n-roll history that nobody knows, Sweet Lady Genevieve comes from “Preservation Act I” in 1973, one of many concept albums the band put out in the 1970s. The song is an ode to an ex-lover, admitting the sins of his past and asking for another chance. The song features great lyrics and a strong vocal performance by Davies.
“Once under a scarlet sky I told you never ending lies,
But they were the words of a drunken vagabond
Who knew very well he would break your heart before long
Oh forgive me Genevieve.”
A guaranteed number-one hit if someone covered this song today.
#9) No More Looking Back From 1975’s “Schoolboys in Disgrace”, No More Looking Back is the final song of the album. On the surface the song is about a man who keeps finding reminders of someone from his past.
“And just when I think you’re out of my head
I hear a song that you sang or see a book that you read.
Then you’re in every bar, you’re in every cafe,
You’re driving every car, I see you everyday,”
A great song by itself, it works on another level, too. The Kinks had been torn apart by internal struggles in regards to Ray’s fondness for concept albums. Schoolboys pointed the way to the arena rock that would follow and define the late-70s Kinks. This song can be heard as Ray making peace with the band’s new direction.
“No more looking back,
No more living in the past,
Yesterday’s gone and that’s a fact,
Now there’s no more looking back.
Got to be hard,
Yeah, look straight ahead.
That s the only way it’s going to be,
Yesterday’s gone and that’s a fact,
Now there’s no more looking back.”
#8) Celluloid Heroes From 1972’s “Everybody’s in Showbiz”, a double album with the first album comprised of new studio performances and the second one a live album, Celluloid Heroes closes the studio tracks. One of the group’s most popular songs, it’s a tribute to some of Hollywood’s screen legends, including Greta Garbo and Rudolph Valentino. It also provides some foreshadowing of Ray’s later attempted suicide.
“I wish my life was a non-stop Hollywood movie show,
A fantasy world of celluloid villains and heroes,
Because celluloid heroes never feel any pain
And celluloid heroes never really die.”
#7) People Take Pictures of Each Other The closing track to 1968’s “Village Green Preservation Society”, People Take Pictures of Each Other is a scathing indictment of those who think capturing the moment is more important than the moment itself.
“People take pictures of the Summer,
Just in case someone thought they had missed it,
And to proved that it really existed.
Fathers take pictures of the mothers,
And the sisters take pictures of brothers,
Just to show that they love one another.
You can’t picture love that you took from me,
When we were young and the world was free.
Pictures of things as they used to be,
Don’t show me no more, please.”
Sadly, this song is used in a Hewlett-Packard commercial for digital photography now. I guess they didn’t listen too closely to the lyrics.
#6) Waterloo Sunset While many bands pack the strongest songs at the beginning of the album, Ray Davies always rewarded the listener who stayed around to the end. The closing track on 1967’s “Something Else”, Waterloo Sunset is one of the most romantic songs done by the band. But in typical Kinks fashion, the romance is not the singer’s but rather “Terry and Julie”. But there is something special in that the singer can take comfort from the song’s protagonists.
“But I don’t feel afraid
As long as I gaze on Waterloo Sunset
I am in paradise.”
Artists as diverse as David Bowie, Elliott Smith and Def Leppard have covered the song.
#5) Better Things A radio hit from 1981’s “Give The People What They Want”, Better Things is another example of a strong closing song by the band. One of the most optimistic songs in The Kinks’ catalog, the song leaves the listener with a best-is-yet-to-come feeling.
“I know you’ve got a lot of good things happening up ahead.
The past is gone it’s all been said.
So here’s to what the future brings,
I know tomorrow you’ll find better things.”
#4) Sunny Afternoon From 1966’s “Face to Face”, one of the band’s finest albums. This song still gets plenty of radio play today. It tells the story of a man who has lost all of his possessions to the taxman and is left just with a fine summer day.
“The tax mans taken all my dough,
And left me in my stately home,
Lazing on a sunny afternoon.
And I can’t sail my yacht,
He’s taken everything I’ve got,
All I’ve gots this sunny afternoon.”
But my favorite line is “Give me two good reasons why I aught to stay.” I always sing that part with my two hands fondling some imaginary breasts.
The song succeeds in large part to Ray’s boozy singing and its effective fade out, repeating “In the summertime” over and over. This gives the song its radio-friendly hook.
#3) You Really Got Me The Kinks’ first big hit, You Really Got Me was on their debut album in 1964 and the definitive version was included on the 1965 album named after the song. You Really Got Me features a classic guitar riff by Dave Davies (sometimes attributed to then-studio-musician Jimmy Page, a claim Dave vigorously denies) and an impassioned vocal by Ray. One of the few songs to be featured regularly on classic rock stations with both the original and a cover version, as Van Halen featured the classic Kinks track on their debut album in 1978.
#2) A Rock ‘N’ Roll Fantasy From 1978’s “Misfits”, an album where Ray looks at middle age. Inspired somewhat by the death of Elvis Presley, the song is a type of conversation between Ray and brother Dave, contemplating their place in music and whether they should even have one at this point in their careers.
“Look at me, look at you
You say you’ve got nothing left to prove
The King is dead, rock is done
You might be through but I’ve just begun
I don’t know, I feel free and I won’t let go”
The song may be ambiguous as to Ray and the band’s feelings towards their craft, but listening to the album, one of their strongest from start to finish, leaves the listener with the distinct impression that The Kinks will carry on.
A year later, Bad Company put out a song with a similar title, with their fantasy being of the stereotypical Sex, Drugs, Rock-n-Roll variety. The Kinks’ fantasy, perhaps not as glamorous, was a more personal, insightful and rewarding experience.
#1) Lola From 1970’s “Lola vs. the Powerman & the Money-Go-Round, Pt. 1”, Lola is the album’s signature track and the group’s most well-known hit. It’s a tribute to Ray’s excellence as a writer that he could make a story about an inter-racial encounter with a transvestite into a song that people crank up the volume and sing along with whenever it comes on the radio.
“She walked up to me and she asked me to dance
I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said Lola
L-o-l-a Lola lo-lo-lo-lo Lola
Well I’m not the world’s most physical guy
But when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine
Oh my Lola lo-lo-lo-lo Lola
Well I’m not dumb but I can’t understand
Why she walked like a woman and talked like a man.”
The song is one of many memorable ones on the album, which also includes Apeman and Dave’s finest song – Strangers, two songs that were especially difficult to leave off of this list.
The Kinks have covered a lot of ground in their history. From three-chord Rock-n-Roll, to championing English tradition, to diatribes against the music industry, to concept albums, to arena rock and a host of others in between, they have rewarded their fans with some of the finest music of all time.
