As a mother of two boys, who are now grown, I could look at them for hours and hours the way most Art Lovers do. And I never get tired of listening to this beautiful song.
Wow! I forgot I made this comment. I almost made myself cry, thinking about how much I love my boys, reading my own comment. They’re grown now and doing great. But I wasn’t lying when I said I never get tired of this beautiful song. Because here I am again.
I have to add that this Band was forgotten for awhile. In my eyes they were rite there with The Beatles, The Stones and The Who. The Davies Brothers were just unbelievable. Ray with his song writing and stage presence and Dave with his unbelievable Guitar playing ( He could play and Jam with anyone) he was just not in the spotlight like Keith Richards and Pete Townsend. I saw the Kinks in the 70s and Eighties. Stones too. Dave Davies was more than a guitar player he was a phenomenal Performer. Period.
Jasper Lufkin I listen to one for the road all the time. They were at there best playing live. I saw them Right around the time that album came out. I was lucky enough to take some primitive pictures of them with a cheap camera back in the day which I still have.
I couldn't agree more. They were criminally underrated and appreciated. I was lucky enough to see them in the very early 80s. I was right against the stage and Ray's stage presence was electric. If you've ever been in a room with him and thousands of fans at the moment they started playing "Lola," you know you've lived. He owns a crowd.
Ray had a bad cold - but the Kinks decided to perform! One of their best concerts ever! This gig made me believe that some of the "old" rock bands are not old fashioned at all! Next literature nobel price to Ray Davis! Their lyrics are amazing!
This song makes people talk and speculate and it’s a great example of how Ray is a genius for his songwriting skills. But I do believe that if you deem this song as inappropriate then you need to have a word with yourself.
Man when I first heard this song I was like "err what the fuck" but knowing it's meaning has genuinely made it one of my favourite tunes, can't stop playing it 😢
Yes it is!! - only weeks ago a father, old as he was then, hanged himself, being totally sabotasged from seeing his daughter. You can google it adding dailymail to search - its horrible, www.cd-ania.com
I just read about how Davies has had to fight the misconception of the song, with some people thinking it is about a creepy child stalker. It really says how cynical most people are. If you want a good song about a child stalker, Randy Newman's In Germany Before The War will fit the bill. Fun fact: Bruce Springsteen loves the song and he got the song's meaning right away.
I consider my late grandfather an Art Lover because he would sit and watch me for hours dancing to Shaun Cassidy and whatever else I put on. He was a Art Lover not a pervert. I totally understand and love this song.. I know tha tthis song had something to do with the loss of his child he had with Crissy Hine(sp?) I( lovingly think of my grandpa when I hear this song. Thank you for putting it on here.
I heard the words come out of Ray Davies' himself's mouth a long long time ago, on a talk show, it is about a divorced father who sees his daughter in the park .
Exactly. What makes it so poignant is that onlookers assume that he is a pervert. That last line gives me the chills because the hurt and loss of the man are so palpable.
@kymmiesmommy Extremely well said kymmiesmoomy. I'm not even a parent but I came from a broken home and it's hard for me to listen to this song without getting a lump in my heart. I think it's a really beautiful song. Cheers
Ray was quite brave to write this song when it could easily be misinterpreted as a creepy pedo song. That's what's great about his writing, it's un-self conscious and honest about everyday concerns and issues that face everyone.
Interesting that in the live version he sings "...just a substitute for what THEY'VE taken from me." In the studio version, it's "what's BEEN TAKEN from me." This version makes it sound like the state took the kids or something.
I remember seeing the Kinks do this song around this time in the Old Boston Garden ( God I Miss that Place ) and Instead of singing “ come to Daddy “ Ray sang “ Come to Ray “ anyone who was anyone knew what he was saying.
My brother and I were at that show (he lived in Boston, me in New York) and I remember that "Come to Ray" moment. I lost it just now listening to this beautiful song, maybe my favorite (along with "Better Things") track off that album. Don't recall them ever playing it live again after that tour.
Such a sad song: "Sunday afternoon there's something special It's just like another world Jogging in the park is my excuse To look at all the little girls I'm not a flasher in a rain coat, I'm not a dirty old man, I'm not gonna snatch you from your mother, I'm an art lover Come to daddy, Ah, come to daddy, Come to daddy Pretty little legs, I want to draw them, Like a Degas ballerina Pure white skin, like porcelain, She's a work of art and I should know I'm an art lover Come to daddy, And I'll give you some spangles Little girl don't notice me Watching as she innocently plays She can't see me staring at her Because I'm always wearing shades She feeds the ducks, looks at the flowers I follow her around for hours and hours I'd take her home, but that could never be, She's just a substitute For what's been taken from me Ah, come to daddy, come on Sunday afternoon can't last forever, Wish I could take you home So, come on, give us a smile Before you vanish out of view I've learned to appreciate you The way art lovers do, And I only want to look at you
This is an ambiguous song which intentionally leaves you wondering about the narrator and his motivations. People who read sexual innuendo into it are not misunderstanding it. The question is left open.
I understand the view of the song, man losing his own daughter/similar. But certain aspects of this are just too unsettling: "Come to daddy", "jogging in the park is my excuse to look at all the little girls" (I know it says pretty in this version), "Come to daddy, I'll give you some candy," "I follow her around for hours". I feel like some of these lines could definitely be omitted without losing the meaning. I also want to say: Facial hair changes Rays looks DRASTICALLY!
A sad story about a father divorced from his kids crossed my mind too, but it may not be that innocent. You have to ask yourself why he's lost his kids. You could go either way, and on the creepy side, he molested his own daughter and now has rehabilitated himself somewhat ("I've learned to appreciate you the way art lovers do"). Ray Davies is a masterful lyricist in terms of his perfect ambiguity. "Lola" for instance never outright states Lola is a transvestite - it only hints.
His first wife left with his first two daughters. Chrissie Hynde left with his this daughter. (And then he chose not to see the baby) His third wife moved to another country with his fourth daughter. The pattern here reflects worse on Ray. I hope he has repaired the relationships with his children. His daughter with Chrissie was pretty messed up in her twenties… just like dad was.
I personally love the song, but it does make one wonder what possessed him when he wrote it, I wonder if the people who write about kids so much were molested themselves, can't stand anything that even hints at such a thought, or sympathizes for it, plz don't judge, I"m really not.
He wrote this song while he was having custody issues with his ex. One line from the song says it all and that's "She's just a substitute for what they've taken from me..."
@@kinksandlollipops8405 This song was written about Ray and Chrissie and their daughter. She left Ray & had a baby with a guy in her band, who left her to have a baby with someone else. I don't know how she got away with keeping Ray from having visitation with his daughter with her. He had equal custody with his first wife with his first two daughters.
Not sure how you can listen to the lyrics that are so clearly about a pedophile and call it a father's love. No, if he missed his kids and wrote about that he'd come up with something more like "Tears In Heaven". If this song is autobiographical, it speaks volumes about why he was not allowed near his own children!
Видеоклипы
As a mother of two boys, who are now grown, I could look at them for hours and hours the way most Art Lovers do. And I never get tired of listening to this beautiful song.
Beatiful post, Thanks, === ruclips.net/video/LhIuWla_9ng/видео.html
Wow! I forgot I made this comment. I almost made myself cry, thinking about how much I love my boys, reading my own comment. They’re grown now and doing great. But I wasn’t lying when I said I never get tired of this beautiful song. Because here I am again.
Ray has a way with words, you can hear the emotion he feels and also look at Dave that song hits home for him as well.
Dave looks embarrassed because they are doing a song about a paedophile.
This is my favorite Kinks song. Davies is a genius.
I believe Ray Davies is the only musician who could write and record this song. A true masterpiece.
I have to add that this Band was forgotten for awhile. In my eyes they were rite there with The Beatles, The Stones and The Who. The Davies Brothers were just unbelievable. Ray with his song writing and stage presence and Dave with his unbelievable Guitar playing ( He could play and Jam with anyone) he was just not in the spotlight like Keith Richards and Pete Townsend. I saw the Kinks in the 70s and Eighties. Stones too. Dave Davies was more than a guitar player he was a phenomenal Performer. Period.
I like Dave too, he reminds me of Mick Taylor sometimes...I wish I could find some extended Kinks jams...don't know if they exist, but they should.
Jasper Lufkin I listen to one for the road all the time. They were at there best playing live. I saw them Right around the time that album came out. I was lucky enough to take some primitive pictures of them with a cheap camera back in the day which I still have.
I couldn't agree more. They were criminally underrated and appreciated.
I was lucky enough to see them in the very early 80s. I was right against the stage and Ray's stage presence was electric. If you've ever been in a room with him and thousands of fans at the moment they started playing "Lola," you know you've lived. He owns a crowd.
Ray had a bad cold - but the Kinks decided to perform! One of their best concerts ever! This gig made me believe that some of the "old" rock bands are not old fashioned at all! Next literature nobel price to Ray Davis! Their lyrics are amazing!
This song makes people talk and speculate and it’s a great example of how Ray is a genius for his songwriting skills. But I do believe that if you deem this song as inappropriate then you need to have a word with yourself.
Knowing that background has transformed this from a creepy song to a tragically sad song.
Man when I first heard this song I was like "err what the fuck" but knowing it's meaning has genuinely made it one of my favourite tunes, can't stop playing it 😢
And I never tire of listening to Ray Davies sexy accent!
Thank GOD for the Kinks
When you understand the meaning behind this song it's crushingly sad.
Yes it is!! - only weeks ago a father, old as he was then, hanged himself, being totally sabotasged from seeing his daughter. You can google it adding dailymail to search - its horrible, www.cd-ania.com
I just read about how Davies has had to fight the misconception of the song, with some people thinking it is about a creepy child stalker. It really says how cynical most people are. If you want a good song about a child stalker, Randy Newman's In Germany Before The War will fit the bill. Fun fact: Bruce Springsteen loves the song and he got the song's meaning right away.
I consider my late grandfather an Art Lover because he would sit and watch me for hours dancing to Shaun Cassidy and whatever else I put on. He was a Art Lover not a pervert. I totally understand and love this song.. I know tha tthis song had something to do with the loss of his child he had with Crissy Hine(sp?) I( lovingly think of my grandpa when I hear this song. Thank you for putting it on here.
I heard the words come out of Ray Davies' himself's mouth a long long time ago, on a talk show, it is about a divorced father who sees his daughter in the park .
Ray thinking about his 2 daughters here... great song!
Ray Davies is such a great song writer.
not agree with cato, this song is deeply sad, about a father who has been separated from his daughter, I THINK RAY IS A UNDERRATED GENIUS.
I always thought of this song as one from a father to a lost daughter
Exactly. What makes it so poignant is that onlookers assume that he is a pervert. That last line gives me the chills because the hurt and loss of the man are so palpable.
Nothing underrated about Ray.
@@robmccluskey6906 Not among us at any rate!
Sir Ray is not under rated by anyone.
Breathtaking....
Beautiful song about missing a daughter
He is the one of greatest songwriter😢❤
Genius.
im teared up....
@kymmiesmommy Extremely well said kymmiesmoomy. I'm not even a parent but I came from a broken home and it's hard for me to listen to this song without getting a lump in my heart. I think it's a really beautiful song. Cheers
Ray was quite brave to write this song when it could easily be misinterpreted as a creepy pedo song. That's what's great about his writing, it's un-self conscious and honest about everyday concerns and issues that face everyone.
Interesting that in the live version he sings "...just a substitute for what THEY'VE taken from me." In the studio version, it's "what's BEEN TAKEN from me." This version makes it sound like the state took the kids or something.
I think he's referring to the judge lawyer,court,exwife when he says they.
I remember seeing the Kinks do this song around this time in the Old Boston Garden ( God I Miss that Place ) and Instead of singing “ come to Daddy “ Ray sang “ Come to Ray “ anyone who was anyone knew what he was saying.
My brother and I were at that show (he lived in Boston, me in New York) and I remember that "Come to Ray" moment. I lost it just now listening to this beautiful song, maybe my favorite (along with "Better Things") track off that album. Don't recall them ever playing it live again after that tour.
Only two out of four of his kids call him ‘Dad’ (the younger two) he said the older two call him Ray.
u r correct!!great song...
Love this album so so much.
Great song about a father divorced from his children.
God Save The Kinks!
Great and beautiful song.
beutiful song unique style a ray davies song love it
Never heard this live beautiful
1:04 his voice is breaking of emotion here......no wonder!!!!!
Such a sad song:
"Sunday afternoon there's something special
It's just like another world
Jogging in the park is my excuse
To look at all the little girls
I'm not a flasher in a rain coat,
I'm not a dirty old man,
I'm not gonna snatch you from your mother,
I'm an art lover
Come to daddy,
Ah, come to daddy,
Come to daddy
Pretty little legs, I want to draw them,
Like a Degas ballerina
Pure white skin, like porcelain,
She's a work of art and I should know
I'm an art lover
Come to daddy,
And I'll give you some spangles
Little girl don't notice me
Watching as she innocently plays
She can't see me staring at her
Because I'm always wearing shades
She feeds the ducks, looks at the flowers
I follow her around for hours and hours
I'd take her home, but that could never be,
She's just a substitute
For what's been taken from me
Ah, come to daddy, come on
Sunday afternoon can't last forever,
Wish I could take you home
So, come on, give us a smile
Before you vanish out of view
I've learned to appreciate you
The way art lovers do,
And I only want to look at you
"I'm not a dirty old man" but I consider old. So for me what was taken from him was his youth.
Brilliant
best nummer evermayde..
This is an ambiguous song which intentionally leaves you wondering about the narrator and his motivations. People who read sexual innuendo into it are not misunderstanding it. The question is left open.
No, it's about the custody of his daughter!
No. Only people like you see it this way. You like to find something bad in everything.
i hope you have contact with all your kids... this song will help, one of the best .....
Los kinks los más grandes entre los grandes...
❤
I understand the view of the song, man losing his own daughter/similar. But certain aspects of this are just too unsettling: "Come to daddy", "jogging in the park is my excuse to look at all the little girls" (I know it says pretty in this version), "Come to daddy, I'll give you some candy," "I follow her around for hours".
I feel like some of these lines could definitely be omitted without losing the meaning.
I also want to say: Facial hair changes Rays looks DRASTICALLY!
You are a really shallow person!
Kinks and the rolling Stones number one and two number three the beatles
Wow 😅
😘
Right out of "Born Losers"!!
It's about his daughter with the lady on that episode of friends who sings and plays guitar better than phoebe.
The meaning behind the lyrics is so sad
I really want to love this song. So sad on the one hand. So disturbing on the other.
type in Layeeefa Lover Of Arts
A sad story about a father divorced from his kids crossed my mind too, but it may not be that innocent. You have to ask yourself why he's lost his kids. You could go either way, and on the creepy side, he molested his own daughter and now has rehabilitated himself somewhat ("I've learned to appreciate you the way art lovers do"). Ray Davies is a masterful lyricist in terms of his perfect ambiguity. "Lola" for instance never outright states Lola is a transvestite - it only hints.
it's a song. don't analyze it to death.
Oh good grief give it a rest.
"Perfect ambiguity" I love that
"I'm a man, I'm a man, and so's Lola". He does more than hint. ✌️
His first wife left with his first two daughters.
Chrissie Hynde left with his this daughter. (And then he chose not to see the baby)
His third wife moved to another country with his fourth daughter.
The pattern here reflects worse on Ray. I hope he has repaired the relationships with his children. His daughter with Chrissie was pretty messed up in her twenties… just like dad was.
Viva el Duque de Feria!!!!
...like a Degas ballerina...
Degas was a creep himself, for what it’s worth.
All divorced fathers song.
I personally love the song, but it does make one wonder what possessed him when he wrote it, I wonder if the people who write about kids so much were molested themselves, can't stand anything that even hints at such a thought, or sympathizes for it, plz don't judge, I"m really not.
He wrote this song while he was having custody issues with his ex. One line from the song says it all and that's "She's just a substitute for what they've taken from me..."
Come to Daddy...
He's singing about his daughter with Chrissie Hynde
No he's not. Their daughter wasn't born until 1983
@@kinksandlollipops8405 This song was written about Ray and Chrissie and their daughter. She left Ray & had a baby with a guy in her band, who left her to have a baby with someone else. I don't know how she got away with keeping Ray from having visitation with his daughter with her. He had equal custody with his first wife with his first two daughters.
..the Kinks are/ were? simply a great band...and Ray according to Pete Townsend is simply a musical genius!...I sgree
Not sure how you can listen to the lyrics that are so clearly about a pedophile and call it a father's love. No, if he missed his kids and wrote about that he'd come up with something more like "Tears In Heaven". If this song is autobiographical, it speaks volumes about why he was not allowed near his own children!
you are misinterpreting this and shows your ignorance.but it's ok to go through life thinking the worst of people, how sad for you.