| "Life Goes On" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Kinks | ||||
| from the album Sleepwalker | ||||
| A-side | "Juke Box Music" (U.S.) | |||
| Released | May 18, 1977 | |||
| Recorded | September 1976 [1] | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 5:03 | |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ray Davies | |||
| Producer(s) | Ray Davies | |||
| The Kinks singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Life Goes On" is a song by the British rock band The Kinks. Appearing on their album Sleepwalker , it was written by the band's main songwriter, Ray Davies.
At a concert, Ray Davies described the song as being about "a man who tries to commit suicide and fails," jokingly calling it "a nice, happy sort of song." [2]
The Kinks' guitarist, Dave Davies, said of the song's guitar solo, "Ideally, if I'm emotionally stimulated, I feel like I can play anything. With 'Life Goes On', we sat down and Ray just started playing it. It was the song that was really important: the emotion it created, the hollowness of it, but the fullness, as well. Those kinds of things really get me going. It just came out, because it was still that period where you could go into a studio and make a decent recording in a couple of days; you didn't have to spend three weeks just trying to get a sound on a drum computer. You could actually go in and do a song and the solos at the same time. I play off Ray's vocals, the way he expresses himself. Although I love guitar, it's still only an instrument that should help the song. That's my musical role, in a way." [3]
"Life Goes On" was released as the ninth and final track on The Kinks' 1977 album Sleepwalker. Following the album release, the song was released as the B-side to the American version of Sleepwalker's second single, "Juke Box Music", in May of that year (in the U.K. and Germany, the song "Sleepless Night" was used instead.) The single failed to chart. The song has since appeared on the box set The Arista Years.
AllMusic critic Denise Sullivan said, "A gentle acoustic guitar riff and organ lead into the touching story of 'Life Goes On' from the Kinks' 1977 album, Sleepwalker. As Ray Davies tells the story about a friend's suicide in an admonishing voice full of yearning, whining, and disbelief, brother Dave plays along empathetically with his layered rhythm guitar lead. It's an epic song filled with beautiful harmonies and musical touches that match the lyric. Plus, it closes out the album – as was the habit with the Kinks – with a song that sums up the action preceding it, musically and lyrically. Yet, it also stands entirely on its own and serves as the perfect segue to the follow-up album, in this case, Misfits . It's a feat worth noting when one song serves such multi-purposes." [4]
Rolling Stone writer Billy Altman said that "in 'Life Goes On', we are warned that 'life'll hit you when you least expect it.' Yet in the end, there always remains a faint glimmer of hope: 'Take that frown off your head/'cause you're a long time dead.'" [5]
Sir Raymond Douglas Davies is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main 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 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. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1990 as a member of the Kinks.
"You Really Got Me" is a song written by Ray Davies for English rock band the Kinks. The song, originally performed in a more blues-oriented style, was inspired by artists such as Lead Belly and Big Bill Broonzy. Two song versions were recorded, with the second performance used for the final single. Although it was rumoured that future Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page had performed the song's guitar solo, the myth has since been proven false.
"Lola" is a song written by Ray Davies and performed by English rock band the Kinks on their 1970 album Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One. The song details a romantic encounter between a young man and a possible trans woman or cross-dresser, 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".
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 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.
Misfits is the seventeenth studio album by the English rock band the Kinks, released in 1978. Following the minor success of Sleepwalker in the United States, Misfits featured a more rock-oriented style than many other Kinks records of the 1970s. Despite internal conflicts within the band, leading to both bassist Andy Pyle and pianist John Gosling quitting the band, the album made the Top 40 in America. The album also contained the minor hit single "A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy", as well as less successful releases "Live Life" and "Black Messiah".
Sleepwalker is the sixteenth studio album by the English rock group, the Kinks, released in 1977. It marked a return to straight-ahead, self-contained rock songs after several years of concept albums. It is the first album in what critics usually call the "arena rock" phase of the group, in which more commercial and mainstream production techniques would be employed. The album also marks the last appearance of bassist John Dalton, who left the band during the recording sessions. Dalton plays bass on all songs on the album save for "Mr. Big Man". The lineup of the Kinks would be trimmed down significantly in 1977 following the album's release, as the brass section and backup singers were removed and the band returned to a standard rock band outfit.
"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.
"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.
"Catch Me Now I'm Falling" is a song written by Ray Davies and first released by The Kinks as the second track on their 1979 album Low Budget. Written as a criticism of America's allies, the song depicts the fall of Captain America as a symbol of the United States' dire circumstances at the time. The song features multiple solos on different instruments as well as a riff similar to "Jumpin' Jack Flash".
"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.
"Low Budget" is the sixth track from The Kinks' album of the same name. It was written, produced and sung by Ray Davies.
"Juke Box Music" is a track from The Kinks' 1977 album, Sleepwalker. It was one of the first tracks recorded in The Kinks' Konk recording complex. The song was also performed for The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1977.
"Sleepwalker", written by Ray Davies, is the third track from The Kinks' 1977 album of the same name.
"A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy" is the lead single and fourth track from The Kinks' 1978 album Misfits. Written by Ray Davies, the song was inspired by the band's then-tumultuous state at the time, with two members leaving the band during the recording of Misfits. Released as the first single from the album, the track was the band's most successful single in years, reaching number 30.
"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.
"She's Got Everything" is a song written by Ray Davies and released by English rock band the Kinks. It first appeared as the B-side of the Kinks' 1968 single, "Days".
"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.