| "Everybody's a Star (Starmaker)" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Kinks | ||||
| from the album Soap Opera | ||||
| B-side | "Ordinary People" | |||
| Released | April 1975 | |||
| Recorded | August – October 1974 at Konk Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 2:57 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ray Davies | |||
| Producer(s) | Ray Davies | |||
| The Kinks singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Everybody's a Star (Starmaker)" is the opening track on The Kinks' poorly received 1975 concept album, Soap Opera . It was written by The Kinks' primary songwriter, Ray Davies.
Like the two albums of the Preservation rock opera before it and Schoolboys in Disgrace after it, Soap Opera follows a storyline throughout the album. In "Everybody's a Star (Starmaker)", Ray Davies portrays the main character of the album, Starmaker. Starmaker describes himself as "a creator, inventor and innovator" who watches "the ordinary people, no matter what [their] occupation is." He goes on to say that "everybody's a celebrity, and we've all got personality and individuality. We all read lines, and we all act a part, we all need a script and an audience to play to. No matter what you do, or who you are, everybody's a star." He also claims that he "can turn the most ordinary man in the world into a star," "no matter how dull or simple" he is.
According to Rolling Stone critic John Mendelsohn, the music is based on a rhythm guitar riff similar to that of the Who's "I Can't Explain." [1] The track opens with a guitar, and goes on to have a short guitar solo later in the song. It also features female vocalists in the background (like many other songs that The Kinks recorded in their theatrical phase).
One month prior to its release on the Soap Opera album, "Everybody's a Star (Starmaker)" was released as the only American single from Soap Opera in April 1975 and it was backed with "Ordinary People" (the track that follows "Everybody's a Star (Starmaker)" on Soap Opera). It did not chart. However, the single edit appeared as a bonus track on the 1998 CD version of Soap Opera . In June 1975 it was re-mixed in a slightly speeded up version for possible release as a single in the UK, but although it was promoted to UK radio stations the single was never released there. [2]
Mendelsohn described Dave Davies' guitar solo as being one of his "most exciting and proficient" and said that some of the dialogue was entertaining, but felt that the song was "injudiciously elongated." [1] AllMusic cited the track as a highlight from Soap Opera. [3] Cash Box called it "an infectious British rockin' tune whose narrator claims the unique ability to make anyone into a star" with "super horn, rhythm, lead and backup vocal arrangements." [4] Cash Box and Billboard both considered it one of the best songs on Soap Opera. [5] [6] Music journalist Denise Sullivan felt that "Everybody's a Star (Starmaker)" "has the same pomp and swagger as the best glam tracks from the era," citing T. Rex's "20th Century Boy," David Bowie's "Diamond Dogs" and Roxy Music's "Prairie Rose" as examples. [7] Kinks' biographer Rob Jovanovic similarly described it as having "Bowie-glam promise" but criticized the production for overly being too "brass-heavy." [8] Music critic Johnny Rogan summed up his review of the song stating that it contained "elements of the old Kinks' rock/R&B sound here emerging from behind the expected brass backing." [9] Hartford Courant critic Henry McNulty called it an "excellent rocker," saying that "although it starts with some guitar licks borrowed (or stolen) from the Who, it soon falls into the classic Kinks mold, with Ray Davies wonderful sappy voice floating above the instruments like a dead goldfish in a bowl." [10] Thanet Times and East Kent Pictorial stated that the song recaptures "the old Kinks sound." [11]
"Everybody's a Star (Starmaker)" has been used in advertisements for Converse sneakers. [8]
"The Village Green Preservation Society" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks from their 1968 album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. Written and sung by the band's principal songwriter Ray Davies, the song is a nostalgic reflection where the band state their intention to "preserve" British things for posterity. As the opening track, the song introduces many of the LP's themes, and Ray subsequently described it as the album's "national anthem".
Soap Opera or The Kinks Present a Soap Opera is a 1975 concept album by the Kinks. It is the fourteenth studio album by the Kinks.
The Great Lost Kinks Album is a compilation album by the English rock band the Kinks. Released in the United States in January 1973, it features material recorded by the group between 1966 and 1970 that had mostly gone unreleased. The compilation served to satisfy Reprise Records after executives determined that the Kinks contractually owed them one more album, despite the band's departure from the label in 1971.
"See My Friends" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks, written by the group's singer and guitarist, Ray Davies. Released in July 1965, it reached number 10 on the Record Retailer chart. The song incorporates a drone-effect played on guitar, evoking a sound reminiscent of the Indian tambura.
"Wicked Annabella" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks from their 1968 album, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968). Written by Ray Davies, it was recorded by the Kinks in July 1968. The song is Dave Davies's only lead vocal contribution on the album. It is one of several character studies on Village Green, recounting the wicked deeds of the local witch as a warning to children. Employing an eerie tone, its lyrics are darker than the rest of the album and have been likened by commentators to a dark fairy tale.
"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.
"Picture Book" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks from their 1968 album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. Written and sung by Ray Davies, the song's lyrics describe the experience of an ageing narrator flipping through a photo album reflecting on happy memories from "a long time ago". Recorded in May 1968, its cheerful sound is defined by the jangle of an acoustic twelve-string guitar and a disengaged snare drum. In continental Europe, the song was issued as the B-side of the album's lead single, "Starstruck", in November 1968. The same single was issued in the United States in January 1969, though it failed to appear in any charts.
"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.
"(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman" is a song written by Ray Davies that was first released on the Kinks' 1979 album, Low Budget. The song, inspired by Superman: The Movie, employs a disco beat and lyrics that describe the singer's wish to be like the fictional character Superman. The song's disco style was created as a response to Arista Records founder Clive Davis's request for "a club-friendly record," despite Ray Davies' hatred of disco.
"Heart of Gold" is a song by the British rock band The Kinks. Written by Ray Davies, the song appeared on the band's 1983 album State of Confusion.
"Drivin'" is a song written by Ray Davies of the Kinks which appeared on that group's 1969 concept album Arthur . It was released in the UK as the first single from the album, but failed to chart.
"Stop Your Sobbing" is a song written by Ray Davies for the Kinks' debut album, Kinks. It was later covered by the Pretenders as their first single.
"Animal Farm" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks from their sixth studio album, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968). Written and sung by Ray Davies, the song was recorded in March 1968. Musically an example of pop, the song features a noticeably larger sound than the others on Village Green, accomplished through it being recorded in a larger studio space as well as heavy reverb added to its drums, percussion and tack piano. The song is one of the few Kinks recordings from the late 1960s to possibly feature real strings, as arranged by David Whitaker.
"Last of the Steam-Powered Trains" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks from their 1968 album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. Written and sung by Ray Davies, the song was recorded in October 1968 and was among the final tracks completed for the album. Variously described as a blues, R&B or rock number, the song describes a steam train that has outlived its usefulness and has since moved to a museum.
"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.
"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.
"Ducks on the Wall" 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.
"Johnny Thunder" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks from their sixth studio album, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968). Written and sung by Ray Davies, the song was recorded in March 1968. Davies was inspired to write the song after seeing the 1953 film The Wild One, basing it on Marlon Brando's character Johnny as well as on a classmate Davies admired as a child. A rock song, its recording features a countermelody played by Dave Davies on electric guitar, wordless vocal harmonies and one of the album's few instances of a single-tracked vocal by Ray.
"Sitting by the Riverside" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks from their sixth studio album, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968). Written and sung by Ray Davies, it was recorded in July 1968. The song features honky-tonk piano and a Mellotron which duplicates the sound of an accordion. An example of psychedelia, the song's relaxed style is offset by the sound of a swelling cacophony between verses, a sound reminiscent of the crescendo in the Beatles' 1967 song "A Day in the Life". The song describes a pleasant experience sitting next to a river and was inspired by Davies's time spent as a child fishing with his father.
Then Now and Inbetween is a promotional compilation album by the English rock band the Kinks. Reprise Records issued the album in July 1969 to journalists, radio program directors and disc jockeys in conjunction with the "God Save the Kinks" promotional campaign, which sought to reestablish the Kinks' commercial status in the US after their four-year ban on performing in the country.
