1:16 you’ll get a Patreon sandwich, which is a good portion of finely seasoned & sliced content, garnished with patron-pals, between 2 slices of Diane bread with spray on toasting
Ha ha ha! This made me laugh out loud. It is actually pretty accurate though. 🥪 😂 An endorsement firsthand from a patron lads! www.patreon.com/DianeJennings?
Ray Davies at The Kinks induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: "Seeing everyone here tonight, it makes me realize that rock and roll has become respectable. What a bummer." Gotta love it.
He also espouses Socialism while pinching every penny he earns and resenting anyone taking it from him. He's a man of many contradictions and hypocrisies.
Of course it got respectable, there was money to be made. The Who,Stones,Beatles set up their own record labels, better to control your cut than give it away to a company.
I see you have a great sense of humour. Ray Davies has contradictions (as anyone else) and he used to express them humorously or in an ironic way. Meanwhile you people see things unidimensionaly, bravo! 👏👏 someday you'll grow up
That line is actually “the air pollution is fogging up my eyes”,because they were trying for another number one. The B.B.C. misheard the line and refused to let them release it at first as a single.
I saw The Kinks in concert a long time ago. A few times during the show, they would play the opening guitar riff from this song, The crowd would go wild. Then they'd stop, and say, "You're not ready for that." They'd play a few more songs then finally play the whole tune.
They did the same for the concert I went to in 1980 in NY. They also did something I have never seen another act do. After the lights went up and a lot of people left they came out and played again. We stayed because we knew...they did the same thing for an earlier concert my friend went to in another city.
I can thank my folks for introducing me to The Kinks, truly a group with many memorable tunes, especially "Sunny Afternoon", "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" and "Well Respected Man."
@@AlexP1235 Yes, Celluloid Heroes has some great lyrics. The history of Hollywood is filled with stories of great success, and many sad stories of dreams unfulfilled. There are also lives I call "double lightning", consisting of immense success and deep sorrows.
@@chrisbotelho7212 Here is a thought for you. Try to think of a time when the world's political climate wasn't so awful. Most people think of a time like their childhood where their parents protected them from all the bad stuff. I think it is largely true that the threats have always been there. It is just that in the last few years they have been in our face. The folks who burned the library at Alexandria had kids. The guy who pointed out that legally the Titanic had enough lifeboats had kids. The skin of the Hindenburg was coated with stuff that was very flammable at the direction of some guy who had kids. Those blood lines are with us to today.
Lola may be their biggest hit, but their most influential was "All Day and All Night," a garage rock classic from the early sixties the was the foundation of Punk rock, and "You Really Got Me, " was their second most important, as it influenced hard rock and heavy metal.
Based on your watching of Weird Al. I'll point out he has covered Lola, with his version being called Yoda. It's the first of his songs I learned all the words to.
@@PaperbackWizard a while back I read that Don McLean was asked if he liked weird Al's version. He responded with something to the effect of it played so often in his House by his grandkids that he almost sang the wrong version on stage.
Diane: Their first two hits, You Really Got Me and All Day and All of the Night, introduced the guitar sound that later became heavy metal. Waterloo Sunset is one of the greatest songs of the British Invasion, right up there with the Beatles' best. (Bowie was a fan.) Celluloid Heroes--OMG. The Kinks did so much ...
The Kinks' first U.S. hits were "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All Of The Night." Lot of screaming guitar on those. I remember that in a late-60s interview, The Kinks claimed that they'd invented a new electronic music sound and The Who stole it from them.
I saw The Kinks at the US Festival in California in 1982. They were still pretty good at the time. The "brother/sister or husband/wife" band was The White Stripes, with Jack and Meg White.
It's nice to see you looked into the band and what the song was about. Understandably, it tends to go over many peoples' heads.😁 I was in 7th grade when it was released here in the US, and it took a little while before we realized the story line of the song. Even back then when such things weren't as readily accepted, it didn't matter to us as 12 year olds.
Lola was released on the day I was born. In college, I had to right a paper on an event that happened on that day, so I wrote about Lola. My favorite Kinks song is "Destroyer" which uses references from many of their songs. "Come Dancing" is a sweet tribute to the Davies older sister.
They've been around since the '60s; I first became aware of them in the late '70s and they became my alltime favorite band. Amazing catalogue of tunes. The hits dried up in the late '80s, but we stuck them til they called it a day in the mid-'90s. Ray and Dave have had decent solo careers, and Ray is now recognized as one of England's greatest lyricists. He's influenced generations of bands. Now that you've dipped your toe in - go deeper! You won't be disappointed.
The Kinks had a bit of a reputation which helped keep them out of America during the height of the British Invasion. Incidents like Dave Davies (lead guitar) and Mick Avory (drums) getting into an argument on stage where Mick hit Dave in the head with a cymbal stand. He knocked Dave unconscious. Mick thought he had killed Dave and fled the venue. Amazingly, despite these kinds of fights, they remained together for many years.
The Kinks' heyday was in the 60s, and later on they had another period of popularity in the late 70s/early 80s. I myself originally thought that they were a New Wave band (songs like Destroyer and Pressure were very much in that vein), until I realized that they had recorded a bunch of hits that I'd heard on the radio as a small child in the 60s. They were quite eclectic, changing styles, formats, line-ups, etc. - sometimes that worked and sometimes it didn't, and they suffered commercially at times. They were known to be self-destructive, fighting amongst each other a lot, drinking a lot, smashing up hotel rooms, doing the stuff that got them banned from the US for four years. Their own manager, Robert Wace (the inspiration for the events in Lola), once said "One thing you have to realize about The Kinks is that, prior to 1967, they weren't even house-trained".
Love the Kinks! They are possibly the most underrated influential band of all time. They deserve to be recognized along with those other British Invasion groups. They most definitely can be considered the most important band to emerge in the 2nd half of the 20th century. One must realize how revolutionary the track "You Really Got Me" was with the first commercially popular track with distorted guitar. Dave Davies and his distorted guitar sound was mindblowing at the time. Just think if he never took that razor blade to that speaker cone and got that dirty sound, how different would the music world would be? Remember this is 1964, no one has heard such an aggressive sound created with distorted guitar before. Especially in a hit song before the Kinks "You Really Got Me" followed by "All of the Day and All of the Night". Bruce Springsteen said that it was the toughest sound he and his friends ever heard. He said it was what inspired him to learn guitar. His fellow bandmate Steven Van Zant said that sound was the equivalent of going from Black & White TV to Color or like a UFO landing in central park. Eddie & Alex Van Halen echo similar sentiments. It is easy nowadays to dismiss the importance of incorporating a distorted guitar in music, in particular in Rock/Metal and Punk music. Everyone has grown accustomed to hearing distorted guitars in music, one may find it hard to fathom how powerful that sound was to virgin ears. It becomes virtually impossible that The Kinks' musical DNA is not present in nearly every Rock, Metal, and Punk band that followed. It's time this band received their deserved recognition. Many have attributed the Ban in the US due to a lack of management and supervision. One must remember that the band consisted of 17 and 18-year-old working-class youths with a pair of brothers whose personalities were incompatible with each other. This would manifest into violence, and violence would occur on stage with each other. Needless to say, this would become an issue with anyone who was to manage them. I suspect this may have been a major factor in why their road manager dropped them mid-tour during their first US tour. This left the band scrambling to continue virtually unsupervised without knowledge of certain protocols and other tour-related management. It was also rumored that Ray Davies may have punched out someone who he shouldn't have contributed to the ban. Many have pointed to the ban as a prime factor in keeping the Kinks from reaching the same prominence and stature as the other British Invasion groups like the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and The Who due to exposure to the US market. Nonetheless, they managed to survive and endure to the early nineties.
Geezus I hate the word underrated. It is such a feeble nothing word. Easily the most over used (and wrongly used) word on RUclips. Seriously, you used the words underrated and influential in the same sentence. You clearly have no idea what the word means.
Ah, Diane finally digs up my favorite band. They are all-over-the-map. From You Really Got Me/All Day and All of the Night to Sunny Afternoon & Waterloo Sunset to Lola (of course) through their rock theatre days to their arena rock era (error?) to Come Dancing…talking hundreds of songs. Brilliant frustrating band.
The Kinks are in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame both in the US and the UK. They continued to put out topical music till their last studio album Phobia. Both Ray and Dave have had critically acclaimed solo albums. Ray Davies is one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Unfortunately, commercial success was less than expected for the band as they were banned from performing in the US during the height of their popularity in the UK. They did gain some American success after Arista Records re-conceived the band as an arena rock band and they produced a number of successful albums from 1977 -83 or 84, and the Top 10 single Come Dancing. After the success of Hall of Fame single You Really Got Me in 1964, the Kinks toured the US. Ray was about 18 and his brother was a minor at about 16. They were traveling in a foreign country when their tour management quit and I believe joined Sonny and Cher leaving the kids without any let's say "adult supervision." The result was disasterous leading to the union banning them. Instead of being one of the bright stars of the British invasion, they were left to cult status. A number of British bands especially in the 80s and 90s have cited the Kinks as an inspiration. And despite a lack of label support, the Kinks are one of a handful of bands to have a Top 10 single in 3 straight decades, accomplishing it in the 1960s, the 1970s and the 1980s. The Kinks have an absolutely amazing catalog of music. You could do worse than listening to any of their songs.
Diane, give Waterloo Sunset a listen. In my opinion, one of the great pop songs of all time. I listen to it every time I'm in London crossing the Waterloo bridge. It references Terence Stamp and Julie Christie, two wonderful British actors and a couple for a while.
Great reaction, Irish Girl! The Kinks were very popular when I was in HS. Everything in the late 60's and early 70's was controversial, so this song fit right in. It's really quite fun sharing in your musical exploration, thanks for another great video.
I remember my mother turning off the radio any time they played this song. One day I asked her if she actually knew what the song was about. She slapped me! I laughed and told her this is why I don't drink.
Their body of work is outstanding. You Really Got Me, and All Day and All of the Night ripped into the music scene with a sound never before heard. Raw, gritty, and wild before anyone else.
They had to re-record paart of the song to get the single on the BBC. "Coca-Cola" was changed to "cherry cola" because the Beeb hates brand names in songs.
Ray Davies wrote some truly awesome songs in the 60's and 70's - Dead End Street, Sunny Afternoon, their biggest hit (up there with Lola) is Waterloo Sunset - totally magnificent, simple, melodic and poignant. They were GREAT live too!
American band banned in USA for this song: "Redbone -We were all wounded at Wounded Knee" Please I love to hear your comment on this song. Still relevant.
I learned something new today. I always thought the song Lola was about a man and woman. I thought the lyrics meant she dressed in pants and said lots swear words while drinking champagne. I enjoyed learning something new with you today. 🥂🎸🎤🎵
@@tonys1636😅 a colleague of mine teaching Spanish used the song to teach direct object pronouns. Didn't really have any sense or logic to it, but anyway...
I’m not really a lyrics girl. If they’re fun to sing along with, I’m happy, but I rarely pay any attention to the meaning of the words so I only “got” what the song was singing about this year while watching another reaction video & reading the comments, lol. Duh.
I have to admit back when this came out I didn’t realize what it was about until about the third time I heard it. I loved your reaction, especially the look on your face when it seemed like you realized what the song was about but didn’t seem to be quite sure enough to say it out loud yet. At least that's what it looked like to me! ❤
The first time I saw The Kinks in concert was in 1977 (I was 21) at the Arlington Theater in Santa Barbara, California on the Central West Coast. It was their 'Sleepwalker Tour'. Then I saw them in 1980 and in 1984 at the Santa Barbara County Bowl. They were fantastic on stage, especially Ray Davies with his storytelling and quite the comedian. You should also do a reaction to The Kinks' song "Celluloid Heroes". That song is very emotional.
I see a number of great replies with song recommendations. Another way to consume The Kinks are by some of their specific classic albums. In the 60s, during their USA ban, they concentrated on very British themed music. The albums that best exemplify that are "Something Else by The Kinks" (which has the perfect pop song "Waterloo Sunset"), "The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society" (my favorite and maybe their most influential album), and "Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)" (a true concept album released before The Who's "Tommy" about the decline of British power/living conditions and the emigration to former colonies like Australia). I'd say "Something Else..." and "...Village Green Society" stand up to best Beatles, Who, and Rolling Stones albums. "Lola" comes from "Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One" (you have to love these brief album titles)! It has songs about the tribulations of modern society, including the corrupt music industry, and the wishful thinking of escaping to a natural paradise. They never did a "Lola Part 2", but "Muswell Hillbillies" is sort of one and it has Davies' incisive, observational vignettes about the hopes and fears of the denizens of that part of London. They then went into very theatrically influenced albums that although have some great songs, I've always found to be too clever for their own good and not my cuppa tea. When I actually got to know them, they had become an arena-filling rock band geared for US audiences. They started getting moderate hits on albums like "Misfits", "Low Budget", and especially "Give the People What They Want" ("Destroyer" was an update to their "You Really Got Me"/"All Day and All of the Night" hard rock style). By the time MTV came into view, "State of Confusion" with the Top 10 hit "Come Dancing", brought the Kinks back to the mainstream in a brief time. The last album that I loved from start to finish was "Word of Mouth" (brother Dave Davies supplying one of his rare, but great, songs called "Living on a Thin Line" being a highlight). It is to my eternal regret that I never saw The Kinks in concert. There had been times from the last 27 years when it appeared the Davies brothers would bury the hatchet and get back together, but something, including unfortunate health issues, always seemed to prevent this from happening. Ray's (and a few of Dave's) songs are just exemplary and they definitely deserved to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Kinks have been a part of my hometown of Springfield, Illinois lore since the 1960's. This story is too long for me to type out on my phone, so I will copy and paste select segments. These interesting and very weird circumstances occurred during the tour (Illinois dates June 20 - 23, 1965). This story is part of the strange tour that ultimately got The Kinks banned. [T]hus, their first American tour consisted of just fifteen concerts and four television appearances. They missed major cities like Baltimore, Boston and Detroit and avoided the South completely. Yet the band spent four days and nights zig-zagging across Illinois for shows in Peoria, Chicago, Decatur and Springfield. One of these nights (Decatur) is all but forgotten by chroniclers of the band. At the same time, a few of these dates would become legendary though not for anything that happened on the stage but instead for the characters the group encountered in downstate Illinois. This includes time spent with a notorious serial killer in Springfield as well as a brush with a “pistol-packing punk driver” in Peoria that Ray Davies would write and sing about for years afterwards. [By the end of the disastrous tour, the Kinks would be banned indefinitely from performing in the United States by the American Federation of Musicians union without explanation. The most memorable event of their time spent in Peoria however, at least for Kinks’ front man Ray Davies, had nothing to do with the concert itself. Instead it was the group's chauffeur that left a lasting impression. In his 1995 book, X-Ray: The Unauthorized Autobiography, Davies wrote about riding around in a big Ford Thunderbird with a driver that looked like he had stepped out of Jack Kerouac novel, a “punk from your typical b-movie.” According to Davies, the driver boasted about having slept with Ann-Margaret as well as having Elvis Presley’s phone number before pulling a gun out of the glove compartment. Davies writes, “He waved the pistol around menacingly before putting it down on the seat beside him. Then his mood shifted, he smiled a film-star’s toothy smile and said, ‘Welcome to Illinois, the home of middle America.’” Davies would continue to reference this brief encounter at various times throughout his career. He sang about it in his one-man touring show and it gets mentioned again in his 2003 book. As mentioned earlier, the Springfield concert was sponsored by the local Jaycees which is where the story takes a bizarre turn. The vice-president of the Jaycees at that time and the man that organized the concert was none other than John Wayne Gacy. Gacy, who would later be known as the Killer Clown, was convicted and executed in 1994 for the murder of at least 33 boys and young men in the Chicago area in the 1970s. In 1965 however Gacy was an upstanding citizen, married and living in Springfield where he worked as a shoe salesman. In fact earlier that year the Jaycees named him "Man of the Year" for his work as a community organizer. When Springfield's mayor requested the Jaycees come up with some summer entertainment for young people, Gacy organized the concert at the Armory. It had been assumed that Gacy had little or no contact with the Kinks but all of that changed with a bombshell interview that Kinks' bassist Peter Quaife gave to Johnny Black and Mojo magazine in Septermber 2000. In the interview Quaife says, "the local promoter that was looking after us turned out to be a real greaseball. He was polite enough, but a greaseball nonetheless. After the gig, he invites us back to his house. Says he's got some people coming round and he's got some booze, so we say, ok." "We get there, and the place has an awful, sickly smell about it. But he's our promoter, so we stay there, drinking, 'til about 3 am. When we decide to go he gets upset, says can't a couple of us stay? By now we were beginning to get a bit antsy about this guy, so we took off to the hotel and that was the last we saw of him." Later in the interview Quaife adds, "We could have ended up as mementoes bricked up in his walls." Despite the level of detail that Quiafe provides there is good reason to question his recollection of events. First and foremost, it is likely that the Kinks left Springfield by bus fairly quickly after the show because they had a concert in Denver the next night. The 900 mile trip would have left the band little time to hang out at Gacy's house. Giving Quaife the benefit of the doubt, it is possible that the Kinks arrived in Springfield the night before, after the Decatur show, and met up with Gacy then. Still, there is no evidence that was the case and it seems unlikely. Also, it is important to remember that Gacy was married and living a fairly normal life at the time so some of Quaife's details simply don't add up. Unfortunately, Quaife died on June 23, 2010 (the anniversary of the Springfield show and Gacy encounter) so we may never know. Ray Davies, in his book Americana, neither confirms nor denies the incident saying, "at Peter Quaife's instigation, we almost went to the house of infamous clown-serial killer Wayne Gacy." Though the Kinks left Illinois after just four days, trouble seemed to follow them for the rest of the tour. Elsewhere in his book, Davies writes, "The 1965 tour was filled with bad energy." Later adding, "America just didn't understand the Kinks the first time around. We got the impression that we unknowingly offended and upset a lot of people. I'm not sure with whom or with what but there was something strange going down on that tour.".
I love the Kinks. As far as British Invasion bands of the early/mid 1960s, their popularity/influence trails only the Big 3 - the Beatles, Rolling Stones & The Who. The Dave Clark Five might have had more hits (maybe the Hollies too?), the Animals had a great lead singer in Eric Burdon, and the Yardbirds and Small Faces were precursors to bigger rock bands of the late 60’s, but the Kinks were real pioneers. They had a great mix of quirky, very smart, very British music & lyrics from Ray Davies and rock attitude & loud guitars from Dave Davies. I highly recommend watching the famous live version of “Lola” or the amazing (some say the first hard rock anthem) “You Really Got Me.” Or if you’re looking for another band to watch for the first time, try the super fun “Glad All Over” from the Dave Clark Five (DC5).
I was still young and innocent enough when I first heard this song that I didn't see that twist coming, even though the lyrics give plenty of hints. I like it. The sound, music, lyrics, and vocals all work great together.
I was unaware of the band being banned, lol. But from what you read, Diane, it sounds like a power play by the union, AFTRA. I have been around the periphery of entertainment unions for many years, and they can get quite nasty. If the Kinks did not pay the dues to AFTRA following a television appearance, that union would have enough power to threaten ANY venue that dared to book the band. They can literally require union crews to shut a show down completely. I've experienced those kinds of threats just over using non-union personnel. It's like dealing with the mafia sometimes, and there indeed has been a large mob presence in some unions. I could tell you stories!
You with your Star Wars reference made an acute connection to Weird Al without even knowing it. Al did a parody of Lola called "Yoda" Could be fun to react to on your next Twitch stream!
Thanks Diane, a great choice for a Kinks song! Really remarkable lyrics considering the time it came out. You love who you love, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of (not an original quote, but I think it fits).
Thanks for a nice Sunday afternoon of listening to your entertaining reactions to various bands of the past. This not only includes this video, but I have also probably listened to 10 of your videos this afternoon and even joined your Patreon channel. I took the free option for now, but may upgrade soon if I continue to enjoy your content.
This must be the original version of the song since "Coca-Cola" was charged to cherry cola because of copyright issues or something. EDIT: Ah you mentioned it later in the video. Also Federation = Star Trek. Don't get involved in the middle of that fight 😊
It was a trademark issue . You cannot use the name of a product or company in the US in a song unless you have permission. There was a Brit group in the early '70s that were banned from calling themselves Pacific Gas & Electric because that was the name of the California utility company so they changed to Edison Lighthouse I think
@@lindaeasley5606 The US version DID have "Coca Cola" in the lyrics. It was NOT Coca-Cola that forced the edit, it was the BBC! and only for radio. A Brit could buy the record with the "Coca-Cola" lyric, but not hear it on British radio. And you can certainly use brand names in song lyrics/titles in the US. There are HUNDREDS of songs with brand names in the lyrics "Ford" and "Cadillac" are the two most popular car brands in rock and country songs, Hell there's a song called "Hot Rod Lincoln" that mentions Ford, Cadillac AND Lincoln! and there is a song called "Mercury Blues". (About the Mercury car).I think copyright comes in on BAND NAMES as the band's name IS a brand, so using someone else's brand as a brand is the issue, not song titles or lyrics. Chicago Transit Authority (the band) changed to Chicago for this reason, but again, that was about the band's name, not a song title or lyric.
I learned so much from this video. Diane has a natural intellectual curiosity that is amazing. So much that she closed with "I have to learn more." Awesome!
This song was huge, and as you stated, the band was very influential. Love the deep dive at the end. It's never too late to learn something new, so thanks for that!😉 Since you brought it up, I was going to ask what your favourite film from the 60s is, but it's really an unfair question, because there are so many great ones. My shortlist includes "Breakfast at Tiffany's", "The Apartment", "The Graduate", "Belle de Jour", "Pink Panther", "How to Steal a Million" and any of the Bond films... and there are many other incredible classics that I left out. Music-wise, the 60s were ruled by The Beatles first and foremost, but also The Beach Boys, The Stones, Zeppelin, The Who, The Doors, Simon and Garfunkel, Kinks, Jimi Hendrix and many more, like CCR and Cream.
Those are some great ones! I never was a bond lover myself, but I appreciate how it’s set a huge precedence for other films, and was groundbreaking in its ways
@@DianeJennings If you're going to explore Simon and Garfunkel, you should start with their first hit song The Sound of Silence then watch the official music video of Disturbed's version of it and then watch their performance of it on Conan O'Brien TV show that I can best describe as an excellent cover of their cover of the song. All three versions are available here on RUclips.
I wonder if the US attitude towards keeping a moral high ground and a fear of permissiveness was the reason for the Kinks ban. The media controllers and sponsors still had strong power over transmission and content.
The Kinks' last single to hit the airwaves in the USA was "Sunny Afternoon". it was the first record I ever bought by the Kinks. I remember seeing "Deadend Street" on a Cashbox chard, but never heard it over here. In 1969 they were back on the radio with "Lola". Their Reprise stuff is not only their best music, but some of the best in rock and roll. It's a shame they never toured the USA when they were doing their best material.
Great choice of band, Diane. The Kinks are one of the most influential bands of all time. Often overshadowed by their more famous contemporaries (Beatles, Stones, Who), The Kinks were pioneers in hard rock, the U.S garage rock scene, punk and '90's Britpop among others. Some other great Kinks songs you may enjoy are "Waterloo Sunset", "Sunny Afternoon", "Dead End Street", "Autumn Almanac", "Days", "Shangri-La", "You Really Got Me" and "All Day And All Of The Night". You will not believe how many great songs they made.
Some other Kinks songs well worth a listen include Celluloid Heroes All Day and All Of The Night You Really Got Me Sunny Afternoon Father Christmas...obviously for December😉 Destroyer For some reason I have to be the contrarian. I've always liked these much more than Lola. No worries about it being an earworm😂
Thank god you mentioned Destroyer, my favorite! But I remember thinking that band was lucky they didn't get sued for ripping from the band that did All Day and All of the Night, lol.
Listen to them in 1964 and 1982. 1964: You Really Got Me. One of the first hard rock songs built on distorted power chords. 1982: Come Dancing. A great music video with a real 80s New Wave vibe, nostalgia of the 50s, and a story.
I got to see the Kinks in Seattle, Washington in the early 1980's. It is still in my top five shows of all time, and I've seen hundreds, including The Beatles. Ray is a brilliant songwriter and the band absolutely fantastic live. Not many bands can sound better live but The Kinks are in that elite club! Check out the "One for the Road" album from 1980 it's incredible. 😎
Please I beg of you please review The Kinks song "Come Dancing", because of the back story. It's gut-wrenchingly poignant. It needs to be the official music video to get the full impact.
Their breakthrough hit was probably "You Really Got Me", which was released in 1964. It went all the way to #1 in the UK and #7 in the US. It was oddly enough later covered by Van Halen, who you've previously had a listen to on this channel. They even had a big song as late as 1982, "Come Dancing", which went to #12 in the UK and #6 in the US.
The Kinks have some good songs, guitar riffs, and Jams. Lola is a good for Sure. Thanks for making Rock On Musical Friday and the start of the weekend joyful. Today's Holiday is junk food day. Pizza sounds good. 🎸🎤🍕🍔
@@DianeJennings I wish you could too. You still oughta treat yourself to some pizza and a movie. Chicken nuggets also sound good and some crisp. I was thinking you were going to post it Friday so I was a day early. Thirsty Thursdays are good too for favorite drink. Any day is a good day for your videos though. 📽
@@mattheweudy2396someone on this channel told me to try chicken with the garlic parm sauce and bacon, and then I added a veggie because I felt guilty. Truly was the best thing
Diane there is both conflicting story that Ray Davies was in a bar in SoHo,with either the rest of the band and their bassist was flirting with Lola,or it was their road manager that was flirting with Lola while he was drunk not realizing that she was a he! Hence the line “well we drank champagne and danced all night! The reason they were banned in the U.S. was Dave Davies(lead guitar) and Mick Avory (drummer) got into a fistfight on stage! So they were banned for 5years. If you ever have questions about a band,I’ll gladly answer you truthfully,Christian
No, I don’t have a dog named Lola or Diane If I did, would I be A Well Respected Man On a Sunny Afternoon, I picked the name Sue I chose it myself, I was Tired Of Waiting For You Now I can’t stop thinking, All Day and All of the Night You Really Got Me wondering, did I get the name right?
A great British band, Ray Davies and Pete Townshend of The Who had mutual admiration for each other too. The Kinks started as a singles band but with their 6th album "The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society" they began a string of themed and concept albums through the mid-seventies. The '80s saw a revival and they became a popular arena band and were able to tour the U.S. Their 1967 song 'Waterloo Sunset' is considered by many to be one of the best songs ever written, even called an unofficial national anthem. 'You Really Got Me' is an acclaimed early hit, covered by Van Halen. Other great Kinks songs: Days, Sunny Afternoon, Dedicate Follower of Fashion, Tired of Waiting for You, Apeman, Come Dancing.
So many great songs from the Kinks over many decades! Starting off with proto heavy metal, then gentler songs like Waterloo Sunset, later the essentially British “Village Green Preservation Society” Celluloid Heroes, Come Dancing. Massively underrated as a band and as an influence on other artists, the Kinks are a great rabbit hole to go down - Enjoy!
The "maybe spouses, maybe siblings?" band from the 90s-00s you're thinking of was almost certainly The White Stripes. The song I always think of from TWS is "Seven -Nation Army," which... I don't know if it's up your alley, musically speaking, but at the very least should serve to broaden your musical education.
You enjoyed Weird Al's version of "This here Anakin Guy", Then you should hear him sing a Parody of THIS Song, Called "Yoda"! He did quite a few Star Wars Parodies when he wasn't using Food for his songs.
I always enjoyed Kinks when growing up. Really liked You Really Got Me “ in those times, but now appreciate Waterloo Sunset” and “Sunny Afternoon” as I became older.
Hey Diane, Lola is one of the later hits. If you want to see their early 60's impact during The "British Invasion" era, check out two of their earliest hits, "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All Of The Night". About 20 Years before people every used the expression "Garage Band" -70SomethingGuy -Cheers
This is just what I needed because I did my first rehearsal for my first ever lip sync battle of the bands (I'm the newest member of 5ive) and I had 5ive will make you get down stuck in my head 😂 so thanks for this x
I never heard that The Kinks were banned in the US. I remembered Lola being played constantly on the radio. They also had many hits in the 70’s and early 80’s. Come Dancing was a big hit in the 80’s.
My favorite song by The Kinks, thinking I was about 12 when it came out, I learned all the words but had no idea what it was about,lol, until I was a little older and living in San Francisco, that's when it became clear,lol. Thanks for sharing Diane.
The Kinks started in 1964 with their #1 hit single "You really got me". The had 5 songs which where in the top 10. Their last album "Phobia" was released in 1993. They had a 32 year career with 24 studio albums. They are legends in their own time. Nice review "Lola" is a great song.. Keep the awesome work.
You should do You Really Got Me or All Day and All of the Night... that's the Kinks that were influential in the British Invasion. This song is from years later when the 60s, and the British invasion was pretty much over.
The Kinks went thru a musical theatre phase in the mid-70s, which lost them a portion of their audience but it still generated some great songs like Sitting in My Hotel, Sweet Lady Genevieve, He's Evil, etc.
Their first two hits were hard hitting, "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night" but then slowed it down with "Tired of Waiting for You" and Lola shows a different side of them, but was definitely controversial at the time, I was a teenage rock drummer in a local band in Kansas and they were my favorite hard rock band and the Beatles were my favorite lighter rock band. I loved watching your reaction to the song, I'm going to check out your reaction to The Doors next, another one of my favorite bands along with Chicago. Best
@@DianeJennings Yep, That's the song. Both versions of the song are good. you really got me now You got me so I don't know where I'm goin' (Oh yeah) you really got me now You got me so I can't sleep at night
Great vid Diane! I love seeing you explore music. There are so many more bands to find. I can't believe you didn't know 1) the Kinks and 2) Lola was about a cross-dresser! LMFAO! Keep up the great work and please stay safe. Excelsior! Heff
1:16 you’ll get a Patreon sandwich, which is a good portion of finely seasoned & sliced content, garnished with patron-pals, between 2 slices of Diane bread with spray on toasting
Ha ha ha! This made me laugh out loud. It is actually pretty accurate though. 🥪 😂
An endorsement firsthand from a patron lads!
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Ray Davies at The Kinks induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
"Seeing everyone here tonight, it makes me realize that rock and roll has become respectable. What a bummer."
Gotta love it.
He should have figured it out when he got his knighthood.
He also espouses Socialism while pinching every penny he earns and resenting anyone taking it from him. He's a man of many contradictions and hypocrisies.
Of course it got respectable, there was money to be made. The Who,Stones,Beatles set up their own record labels, better to control your cut than give it away to a company.
@@docsavage8640 lol this idiot thinks that socialism is inconsistent with frugality
I see you have a great sense of humour.
Ray Davies has contradictions (as anyone else) and he used to express them humorously or in an ironic way.
Meanwhile you people see things unidimensionaly, bravo! 👏👏
someday you'll grow up
Ray Davies is one of the greatest songwriters in the rock era. Brilliant composer and lyricist. He wrote songs that nobody else could have written.
Sir Ray Davies.
Oh yes very very brilliant. The best
Agree.
"Autumn Almanac" is a perfect thing!🍃🍃🍃
I agree. Their stuff was up there with The Beatles.
Love The Kinks. Supremely underrated band that doesn't get its due today
Geezus I hate the word underrated. It is such a feeble nothing word. Easily the most over used (and wrongly used) word on RUclips.
@@ivanjulian2532 The irony is strong in this one. The Kinks were one of a kind, not sure ‘underrated’ applies.
@@ivanjulian2532lol so true.
True. I had the luck to see them in concert.
A song for our times.
The Kinks are one of the most influential bands of all time.
Yes... and the air pollution is still f... up my eye.
That line is actually “the air pollution is fogging up my eyes”,because they were trying for another number one. The B.B.C. misheard the line and refused to let them release it at first as a single.
I saw The Kinks in concert a long time ago. A few times during the show, they would play the opening guitar riff from this song, The crowd would go wild. Then they'd stop, and say, "You're not ready for that." They'd play a few more songs then finally play the whole tune.
Cheeky buggers
No way! That’s so funny Colm Wilkinson did something similar at his concert that I went to
Same here. They'd hit the first few chords then say, " We're not doing that one tonight."
@@randalmayeux8880 a great way to build anticipation and hype the crowd
They did the same for the concert I went to in 1980 in NY. They also did something I have never seen another act do. After the lights went up and a lot of people left they came out and played again. We stayed because we knew...they did the same thing for an earlier concert my friend went to in another city.
I can thank my folks for introducing me to The Kinks, truly a group with many memorable tunes, especially "Sunny Afternoon", "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" and "Well Respected Man."
Those are brilliant, but don't miss Waterloo Sunset, Come Dancing, Celluloid Heroes
@@AlexP1235 Yes, Celluloid Heroes has some great lyrics. The history of Hollywood is filled with stories of great success, and many sad stories of dreams unfulfilled. There are also lives I call "double lightning", consisting of immense success and deep sorrows.
Preservation Act-2 was a great album
@@kensmith5694 Especially with the political climate around the world today. The parallels are striking.
@@chrisbotelho7212 Here is a thought for you. Try to think of a time when the world's political climate wasn't so awful. Most people think of a time like their childhood where their parents protected them from all the bad stuff. I think it is largely true that the threats have always been there. It is just that in the last few years they have been in our face. The folks who burned the library at Alexandria had kids. The guy who pointed out that legally the Titanic had enough lifeboats had kids. The skin of the Hindenburg was coated with stuff that was very flammable at the direction of some guy who had kids. Those blood lines are with us to today.
Their most influential hit record is “You Really Got Me”. It’s important to the evolution and popularity of new bands in the 1960s.
Van Halen made an awesome cover of You Really Got Me . Van Halen also made an awesome cover of Pretty Woman by Roy Orbison ,
@@williamcurtin5692 me too.
"You Really Got Me" was the first hit song with distorted guitar. Basically invented hard rock.
@@williamcurtin5692 The Who
@@victorwaddell6530
VH also did a cover of “Dancing in the Street” by Martha and the Vandellas on their second album Van Halen II in 1979.
You may be thinking of them as a later band because they had a massive comeback in the '80s with songs like "Come Dancing" and "Do It Again."
'Do It Again' has a superb video available on You Tube. Has filming on Brighton Pier on the south coast of England.
Those two videos were big hits on MTV in the 80s .
And another great from 1989, "How do I Get Close?"
Lola may be their biggest hit, but their most influential was "All Day and All Night," a garage rock classic from the early sixties the was the foundation of Punk rock, and "You Really Got Me, " was their second most important, as it influenced hard rock and heavy metal.
Speaking of punk rock, how about "Father Christmas" by the Kinks?? Amazing.
"You Really Got Me" was my favourite at the time. "Lola" was never a favourite, but a real groundbreaker.
I like their song Father Christmas
Based on your watching of Weird Al. I'll point out he has covered Lola, with his version being called Yoda. It's the first of his songs I learned all the words to.
YES! Now that you've heard the original, you should go listen to the parody.
That's exactly the song I wanted her to listen to after her video about "The Saga Begins".
I might add Superman, Misfits, Don't Forget to Dance as well. Ray Davies volume of songs written surpasses everyone since the 60s and beyond.
@@PaperbackWizard a while back I read that Don McLean was asked if he liked weird Al's version. He responded with something to the effect of it played so often in his House by his grandkids that he almost sang the wrong version on stage.
To this day I can't hear Lola without thinking of the lyrics to Yoda
Diane: Their first two hits, You Really Got Me and All Day and All of the Night, introduced the guitar sound that later became heavy metal. Waterloo Sunset is one of the greatest songs of the British Invasion, right up there with the Beatles' best. (Bowie was a fan.) Celluloid Heroes--OMG. The Kinks did so much ...
The Kinks' first U.S. hits were "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All Of The Night." Lot of screaming guitar on those. I remember that in a late-60s interview, The Kinks claimed that they'd invented a new electronic music sound and The Who stole it from them.
Pete Townsend has admitted this in numerous interviews. They had already taken the Kinks producer, Shel Talmy, who was well versed in the Kinks sound.
Their first songs could be considered as "proto-punk", a genre which was continued by Iggy Pop & The Stooges a few years later.
Death Of A Clown was a break with that.
@@kensmith5694That was Dave Davies, not The Kinks.
Shel Talmy
I saw The Kinks at the US Festival in California in 1982. They were still pretty good at the time. The "brother/sister or husband/wife" band was The White Stripes, with Jack and Meg White.
YES!! that’s the one. Well done!
I was there too, Tom Petty headlined that Saturday night, Pat Benitar, and the Cars were among others who played that night
Disagree , they where great then and afterward
Think another great track by The Kinks is Waterloo Sunset.
Wasn't Ray Davies shot in a Street Robbery was it New Orleans.
The Kinks albums in the late 60s are really evocative and beautiful and underrated - esp. The Village Green Preservation Society. Great songwriting.
Geezus I hate the word underrated. It is such a feeble nothing word. Easily the most over used (and wrongly used) word on RUclips.
Nice one! Was just pondering whether to mention that! SO English/British! Ray is a bone' fide' genius!!
It's nice to see you looked into the band and what the song was about. Understandably, it tends to go over many peoples' heads.😁
I was in 7th grade when it was released here in the US, and it took a little while before we realized the story line of the song. Even back then when such things weren't as readily accepted, it didn't matter to us as 12 year olds.
"So Tired of Waiting For You" is one of their best.
Suzi Quatro did a fine cover of 'Tired of Waiting' on her 'If You Only Knew Suzi' album.
Aye Jack, but i just go round in circles with 'em, ending back up with Waterloo Sunset. ( for it's simplicity)
Lola was released on the day I was born. In college, I had to right a paper on an event that happened on that day, so I wrote about Lola. My favorite Kinks song is "Destroyer" which uses references from many of their songs. "Come Dancing" is a sweet tribute to the Davies older sister.
The Kinks also mention Lola again in a song they performed called "Destroyer".
another great song
Oh wow! Like a saga
"Feelin' guilty, feelin' scared,
hidden cameras everywhere!"
They've been around since the '60s; I first became aware of them in the late '70s and they became my alltime favorite band. Amazing catalogue of tunes. The hits dried up in the late '80s, but we stuck them til they called it a day in the mid-'90s. Ray and Dave have had decent solo careers, and Ray is now recognized as one of England's greatest lyricists. He's influenced generations of bands.
Now that you've dipped your toe in - go deeper! You won't be disappointed.
Editor Diane seems much less stressed lately, glad she's finding time to chill
Do you think? I don’t think.
She’s very deceiving. 😂
Yep, that is how they get you. Acting all the sheep and then blowing over the houses of three cute little pigs.
The Kinks had a bit of a reputation which helped keep them out of America during the height of the British Invasion. Incidents like Dave Davies (lead guitar) and Mick Avory (drums) getting into an argument on stage where Mick hit Dave in the head with a cymbal stand. He knocked Dave unconscious. Mick thought he had killed Dave and fled the venue. Amazingly, despite these kinds of fights, they remained together for many years.
Thinking about it they should have been part of the punk rock scene,lol.
My dad was a huge fan of the kinks, as so I am a big fan of their music as well. Very underrated band in my opinion
Geezus I hate the word underrated. It is such a feeble nothing word. Easily the most over used (and wrongly used) word on RUclips.
The Kinks' heyday was in the 60s, and later on they had another period of popularity in the late 70s/early 80s. I myself originally thought that they were a New Wave band (songs like Destroyer and Pressure were very much in that vein), until I realized that they had recorded a bunch of hits that I'd heard on the radio as a small child in the 60s. They were quite eclectic, changing styles, formats, line-ups, etc. - sometimes that worked and sometimes it didn't, and they suffered commercially at times. They were known to be self-destructive, fighting amongst each other a lot, drinking a lot, smashing up hotel rooms, doing the stuff that got them banned from the US for four years. Their own manager, Robert Wace (the inspiration for the events in Lola), once said "One thing you have to realize about The Kinks is that, prior to 1967, they weren't even house-trained".
Love the Kinks! They are possibly the most underrated influential band of all time. They deserve to be recognized along with those other British Invasion groups. They most definitely can be considered the most important band to emerge in the 2nd half of the 20th century. One must realize how revolutionary the track "You Really Got Me" was with the first commercially popular track with distorted guitar. Dave Davies and his distorted guitar sound was mindblowing at the time. Just think if he never took that razor blade to that speaker cone and got that dirty sound, how different would the music world would be?
Remember this is 1964, no one has heard such an aggressive sound created with distorted guitar before. Especially in a hit song before the Kinks "You Really Got Me" followed by "All of the Day and All of the Night". Bruce Springsteen said that it was the toughest sound he and his friends ever heard. He said it was what inspired him to learn guitar. His fellow bandmate Steven Van Zant said that sound was the equivalent of going from Black & White TV to Color or like a UFO landing in central park. Eddie & Alex Van Halen echo similar sentiments.
It is easy nowadays to dismiss the importance of incorporating a distorted guitar in music, in particular in Rock/Metal and Punk music. Everyone has grown accustomed to hearing distorted guitars in music, one may find it hard to fathom how powerful that sound was to virgin ears. It becomes virtually impossible that The Kinks' musical DNA is not present in nearly every Rock, Metal, and Punk band that followed. It's time this band received their deserved recognition.
Many have attributed the Ban in the US due to a lack of management and supervision. One must remember that the band consisted of 17 and 18-year-old working-class youths with a pair of brothers whose personalities were incompatible with each other. This would manifest into violence, and violence would occur on stage with each other. Needless to say, this would become an issue with anyone who was to manage them. I suspect this may have been a major factor in why their road manager dropped them mid-tour during their first US tour. This left the band scrambling to continue virtually unsupervised without knowledge of certain protocols and other tour-related management. It was also rumored that Ray Davies may have punched out someone who he shouldn't have contributed to the ban.
Many have pointed to the ban as a prime factor in keeping the Kinks from reaching the same prominence and stature as the other British Invasion groups like the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and The Who due to exposure to the US market. Nonetheless, they managed to survive and endure to the early nineties.
Geezus I hate the word underrated. It is such a feeble nothing word. Easily the most over used (and wrongly used) word on RUclips. Seriously, you used the words underrated and influential in the same sentence. You clearly have no idea what the word means.
Ray was just interviewed he said new music is coming….Folk-Rock Musical.
"Superman" by the Kinks is a good listen and relatable to many.
I've listened to this song since the 70s and never knew it was based on a true story. 😄 Love your channel, Diane!! 🤩
Ah, Diane finally digs up my favorite band. They are all-over-the-map. From You Really Got Me/All Day and All of the Night to Sunny Afternoon & Waterloo Sunset to Lola (of course) through their rock theatre days to their arena rock era (error?) to Come Dancing…talking hundreds of songs. Brilliant frustrating band.
The Kinks are in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame and Songwriters Hall of Fame both in the US and the UK. They continued to put out topical music till their last studio album Phobia. Both Ray and Dave have had critically acclaimed solo albums. Ray Davies is one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Unfortunately, commercial success was less than expected for the band as they were banned from performing in the US during the height of their popularity in the UK. They did gain some American success after Arista Records re-conceived the band as an arena rock band and they produced a number of successful albums from 1977 -83 or 84, and the Top 10 single Come Dancing. After the success of Hall of Fame single You Really Got Me in 1964, the Kinks toured the US. Ray was about 18 and his brother was a minor at about 16. They were traveling in a foreign country when their tour management quit and I believe joined Sonny and Cher leaving the kids without any let's say "adult supervision." The result was disasterous leading to the union banning them. Instead of being one of the bright stars of the British invasion, they were left to cult status. A number of British bands especially in the 80s and 90s have cited the Kinks as an inspiration. And despite a lack of label support, the Kinks are one of a handful of bands to have a Top 10 single in 3 straight decades, accomplishing it in the 1960s, the 1970s and the 1980s. The Kinks have an absolutely amazing catalog of music. You could do worse than listening to any of their songs.
New music coming from ray or kinks
Diane, give Waterloo Sunset a listen. In my opinion, one of the great pop songs of all time. I listen to it every time I'm in London crossing the Waterloo bridge. It references Terence Stamp and Julie Christie, two wonderful British actors and a couple for a while.
Great reaction, Irish Girl! The Kinks were very popular when I was in HS. Everything in the late 60's and early 70's was controversial, so this song fit right in. It's really quite fun sharing in your musical exploration, thanks for another great video.
I’m glad you’re enjoying it! It’s definitely been super interesting my end. I feel somewhat more educated now on music.
I've heard this song, but I had no idea about the themes or the band's history! I have a whole new appreciation now. 🙂 Great video as always, Diane! 🎉
Glad you enjoyed it! I find it really interesting too
I remember my mother turning off the radio any time they played this song. One day I asked her if she actually knew what the song was about. She slapped me! I laughed and told her this is why I don't drink.
Their body of work is outstanding.
You Really Got Me, and All Day and All of the Night ripped into the music scene with a sound never before heard.
Raw, gritty, and wild before anyone else.
Now that you have said it, Diane is going to be trending as the most popular dog name for the next year.
Starting your Kinks journey with 'Lola' is certainly diving headfirst into the deep end of the pool.
Haha. I agree.
They had to re-record paart of the song to get the single on the BBC. "Coca-Cola" was changed to "cherry cola" because the Beeb hates brand names in songs.
Ray Davies wrote some truly awesome songs in the 60's and 70's - Dead End Street, Sunny Afternoon, their biggest hit (up there with Lola) is Waterloo Sunset - totally magnificent, simple, melodic and poignant. They were GREAT live too!
American band banned in USA for this song: "Redbone -We were all wounded at Wounded Knee" Please I love to hear your comment on this song. Still relevant.
For the rest of your life......Lola.... will ring bells. That said HELLA rock and roll song baby!!!
I learned something new today. I always thought the song Lola was about a man and woman. I thought the lyrics meant she dressed in pants and said lots swear words while drinking champagne. I enjoyed learning something new with you today. 🥂🎸🎤🎵
It was never off the Juke Box in the many Drag pubs/clubs in Britain at the time.
@@tonys1636😅 a colleague of mine teaching Spanish used the song to teach direct object pronouns. Didn't really have any sense or logic to it, but anyway...
I’m not really a lyrics girl. If they’re fun to sing along with, I’m happy, but I rarely pay any attention to the meaning of the words so I only “got” what the song was singing about this year while watching another reaction video & reading the comments, lol. Duh.
I have to admit back when this came out I didn’t realize what it was about until about the third time I heard it. I loved your reaction, especially the look on your face when it seemed like you realized what the song was about but didn’t seem to be quite sure enough to say it out loud yet. At least that's what it looked like to me! ❤
The first time I saw The Kinks in concert was in 1977 (I was 21) at the Arlington Theater in Santa Barbara, California on the Central West Coast. It was their 'Sleepwalker Tour'. Then I saw them in 1980 and in 1984 at the Santa Barbara County Bowl. They were fantastic on stage, especially Ray Davies with his storytelling and quite the comedian. You should also do a reaction to The Kinks' song "Celluloid Heroes". That song is very emotional.
5:02 😆oh boy these lyrics! I end up singing Weird Al’s version of this, “Yoda,” when it’s stuck in my head, if I feel like I gotta sing it.
the thumbnail made me think of Weird Al
Looks like I’m going to have to check that one out
I see a number of great replies with song recommendations. Another way to consume The Kinks are by some of their specific classic albums. In the 60s, during their USA ban, they concentrated on very British themed music. The albums that best exemplify that are "Something Else by The Kinks" (which has the perfect pop song "Waterloo Sunset"), "The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society" (my favorite and maybe their most influential album), and "Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)" (a true concept album released before The Who's "Tommy" about the decline of British power/living conditions and the emigration to former colonies like Australia). I'd say "Something Else..." and "...Village Green Society" stand up to best Beatles, Who, and Rolling Stones albums.
"Lola" comes from "Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One" (you have to love these brief album titles)! It has songs about the tribulations of modern society, including the corrupt music industry, and the wishful thinking of escaping to a natural paradise. They never did a "Lola Part 2", but "Muswell Hillbillies" is sort of one and it has Davies' incisive, observational vignettes about the hopes and fears of the denizens of that part of London. They then went into very theatrically influenced albums that although have some great songs, I've always found to be too clever for their own good and not my cuppa tea.
When I actually got to know them, they had become an arena-filling rock band geared for US audiences. They started getting moderate hits on albums like "Misfits", "Low Budget", and especially "Give the People What They Want" ("Destroyer" was an update to their "You Really Got Me"/"All Day and All of the Night" hard rock style). By the time MTV came into view, "State of Confusion" with the Top 10 hit "Come Dancing", brought the Kinks back to the mainstream in a brief time. The last album that I loved from start to finish was "Word of Mouth" (brother Dave Davies supplying one of his rare, but great, songs called "Living on a Thin Line" being a highlight).
It is to my eternal regret that I never saw The Kinks in concert. There had been times from the last 27 years when it appeared the Davies brothers would bury the hatchet and get back together, but something, including unfortunate health issues, always seemed to prevent this from happening. Ray's (and a few of Dave's) songs are just exemplary and they definitely deserved to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The most underrtated band ever. Ray Davies is equal genius to Lennon or McCartney.
Totally agree!
I dont agree with your comparrison...
Not underrated by People that know and understand Great Music. And Ray Davies is far superior to Lennon or McCartney.
he is greater. His lyrics are far superior than Lennon-McCartney
@@nicolagianaroli2024
The Kinks have been a part of my hometown of Springfield, Illinois lore since the 1960's. This story is too long for me to type out on my phone, so I will copy and paste select segments. These interesting and very weird circumstances occurred during the tour (Illinois dates June 20 - 23, 1965). This story is part of the strange tour that ultimately got The Kinks banned.
[T]hus, their first American tour consisted of just fifteen concerts and four television appearances. They missed major cities like Baltimore, Boston and Detroit and avoided the South completely.
Yet the band spent four days and nights zig-zagging across Illinois for shows in Peoria, Chicago, Decatur and Springfield.
One of these nights (Decatur) is all but forgotten by chroniclers of the band. At the same time, a few of these dates would become legendary though not for anything that happened on the stage but instead for the characters the group encountered in downstate Illinois. This includes time spent with a notorious serial killer in Springfield as well as a brush with a “pistol-packing punk driver” in Peoria that Ray Davies would write and sing about for years afterwards.
[By the end of the disastrous tour, the Kinks would be banned indefinitely from performing in the United States by the American Federation of Musicians union without explanation.
The most memorable event of their time spent in Peoria however, at least for Kinks’ front man Ray Davies, had nothing to do with the concert itself. Instead it was the group's chauffeur that left a lasting impression. In his 1995 book, X-Ray: The Unauthorized Autobiography, Davies wrote about riding around in a big Ford Thunderbird with a driver that looked like he had stepped out of Jack Kerouac novel, a “punk from your typical b-movie.”
According to Davies, the driver boasted about having slept with Ann-Margaret as well as having Elvis Presley’s phone number before pulling a gun out of the glove compartment. Davies writes, “He waved the pistol around menacingly before putting it down on the seat beside him. Then his mood shifted, he smiled a film-star’s toothy smile and said, ‘Welcome to Illinois, the home of middle America.’”
Davies would continue to reference this brief encounter at various times throughout his career. He sang about it in his one-man touring show and it gets mentioned again in his 2003 book.
As mentioned earlier, the Springfield concert was sponsored by the local Jaycees which is where the story takes a bizarre turn. The vice-president of the Jaycees at that time and the man that organized the concert was none other than John Wayne Gacy. Gacy, who would later be known as the Killer Clown, was convicted and executed in 1994 for the murder of at least 33 boys and young men in the Chicago area in the 1970s.
In 1965 however Gacy was an upstanding citizen, married and living in Springfield where he worked as a shoe salesman. In fact earlier that year the Jaycees named him "Man of the Year" for his work as a community organizer. When Springfield's mayor requested the Jaycees come up with some summer entertainment for young people, Gacy organized the concert at the Armory.
It had been assumed that Gacy had little or no contact with the Kinks but all of that changed with a bombshell interview that Kinks' bassist Peter Quaife gave to Johnny Black and Mojo magazine in Septermber 2000.
In the interview Quaife says, "the local promoter that was looking after us turned out to be a real greaseball. He was polite enough, but a greaseball nonetheless. After the gig, he invites us back to his house. Says he's got some people coming round and he's got some booze, so we say, ok."
"We get there, and the place has an awful, sickly smell about it. But he's our promoter, so we stay there, drinking, 'til about 3 am. When we decide to go he gets upset, says can't a couple of us stay? By now we were beginning to get a bit antsy about this guy, so we took off to the hotel and that was the last we saw of him." Later in the interview Quaife adds, "We could have ended up as mementoes bricked up in his walls."
Despite the level of detail that Quiafe provides there is good reason to question his recollection of events. First and foremost, it is likely that the Kinks left Springfield by bus fairly quickly after the show because they had a concert in Denver the next night. The 900 mile trip would have left the band little time to hang out at Gacy's house.
Giving Quaife the benefit of the doubt, it is possible that the Kinks arrived in Springfield the night before, after the Decatur show, and met up with Gacy then. Still, there is no evidence that was the case and it seems unlikely. Also, it is important to remember that Gacy was married and living a fairly normal life at the time so some of Quaife's details simply don't add up.
Unfortunately, Quaife died on June 23, 2010 (the anniversary of the Springfield show and Gacy encounter) so we may never know. Ray Davies, in his book Americana, neither confirms nor denies the incident saying, "at Peter Quaife's instigation, we almost went to the house of infamous clown-serial killer Wayne Gacy."
Though the Kinks left Illinois after just four days, trouble seemed to follow them for the rest of the tour. Elsewhere in his book, Davies writes, "The 1965 tour was filled with bad energy." Later adding, "America just didn't understand the Kinks the first time around. We got the impression that we unknowingly offended and upset a lot of people. I'm not sure with whom or with what but there was something strange going down on that tour.".
Those side eyes at 3 minutes 4:30 and 5 minutes when you were catching on to what the lyrics were about. Hilarious!
I was super surprised. I thought maybe I was reading into it too much as it such a hot topic right now
😅
I love the Kinks. As far as British Invasion bands of the early/mid 1960s, their popularity/influence trails only the Big 3 - the Beatles, Rolling Stones & The Who. The Dave Clark Five might have had more hits (maybe the Hollies too?), the Animals had a great lead singer in Eric Burdon, and the Yardbirds and Small Faces were precursors to bigger rock bands of the late 60’s, but the Kinks were real pioneers. They had a great mix of quirky, very smart, very British music & lyrics from Ray Davies and rock attitude & loud guitars from Dave Davies. I highly recommend watching the famous live version of “Lola” or the amazing (some say the first hard rock anthem) “You Really Got Me.” Or if you’re looking for another band to watch for the first time, try the super fun “Glad All Over” from the Dave Clark Five (DC5).
They were good sounding band. Diane you might enjoy one of their later hits in the eighties “Come Dancing “. I know you are an eighties music fan.
that is the one I'd recommend too
I do like an 80s banger
@@DianeJenningsI know you'll like it-the video, too!
I was still young and innocent enough when I first heard this song that I didn't see that twist coming, even though the lyrics give plenty of hints. I like it. The sound, music, lyrics, and vocals all work great together.
Waterloo sunset!A classic play it ,you will love it❤🇬🇧👍
I was unaware of the band being banned, lol. But from what you read, Diane, it sounds like a power play by the union, AFTRA. I have been around the periphery of entertainment unions for many years, and they can get quite nasty. If the Kinks did not pay the dues to AFTRA following a television appearance, that union would have enough power to threaten ANY venue that dared to book the band. They can literally require union crews to shut a show down completely. I've experienced those kinds of threats just over using non-union personnel. It's like dealing with the mafia sometimes, and there indeed has been a large mob presence in some unions. I could tell you stories!
Jimmy Hoffa has entered the chat....😅
You with your Star Wars reference made an acute connection to Weird Al without even knowing it. Al did a parody of Lola called "Yoda"
Could be fun to react to on your next Twitch stream!
That Yoda emoji😂
That sounds good! Although he blocked it here on RUclips… Stuff seems to be easier to get around over there
Damn Brian you beat me to this comment. Great minds think alike. I'd love to see a reaction video to "Yoda" from Diane.
my first kinks song was sunny afternoon it was a great time to be alive
Thanks Diane, a great choice for a Kinks song! Really remarkable lyrics considering the time it came out. You love who you love, and that’s nothing to be ashamed of (not an original quote, but I think it fits).
It’s amazing how long ago it came out given the subject matter, right?
@@DianeJennings absolutely!
@@DianeJenningsit's always been around, it's just that people are more accepting these days🙂
Artist are always ahead of the times. That’s why authoritarian leaders go after them. Free lives and free thoughts.
@@Mushroomstops true. Artists and intellectuals are always among the first to leave any new dictatorship
Thanks for a nice Sunday afternoon of listening to your entertaining reactions to various bands of the past. This not only includes this video, but I have also probably listened to 10 of your videos this afternoon and even joined your Patreon channel. I took the free option for now, but may upgrade soon if I continue to enjoy your content.
This must be the original version of the song since "Coca-Cola" was charged to cherry cola because of copyright issues or something. EDIT: Ah you mentioned it later in the video. Also Federation = Star Trek. Don't get involved in the middle of that fight 😊
Or at least, Diane, make sure you are ready for that fight, because you will start one. May the force be with you and may you live long and prosper. 😇
Never got Star Trek at all! We know which side of the battle I’m on
It was a trademark issue . You cannot use the name of a product or company in the US in a song unless you have permission. There was a Brit group in the early '70s that were banned from calling themselves Pacific Gas & Electric because that was the name of the California utility company so they changed to Edison Lighthouse I think
@@lindaeasley5606 The US version DID have "Coca Cola" in the lyrics. It was NOT Coca-Cola that forced the edit, it was the BBC! and only for radio. A Brit could buy the record with the "Coca-Cola" lyric, but not hear it on British radio. And you can certainly use brand names in song lyrics/titles in the US. There are HUNDREDS of songs with brand names in the lyrics "Ford" and "Cadillac" are the two most popular car brands in rock and country songs, Hell there's a song called "Hot Rod Lincoln" that mentions Ford, Cadillac AND Lincoln! and there is a song called "Mercury Blues". (About the Mercury car).I think copyright comes in on BAND NAMES as the band's name IS a brand, so using someone else's brand as a brand is the issue, not song titles or lyrics. Chicago Transit Authority (the band) changed to Chicago for this reason, but again, that was about the band's name, not a song title or lyric.
@@jamesslick4790
You are correct because I just remembered the Andrews Sisters iconic song Rum And Coca- Cola
I learned so much from this video. Diane has a natural intellectual curiosity that is amazing. So much that she closed with "I have to learn more." Awesome!
This song was huge, and as you stated, the band was very influential. Love the deep dive at the end. It's never too late to learn something new, so thanks for that!😉 Since you brought it up, I was going to ask what your favourite film from the 60s is, but it's really an unfair question, because there are so many great ones. My shortlist includes "Breakfast at Tiffany's", "The Apartment", "The Graduate", "Belle de Jour", "Pink Panther", "How to Steal a Million" and any of the Bond films... and there are many other incredible classics that I left out. Music-wise, the 60s were ruled by The Beatles first and foremost, but also The Beach Boys, The Stones, Zeppelin, The Who, The Doors, Simon and Garfunkel, Kinks, Jimi Hendrix and many more, like CCR and Cream.
Those are some great ones! I never was a bond lover myself, but I appreciate how it’s set a huge precedence for other films, and was groundbreaking in its ways
You have GOT to include "The Good, The Bad And The Ugly" - a masterpiece on so many levels, and the soundtrack...!
@@DianeJennings If you're going to explore Simon and Garfunkel, you should start with their first hit song The Sound of Silence then watch the official music video of Disturbed's version of it and then watch their performance of it on Conan O'Brien TV show that I can best describe as an excellent cover of their cover of the song. All three versions are available here on RUclips.
I wonder if the US attitude towards keeping a moral high ground and a fear of permissiveness was the reason for the Kinks ban. The media controllers and sponsors still had strong power over transmission and content.
The brother's last name is actually pronounced Davis,
Great observation! Most people dont know that 👍
The Kinks' last single to hit the airwaves in the USA was "Sunny Afternoon". it was the first record I ever bought by the Kinks. I remember seeing "Deadend Street" on a Cashbox chard, but never heard it over here. In 1969 they were back on the radio with "Lola". Their Reprise stuff is not only their best music, but some of the best in rock and roll. It's a shame they never toured the USA when they were doing their best material.
After looking through the comments section, I’m sure the Kinks are a band I didn’t know that I knew.
Great choice of band, Diane. The Kinks are one of the most influential bands of all time. Often overshadowed by their more famous contemporaries (Beatles, Stones, Who), The Kinks were pioneers in hard rock, the U.S garage rock scene, punk and '90's Britpop among others. Some other great Kinks songs you may enjoy are "Waterloo Sunset", "Sunny Afternoon", "Dead End Street", "Autumn Almanac", "Days", "Shangri-La", "You Really Got Me" and "All Day And All Of The Night". You will not believe how many great songs they made.
Some other Kinks songs well worth a listen include
Celluloid Heroes
All Day and All Of The Night
You Really Got Me
Sunny Afternoon
Father Christmas...obviously for December😉
Destroyer
For some reason I have to be the contrarian. I've always liked these much more than Lola. No worries about it being an earworm😂
Oh yeah, you really got me, I have a feeling they’re a band I didn’t know that I know
It’s always the way! Sometimes their most popular songs are there most overplayed so don’t worry it makes a lot of sense. It’s not a favorite.
Thank god you mentioned Destroyer, my favorite! But I remember thinking that band was lucky they didn't get sued for ripping from the band that did All Day and All of the Night, lol.
@BillW1 I’m in agreement with you there as well - could probably come up with at least fifty of their other songs that I like better.
Listen to them in 1964 and 1982.
1964: You Really Got Me. One of the first hard rock songs built on distorted power chords.
1982: Come Dancing. A great music video with a real 80s New Wave vibe, nostalgia of the 50s, and a story.
I prefer You Really Got Me. Honest, raw, a new genre (proto-punk). Probably banned on half of the USA radio stations.
I got to see the Kinks in Seattle, Washington in the early 1980's. It is still in my top five shows of all time, and I've seen hundreds, including The Beatles. Ray is a brilliant songwriter and the band absolutely fantastic live. Not many bands can sound better live but The Kinks are in that elite club! Check out the "One for the Road" album from 1980 it's incredible. 😎
Please I beg of you please review The Kinks song "Come Dancing", because of the back story. It's gut-wrenchingly poignant. It needs to be the official music video to get the full impact.
Their breakthrough hit was probably "You Really Got Me", which was released in 1964. It went all the way to #1 in the UK and #7 in the US. It was oddly enough later covered by Van Halen, who you've previously had a listen to on this channel.
They even had a big song as late as 1982, "Come Dancing", which went to #12 in the UK and #6 in the US.
The Kinks have some good songs, guitar riffs, and Jams. Lola is a good for Sure. Thanks for making Rock On Musical Friday and the start of the weekend joyful. Today's Holiday is junk food day. Pizza sounds good. 🎸🎤🍕🍔
Pizza always sounds good, tried a chicken, & mushroom w/ garlic sauce from Dominoes this week, so delicious
I wish I could get Domino’s Pizza here… boo boo 😢
@@DianeJennings I wish you could too. You still oughta treat yourself to some pizza and a movie. Chicken nuggets also sound good and some crisp. I was thinking you were going to post it Friday so I was a day early. Thirsty Thursdays are good too for favorite drink. Any day is a good day for your videos though. 📽
@@mattheweudy2396someone on this channel told me to try chicken with the garlic parm sauce and bacon, and then I added a veggie because I felt guilty. Truly was the best thing
I saw the kinks in '81 and they brought the roof down . They are so amazing and created the first distorted guitar sound .
God Save The Kinks!
Diane there is both conflicting story that Ray Davies was in a bar in SoHo,with either the rest of the band and their bassist was flirting with Lola,or it was their road manager that was flirting with Lola while he was drunk not realizing that she was a he! Hence the line “well we drank champagne and danced all night! The reason they were banned in the U.S. was Dave Davies(lead guitar) and Mick Avory (drummer) got into a fistfight on stage! So they were banned for 5years. If you ever have questions about a band,I’ll gladly answer you truthfully,Christian
No, I don’t have a dog named Lola or Diane
If I did, would I be A Well Respected Man
On a Sunny Afternoon, I picked the name Sue
I chose it myself, I was Tired Of Waiting For You
Now I can’t stop thinking, All Day and All of the Night
You Really Got Me wondering, did I get the name right?
Awwww this was both relevant and cute 🎉
That was really well done, working those song titles in!
Being a film buff, it would seem natural to react to the wonderfull "Celluloid Heros"
A great British band, Ray Davies and Pete Townshend of The Who had mutual admiration for each other too. The Kinks started as a singles band but with their 6th album "The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society" they began a string of themed and concept albums through the mid-seventies. The '80s saw a revival and they became a popular arena band and were able to tour the U.S.
Their 1967 song 'Waterloo Sunset' is considered by many to be one of the best songs ever written, even called an unofficial national anthem. 'You Really Got Me' is an acclaimed early hit, covered by Van Halen. Other great Kinks songs: Days, Sunny Afternoon, Dedicate Follower of Fashion, Tired of Waiting for You, Apeman, Come Dancing.
So many great songs from the Kinks over many decades! Starting off with proto heavy metal, then gentler songs like Waterloo Sunset, later the essentially British “Village Green Preservation Society” Celluloid Heroes, Come Dancing.
Massively underrated as a band and as an influence on other artists, the Kinks are a great rabbit hole to go down - Enjoy!
This song was way ahead of the times in terms of lyrical content, so much so that I'm not surprised that it didn't go down well in the US.
It went very well in the US. The problem was with the Marxist labor unions in California. Stop bashing the USA!
I was waiting for you to pick up on what the lyrics were! Love the Kinks and I was alive when they came out. Yay.
This is the group that Karl Pilkington likes 😅
Oh, great review/reaction by the way. I like how you went in to a bit of their history. "Waterloo Sunset" is another classic.
The "maybe spouses, maybe siblings?" band from the 90s-00s you're thinking of was almost certainly The White Stripes. The song I always think of from TWS is "Seven -Nation Army," which... I don't know if it's up your alley, musically speaking, but at the very least should serve to broaden your musical education.
My first thought was the duo who sung steal my sunshine
@@heatherturner2366 You mean LEN. But I'm inclined to agree that it must have been the White Stripes.
Waterloo Sunset is their great hit from the sixties and I love Death Of A Clown ! 🤡
You enjoyed Weird Al's version of "This here Anakin Guy", Then you should hear him sing a Parody of THIS Song, Called "Yoda"! He did quite a few Star Wars Parodies when he wasn't using Food for his songs.
In the Sixties with my Friends, we learned guitar with every new Kinks song. 🤗
I always enjoyed Kinks when growing up. Really liked You Really Got Me “ in those times, but now appreciate Waterloo Sunset” and “Sunny Afternoon” as I became older.
Hey Diane, Lola is one of the later hits. If you want to see their early 60's impact during The "British Invasion" era, check out two of their earliest hits, "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All Of The Night". About 20 Years before people every used the expression "Garage Band"
-70SomethingGuy -Cheers
This is just what I needed because I did my first rehearsal for my first ever lip sync battle of the bands (I'm the newest member of 5ive) and I had 5ive will make you get down stuck in my head 😂 so thanks for this x
I never heard that The Kinks were banned in the US. I remembered Lola being played constantly on the radio. They also had many hits in the 70’s and early 80’s. Come Dancing was a big hit in the 80’s.
Listen to the song "Better Things" by The Kinks ! Also "Waterloo Sunset! and "Death of a Clown".
The Kinks terrific songs don't stop here. So many more.....
Hi, thanks. They put out some great stuff, often with observations on ordinary life and British humour/irony. Very influential.
My favorite song by The Kinks, thinking I was about 12 when it came out, I learned all the words but had no idea what it was about,lol, until I was a little older and living in San Francisco, that's when it became clear,lol. Thanks for sharing Diane.
The Kinks started in 1964 with their #1 hit single "You really got me". The had 5 songs which where in the top 10. Their last album "Phobia" was released in 1993. They had a 32 year career with 24 studio albums. They are legends in their own time. Nice review "Lola" is a great song.. Keep the awesome work.
You should do You Really Got Me or All Day and All of the Night... that's the Kinks that were influential in the British Invasion. This song is from years later when the 60s, and the British invasion was pretty much over.
The Kinks went thru a musical theatre phase in the mid-70s, which lost them a portion of their audience but it still generated some great songs like Sitting in My Hotel, Sweet Lady Genevieve, He's Evil, etc.
Their first two hits were hard hitting, "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night" but then slowed it down with "Tired of Waiting for You" and Lola shows a different side of them, but was definitely controversial at the time, I was a teenage rock drummer in a local band in Kansas and they were my favorite hard rock band and the Beatles were my favorite lighter rock band. I loved watching your reaction to the song, I'm going to check out your reaction to The Doors next, another one of my favorite bands along with Chicago. Best
Thanks, Diane! This song is classic! also, the KINKS are super diverse! this is so much fun.. I love seeing people gradually "get it" lol
Also Try listening to The Kinks All Day and All of the Night and You Really Got Me. Van Halen also sings the Song You Really Got Me. Party On! 🥳 🎸🎤🎵
Is that the one that goes? Oh you really got me going you got me so I don’t know where I’m going… Oh, you really got me going blah blah blah?
@@DianeJennings Yep, That's the song. Both versions of the song are good. you really got me now You got me so I don't know where I'm goin'
(Oh yeah) you really got me now You got me so I can't sleep at night
This was the first song I heard at my college orientation - back in 1970. I remember it like it was yesterday. Saw them 3 times. Great band.
JEALOUS!!!!!!!
only saw them once!!!
Great vid Diane! I love seeing you explore music. There are so many more bands to find. I can't believe you didn't know 1) the Kinks and 2) Lola was about a cross-dresser! LMFAO!
Keep up the great work and please stay safe.
Excelsior!
Heff