| "Live Life" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Kinks | ||||
| from the album Misfits | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 19 May 1978 | |||
| Recorded | July 1977 –January 1978 at Konk Studios, London | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 3:49 4:47 (U.K. LP Version) | |||
| Label | Arista 199 (U.K.) Arista 0372 (U.S.) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ray Davies | |||
| Producer(s) | Ray Davies | |||
| The Kinks singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Live Life" is a track from The Kinks' 1978 album, Misfits . The track was written by The Kinks' primary songwriter, Ray Davies.
The lyrics of the song, in a similar theme to many other tracks written by Ray Davies, say that, no matter what's happening in the world, you must pick yourself up (since no one else is going to help you). [1] The track also makes references to "the fascists and the left wing militants", "crooked politicians and the unemployment queues", and the Irish Republican Army, who, at the time, used illegal methods to attempt breaking away from Britain. [1]
The track also features Ron Lawrence playing bass guitar instead of Andy Pyle or John Dalton (the bassists that were members of the band at one point of the album's recording). Session drummer Clem Cattini performs drums.
Dave Davies has since praised the song on his Facebook account saying, "I love it - its one of my favorite tracks." [2] He also praised Cattini's drums, saying, "Clem Cattini did a great job playing drums on this." [2]
"Live Life" had multiple appearances on The Kinks' records. It first appeared on Misfits , where it was the third track (except in Britain, where a longer version of the track was instead seventh in the running order). On the Remastered CD version of the album, however, the U.K. version of the album became the listing that was used, with the non-U.K. version of "Live Life" being added as a bonus track. To add, "Live Life" replaced "Artificial Light" as the B-side of the "A Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy" single in America. Then, on 14 July 1978, it was released as the second single from Misfits , backed with "In a Foreign Land" in Britain and "Black Messiah" in America. It didn't chart.
"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 versions of the song were recorded, with the second performance being 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 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 in 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' strongest songs.
"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".
The Kink Kontroversy is the third studio album by the English rock band the Kinks, released on 26 November 1965 in the United Kingdom and in March 1966 in the United States, where it was the first American Kinks album to feature an identical tracklist to its UK counterpart. It is a transitional work, with elements of both the earlier Kinks' styles and early indications of the future direction of Ray Davies' songwriting styles. The liner notes were written by Michael Aldred.
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.
Low Budget is the eighteenth studio album by English rock group the Kinks, released in 1979. Following the minor success of their 1978 album Misfits, the band recorded the majority of the album in New York rather than London. Unlike the more nostalgic themes of many Kinks albums prior to Low Budget, many of the album's songs allude to contemporaneous events. Musically, the album is a continuation of the band's "arena rock" phase, resulting in a more rock-based sound and more modern production techniques.
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.
"Father Christmas" is a song by English rock band the Kinks, released in 1977.
"Autumn Almanac" is a song written by Ray Davies and recorded by the rock group the Kinks in 1967. "Autumn Almanac" has since been noted for being an "absolute classic", "a finely observed slice of English custom", and a "weird character study", and praised for its "mellow, melodic sound that was to characterize the Kinks' next [musical] phase..." Some have placed this and other Davies compositions in the pastoral-Romantic tradition of the poetry of Wordsworth, among others.
"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.
"(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.
"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.
"Black Messiah" is the third track from the Kinks' 1978 album Misfits. It was written by Ray Davies.
"Misfits" is the title track for The Kinks' 1978 album, Misfits. It was written by 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".
"Rock 'n' Roll Cities" is a song by the British rock group, the Kinks. The song appeared on the band's 1986 album, Think Visual, and, unlike most other Kinks songs, it was written by Dave Davies rather than his brother, Ray.
"Attitude" is a song by the British rock band The Kinks, released on their album, Low Budget. It was written by Ray Davies.
"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.
