The Kinks may not resonate as deeply today as The Beatles and Stones, but that doesn’t diminish the stature, or influence, of arguably Britain’s third best rock and roll band (Who, Queen, Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin fans might contest, but it’s a great argument to have).
Today, “You Really Got Me,” “All Day and All of the Night” and “Lola” still stand out, but Ray Davies’ band from north London can easily fill a double album of greatest hits, which I can attest, because I grew up on it.
And whether the songs were folk, pop, rock or even proto punk, a core element was the quintessential Britishness of the band – from the nostalgic in-my-backyard “Village Green Preservation Society” to the empirical epic, “Victoria”; or recalling the local dance halls growing up (“Come Dancing”) or the groovy Carnaby Street commentary, “Dedicated Follower of Fashion” (great lyric: “Carnabetian army”), which would in future recall Austin Powers.
The best of them, however, may just be “Waterloo Sunset,” an ode not just to the physical setting of London, but its spiritual essence, of which David Bowie once said, “It couldn’t be set in any other place in any other country in the world,” and adding, “There’s something so deeply moving about the song; it’s timeless.”
Considered one of The Kinks’ best, the song – originally released in 1967 (in partial response to The Beatles having previously introduced the world to Liverpool’s Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields) – was selected for the closing ceremonies of the London Olympics in 2012.
It was also ranked No. 14 in Rolling Stone magazine’s top 500 songs of all time, having illustrated the linguistic mastery that would later see Davies dubbed the poet laureate of London, as well as the tunefulness that would earn him the nickname “the godfather of Brit pop.”
Davies’ talents would even inspire the Queen (presumably), who bestowed him a British knighthood in 2004 with the resulting honorific, Sir Ray.
That Lizzy might secretly love the likes of “Lola” and “Apeman” (or even the sly royal observations of “Victoria”) makes me smile, but more importantly, The Kinks always take me back to London – no matter the song. And then, in my mind, I am in paradise.
Lyrics
Dirty old river, must you keep rolling
Flowing into the night
People so busy, make me feel dizzy
Taxi light shines so bright
But I don’t need no friends
As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset
I am in paradise
Every day I look at the world from my window
But chilly, chilly is the evening time
Waterloo sunset’s fine
Terry meets Julie, Waterloo station
Every Friday night
But I am so lazy, don’t want to wander
I stay at home at night
But I don’t feel afraid
As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset
I am in paradise
Every day I look at the world from my window
But chilly, chilly is the evening time
Waterloo sunset’s fine
Millions of people swarming like flies round Waterloo underground
But Terry and Julie cross over the river
Where they feel safe and sound
And they don’t need no friends
As long as they gaze on Waterloo sunset
They are in paradise
Waterloo sunset’s fine