Classic Pop Icons

The Kinks’ innovative 1964 rocker “You Really Got Me” is this week’s Song of the Week. The song was released as a single in August 1964, backed with “It’s All Right.” It also closed side one of their debut album “Kinks”, which was released in October 1964 in the UK. The US version of the album was shortened and retitled “You Really Got Me.”

“You Really Got Me” was The Kinks’ third single. The first two, “Long Tall Sally” and “You Still Want Me”, had failed to dent the charts and so the band was in need of a hit.

The version of “You Really Got Me” that we all know was the second recording of the song. The first version, which was slower and more bluesy, was deemed unsatisfactory by Ray and Dave Davies because it failed to capture the excitement and sound of their live show. To remedy this, Dave slashed the speaker on his amp to produce a distorted guitar sound.

The distorted guitar sound and aggressive guitar riff, with use of so-called “power chords”, made “You Really Got Me” a very important track in the development of hard rock music.

Authorship

The words and music of “You Really Got Me” were written solely by Ray Davies.

Recording date/location

“You Really Got Me” was recorded in June 1964 at IBC Studios, London, England.

Musicians

The following musicians appear on “You Really Got Me”:

• Ray Davies – vocals, rhythm guitar
• Dave Davies – backing vocals, lead guitar
• Peter Quaife -bass
• Bobby Graham – drums
• Arthur Greenslade or Jon Lord – piano
• Mick Avory – tambourine.

Mick Avory had just joined the band as their drummer, but session drummer Bobby Graham was used on the track.

It is not clear whether Greenslade or Lord played the piano part, as both have been credited. Lord would go on to be a member of Deep Purple.

There is a persistent rumour that Jimmy Page played the guitar solo on this track, but this has been denied by Ray, Dave and Page himself.

Quaife died in June 2010 of kidney failure.

Chart performance

“You Really Got Me” was the first of three number one hits achieved by the Kinks in the UK.

It was also the first of five top 10 hits in the US for the Kinks, reaching number seven on Billboard’s Hot 100.

The album on which “You Really Got Me” appeared, “Kinks”, hit number three in the UK. The retitled version of the album hit number 29 in the US.

Covers

Van Halen – “You Really Got Me”

The most famous cover is by the American rock band Van Halen who included the song on their debut album “Van Halen” in 1978 and also had a top 40 hit with it in the US. It is a much heavier approach than the Kinks’ original, with fine guitar work from the hugely gifted Eddie Van Halen. The technical proficiency and more up-to-date recording technology make this recording more appealing to some than the original, but I prefer the rawness of the Kinks’ 1964 recording.

Robert Palmer – “You Really Got Me”

Rober Palmer included “You Really Got Me” on his 1978 album “Double Fun.” It’s a very different approach to the song, with elements of soul and funk, and distinctive horns throughout from the Brecker Brothers (Michael and Randy).

There will be a new Song of the Week on November 1.

“You Really Got Me” is available on the 2-CD compilation “The Ultimate Collection.” For those who want to explore more of the Kinks’ catalogue, it is also on the excellent 6-CD box set “Picture Book” which was released in 2008.

Title
Kinks – The Ultimate Collection (2 CDs)	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now
Kinks – Picture Book (6 CDs)	N/A	Buy Now	Buy Now	Buy Now