"Celluloid Heroes" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by the Kinks | ||||
from the album Everybody's in Show-Biz | ||||
B-side | "Hot Potatoes" | |||
Released | 24 November 1972 | |||
Recorded | May–June 1972 | |||
Studio | Morgan (London) | |||
Genre | Soft rock | |||
Length | 6:19 | |||
Label | RCA 2299 | |||
Songwriter(s) | Ray Davies | |||
Producer(s) | Ray Davies | |||
The Kinks singles chronology | ||||
|
"Celluloid Heroes" is a song performed by the Kinks and written by their lead vocalist and principal songwriter, Ray Davies. It debuted on their 1972 album Everybody's in Show-Biz . [1]
The song names several famous actors of 20th century film, and also mentions Los Angeles's Hollywood Boulevard, alluding to its Hollywood Walk of Fame. The actors mentioned are Greta Garbo, Rudolph Valentino, Bela Lugosi, Bette Davis, Marilyn Monroe, George Sanders, and Mickey Rooney, although the verse mentioning the latter three is omitted in some recorded versions of the song (e.g. on One for the Road ).
An ode to classic Hollywood icons, "Celluloid Heroes" analyses the juxtaposition between success and failure in the context of American show business. Ray Davies, who wrote the song, had spent time in Hollywood and found amusement in "the ironic fact that the stars were on the street and you could walk all over them." [2] He explained the song's meaning:
It's one of those songs that's a very personal song. But it means something to everybody who's been on that strip of, you know, Hollywood. And I wrote it because the duality. You know, once success walks hand in hand with failure, and it's a comment on the world I work in - show business, whatever you call it, entertainment, rock music - it does. I mean, you're as good as your last record. You're lucky if people remember the hits. [3]
The song has since been singled out by Dave Davies as a standout track by the band: "One of my favorite songs ever, by anybody. I remember when we were just starting out down the road with tidying up the lyrics. That really filled me with a lot of emotion because it is quite an incredible idea anyway, all those [movie] stars, names and handprints being on those stars. There are all these great stars immortalized on pavement, in concrete." [4] Kinks keyboardist John Gosling was similarly effusive, recalling, "When Ray put down the vocals to that, I stood in awe of the man!" [5]
The track was released as the second single from the album. In the UK, the single features the full album version which runs to over six minutes, but the US single used a more corporate-radio-friendly edit which is almost two minutes shorter. Although their previous single had been a top 20 hit on the UK Singles Chart, "Celluloid Heroes" failed to chart.
The song appears on the band's live album One for the Road (1980) and was re-recorded for the 2009 album The Kinks Choral Collection . The song was also the title track of a 1976 collection featuring material originally released while recording for the RCA label, The Kinks' Greatest: Celluloid Heroes.
Record World said of the studio single release that "Ray Davies' masterpiece song about glitter and glory along Sunset Strip displays the Kinks at their very best and should be a smash." [6] Reviewing the live single, Record World called it "perhaps one of Ray Davies' finest compositions." [7]
Béla Ferenc Dezső Blaskó, known professionally as Bela Lugosi, was a Hungarian–American actor, best remembered for portraying Count Dracula in the 1931 horror classic Dracula, Ygor in Son of Frankenstein (1939) and his roles in many other horror films from 1931 through 1956.
Sir Raymond Douglas Davies is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter for the rock band the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother Dave on lead guitar and backing vocals. He has also acted in, directed and produced shows for theatre and television. Known for focusing his lyrics on rock bands, English culture, nostalgia and social satire, he is often referred to as the "Godfather of Britpop", though he disputes this title. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Kinks in 1990. After the dissolution of the Kinks in 1996, he embarked on a solo career.
David Russell Gordon Davies is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the English rock band the Kinks, which also featured his elder brother Ray. Davies also sometimes undertook writing and/or lead vocals duties within the band on songs such as "Death of a Clown", "Party Line", "Strangers" and "Rats". He has also embarked on a solo career, releasing several singles during the late 1960s and has since released eight solo albums.
Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One, commonly abbreviated to Lola Versus Powerman, or simply Lola, is the eighth studio album by the English rock band the Kinks, recorded and released on 27 November 1970. A concept album, it is a satirical appraisal of the music industry, including song publishers, unions, the press, accountants, business managers, and life on the road. Musically Lola Versus Powerman is varied, described by Stephen Thomas Erlewine as "a wildly unfocused but nonetheless dazzling tour de force", containing some of Ray Davies's strongest songs.
"Lola" is a song by the English rock band The Kinks, written by frontman Ray Davies for their 1970 album Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One. The song details a romantic encounter between a young man and a possible cross-dresser or trans woman, whom he meets in a club in Soho, London. In the song, the narrator describes his confusion towards Lola, who "walked like a woman but talked like a man", yet he remains infatuated with her.
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm and blues and Merseybeat, and were briefly part of the British Invasion of the United States until their touring ban in 1965. Their third single, the Ray Davies-penned "You Really Got Me", became an international hit, topping the charts in the United Kingdom and reaching the Top 10 in the United States.
"Apeman" is a 1970 song by the English rock band the Kinks. It was written by Ray Davies and appears on the album Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One.
Come Dancing with The Kinks: The Best of 1977-1986 is a double album compilation by the Kinks, released on Arista Records in 1986. It contains thirteen tracks released as singles, only one of which did not also appear on album, and six album tracks. Every one of the band's seven albums released by Arista during the time period indicated is represented here. Designed specifically for the American market, it peaked at No. 159 on the Billboard 200 and failed to chart in the United Kingdom. A version for compact disc was issued in 2000 by Koch Records. Liner notes are by John Swenson, and the original recordings were produced by Ray Davies.
Everybody's in Show-Biz is the eleventh studio album released by the English rock group the Kinks, released in 1972. A double album, the first disc features studio recordings, while the second disc documents a two-night Carnegie Hall stand.
The Ultimate Collection is a compilation of singles by British rock band the Kinks. It was released on Sanctuary Records on 27 May 2002 in the UK and 23 September 2003 in the United States. In August 2002, it reached no. 48 in the UK top 100 albums chart, and no. 1 in the UK Indie albums chart. It has been certified platinum by the British Phonographic Industry.
"I'm Not Like Everybody Else" is a song written by Ray Davies and first recorded by the Kinks in 1966 and released that year as the B-side of "Sunny Afternoon". The lead vocal is sung by Dave Davies, with occasional parts vocalized by his brother Ray, the band's usual lead singer. The song is a defiant anthem of non-conformity. It has been covered by various artists, notably the Chocolate Watchband in their 1968 rendition of the song.
To the Bone is a 1994 live album by the Kinks. Recorded partly at Konk Studios with a small audience, and partly during their 1993 American tour and the 1994 UK tour, it was reissued in an expanded edition in 1996 with two new studio tracks added. To the Bone was the band's final release before their breakup in 1996.
The Kinks Choral Collection is an album, released 15 June 2009 in the UK and 10 November 2009 in the US, by Ray Davies and the Crouch End Festival Chorus. The album features new studio recordings of Ray Davies' compositions, all but one of which were originally recorded by his band The Kinks.
"Come Dancing" is a 1982 song written by Ray Davies and performed by British rock group the Kinks on their 1983 album State of Confusion. The song was inspired by Davies' memories of his older sister, Rene, who died of a heart attack while dancing at a dance hall. The lyrics, sung from the perspective of an "East End barrow boy," are about the boy's sister going on dates at a local Palais dance hall.
"Supersonic Rocket Ship" is a single recorded by British rock band The Kinks, written by Ray Davies. It was released on 5 May 1972, in the UK, and in September of that year for its US release. "Supersonic Rocket Ship" was also included as a track on the double LP Everybody's in Show-Biz, which was released on 25 August 1972, in the US and on 1 September in the UK. Everybody's in Show-Biz also yielded the song "Celluloid Heroes", which, although not a hit, has become one of The Kinks' most popular songs.
"20th Century Man" is a song recorded by the English rock band the Kinks. It was released as a single in December 1971 from the band's 1971 LP Muswell Hillbillies, an album with blues and country roots. It centered on such themes as poverty, housing development, alienation, the welfare state, and other troubles of the modern world.
"Sitting in My Hotel" is a song written by Ray Davies that was first released on The Kinks' 1972 album Everybody's in Show-Biz. It was also released on several compilation albums and as the B-side of the "Sweet Lady Genevieve" single. It is one of Davies' more introspective songs, musing about the cost of fame and stardom, and thus contributes to the album's theme of the difficulties of life on the road.
Do It Again is a song by British rock band the Kinks. Written by lead singer Ray Davies, the song was released as the first track on The Kinks's album, Word of Mouth. Written as an observation on stressful working schedules, the song features an opening guitar chord and echoed vocals.
"Sleepwalker", written by Ray Davies, is the third track from The Kinks' 1977 album of the same name.
"You Can't Stop the Music" is a song by the British rock band The Kinks. The song, appearing on the band's 1975 album Soap Opera, was written by the band's principal songwriter, Ray Davies.