Sunday, Sep 7, 2008
Desperate for a hit in 1964, an obscure band named the Kinks slashed up a cheap guitar amp with a razor blade. The rest was history.
Jul 23, 2002 | The Kinks solidified their status as rock 'n' roll legends -- on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean -- through a series of excellent albums released between 1966 and 1970: "The Kink Kontroversy," "Face to Face," "Something Else," "Village Green Preservation Society," "Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire" and "Lola vs. Powerman and the Money-Go-Round." The albums were marked by musical inventiveness and the singular vision of songwriter Ray Davies, whose lyrics largely celebrated and lamented the passing of England's glory days.
In the United States, however, where the Kinks were banned from touring for unspecified reason, those albums were largely ignored. The group remained best known for its first hit, which would seem far more unjust if the hit hadn't been so unforgettable. To this day, in most people's minds, "You Really Got Me" remains the Kinks' signature song.
When the Kinks released "You Really Got Me" in their native England on August 4, 1964, it was a classic make-or-break moment. After two failed singles ("Long Tall Sally" only reached No. 42, although it was supported by an appearance on the hit-making TV show "Ready Steady Go," and "You Still Want Me" fared even worse) the white R&B-influenced group from the North London suburb of Muswell Hill was about to be dropped from its recording contract with Pye if its members didn't prove their commercial potential with a hit.
As a group of unknowns, the Kinks had been given no say in the selection of songs or producer at their first proper recording session in January 1964. "You Really Got Me" was already in their repertoire, and the group had even recorded a demo version of it. Their advisors found it "too bluesy" and "not pop enough" to be a hit. Instead, the band had recorded "Long Tall Sally," "You Do Something," "You Still Want Me" and "I Took My Baby Home."
At that point, the Kinks consisted of Ray Davies, his brother Dave Davies and bass player Pete Quaife. They didn't have a name or a drummer (session man Bobby Graham was enlisted to hit the skins), and they had to pay their own recording costs. Producer Shel Talmy, who was also at the helm for the Who's early recordings, fancied himself another Phil Spector (according to Dave Davies), and gave the Kinks' recordings a clean sound far removed from that of their live shows. Ray Davies was determined that would change when the group entered the studio in the early summer of 1964 for what might well have been their final attempt at making a hit record. This time, they had convinced Pye to let them record "You Really Got Me."
Ray Davies had composed "You Really Got Me" in the front room of his parents' house in Fortis Green, with help from his brother. According to Dave Davies, Ray first played him the riff on a piano. Dave tried it on the guitar, then Ray shifted the tone a couple of times, and within a day or two, Ray had written the lyrics. He wanted the song to be the kind of showstopper that would make audiences dance and go wild, and set out to make it repetitive, "like an African tribal chant."
Initially, the song began with the words "Yeah, you really got me now," but that was changed in the studio on the advice of Hal Carter, an impresario who had previously been hired to hone the group's image. Although Carter had been recently dismissed from his position with the Kinks, he did them one last favor by suggesting that Ray Davies add a new first word to the song to make it more personal and direct. Davies settled on replacing "Yeah" with "Girl," and recording commenced.
Once again, Shel Talmy's production style clashed with the band's desire to make a recording that sounded like a live performance. Neither Dave nor Ray Davies thought much of the first attempt at recording "You Really Got Me," and even Dave's girlfriend at the time commented that it didn't make her want to drop her knickers -- exactly what any good rock 'n' roll record should do. Ray started to panic. As he saw it, after two flops, "You Really Got Me" was the band's last chance, and the recording had to be just right. Besides, he might not have another hit song in him, so he couldn't waste this one.
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