"Drivin'" | ||||
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Single by the Kinks | ||||
from the album Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) | ||||
B-side | "Mindless Child of Motherhood" | |||
Released | 20 June 1969 | |||
Recorded | May 1969 [1] | |||
Studio | Pye, London | |||
Genre | ||||
Label | Pye | |||
Songwriter(s) | Ray Davies | |||
Producer(s) | Ray Davies | |||
The Kinks UKsingles chronology | ||||
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Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) track listing | ||||
12 tracks
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"Drivin'" is a song written by Ray Davies of the Kinks which appeared on that group's 1969 concept album Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) . It was released in the UK as the first single from the album, but failed to chart.
"Drivin'", on 1 May 1969, was one of the first two tracks to be worked on by the Kinks (the other being its B-side, "Mindless Child of Motherhood"). In Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) , "Drivin'" shows the protagonist, Arthur Morgan, convincing his wife, Rose, to forget all of her problems (and the upheaval going on in the world) and take a drive. However, within the context of the concept album, the song offers only a brief respite from the prevailing anxieties. [2]
According to critic Johnny Rogan and author Thomas Kitts, "Drivin'" is based on real experiences from Ray Davies' childhood when his family drove from London to the country. [3] [2]
"Drivin'" was the first single from Arthur. Released in the UK and continental Europe (but not the U.S.), it did not chart at all, making it the first song by the Kinks (aside from their pre-"You Really Got Me" singles) to do so. Dave Davies said of the track, "[It] was a compromise record, it wasn't that bold." [4] The follow-up single, "Shangri-La", also didn't make a dent in the charts. [2]
The track appeared on the compilation album Picture Book .
The song was praised by AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine for its "lazy grace". [5] Rogan praises its "convincing lyrics", "sumptuous melody" and the "amusing percussive touches" added by Kinks' drummer Mick Avory towards the end of the song. [3] Kitts comments that the song's rhythm, as well as some of the guitar playing by Ray's brother Dave Davies, effectively simulates a "leisurely car ride up and down hills and around curves." [2]
According to band researcher Doug Hinman: [1]
The Kinks
Additional musician
The B-side, "Mindless Child of Motherhood", was a Dave Davies composition, written for an unreleased solo album. [6] It was later released on the 1998 reissue of Arthur.
Arthur , often referred to as just Arthur, is the seventh studio album by the English rock band the Kinks, released in October 1969. Kinks frontman Ray Davies constructed the concept album as the soundtrack to a Granada Television play and developed the storyline with novelist Julian Mitchell; the television programme was never produced. The rough plot revolved around Arthur Morgan, a carpet-layer, who was based on Ray and guitarist Dave Davies' brother-in-law Arthur Anning.
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north 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.
"Shangri-La" is a song written by Ray Davies of the Kinks. The song appeared on the 1969 concept album, Arthur. The song's inspiration can be traced back to when the band visited the Davies brothers' sister, Rose, and her family in Australia, the "designed community" that the family lived in serving as the initial lyrical inspiration. The song's highly ironic lyrics comment on British class society while portraying Arthur, the album's ill-fated protagonist, and his empty life in the suburbs. The musical aspects of the song both reflect and comment on the mood of the lyrics.
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Live at Kelvin Hall is a live album by the English rock group the Kinks. It was recorded at Kelvin Hall in Glasgow, Scotland, in early 1967 and released in August 1967 in the US, and January 1968 in the UK. Live at Kelvin Hall received mixed reviews upon release, and sold poorly.
"Sitting in the Midday Sun" is a song by British rock band The Kinks, written by their frontman and main songwriter Ray Davies. It was recorded in June 1973 and released as a single in the US and UK the same year. Reviews were generally positive, but it failed to chart. "Sitting in the Midday Sun" was included on Preservation Act 1, released in November 1973. Act 1 peaked at number 177 on the US Billboard charts, but failed to make an impression on the UK charts.
"I Need You" is a song by British rock band the Kinks. It was released as a B-Side to "Set Me Free". The song, along with "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night", has been cited as one of the influences which shifted the focus from rock 'n' roll to hard-hitting rock music. Never a part of the Kinks live act, it has since been revived live by both Davies brothers solo in the 21st Century.
"Moving Pictures" is the final track on The Kinks' 1979 album Low Budget. Like the other ten tracks on the album, it was written by Ray Davies.
"Berkeley Mews" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks. It was released on a non-album single in June 1970, as the B-side to "Lola". Written and sung by bandleader Ray Davies, the song was recorded in early 1968 during the sessions for The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968). The title references a small street in London, while the lyrics recount a one-night stand. Influenced by the music of the 1940s, the song employs a heavier production than was typical for the band's 1968 work.
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