Monica (song)

Last updated

"Monica"
Song by the Kinks
from the album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
Released22 November 1968
Studio Pye, London
Genre Calypso
Length2:13
Label Pye
Songwriter(s) Ray Davies
Producer(s) Ray Davies
Official audio
"Monica" on YouTube

"Monica" 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 sometime between late 1967 and May 1968. The song features congas and a syncopated rhythm, indicating Davies's continued interest in calypso music. Its lyrics are a serenade for a prostitute and were partly inspired by Dylan Thomas's radio drama, Under Milk Wood (1954), though Davies kept the lyrics deliberately subtle to avoid a radio ban. Retrospective commentators have disputed the song's level of thematic cohesion with the others on Village Green.

Contents

Background and composition

I like the way I did "Monica" ... I didn't actually say she was a prostitute ... so it can apply to a lot of other people ... If you say somebody is a prostitute or a hooker you're restricted. Like "Miss Straight-back" who goes to work in the morning and doesn't do anything else isn't affected by it. I suppose that if you don't say that she's a prostitute she might see little things in the song about herself. [1]

– Ray Davies, 1976

Ray Davies composed "Monica" as a love song, sung as a serenade to a prostitute. [2] Its lyrics are deliberately subtle, never directly referencing her profession, something that arose out of Davies' desire to avoid a ban by BBC Radio. [3] The song's narrator claims Monica for himself, [4] but sings that while she is a prostitute her love cannot be bought. [5] Davies may have been inspired by the prostitute character Polly Garter from Under Milk Wood , [6] a 1954 radio drama by Welsh poet Dylan Thomas. [7] The drama began to influence Davies's songwriting in late 1966, [7] and he later directly referenced Garter in his composition "Polly", [8] probably recorded around March 1968. Under Milk Wood's format of exploring characters in a small Welsh town later served as Davies's broader inspiration for the Kinks' 1968 album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society . [9] Author Mark Doyle suggests that in addition to Garter, the woman addressed in "Monica" may have been inspired by fellow Under Milk Wood character, Gossamer Beynon, the local school teacher whom all the men in town desire. [10] Author Thomas M. Kitts writes that in "Monica", Davies uses a typical trick of Thomas whereby a single word in a stock phrase is altered – in particular, Davies changes the phrase "morning to midnight" into "morning to moonshine". [4]

Musically, "Monica" is an example of calypso music, [11] a genre Davies first explored in his 1965 song "I'm on an Island". [12] [lower-alpha 1] Author Johnny Rogan suggests Davies often used calypso as a contrast against his more serious songwriting and compares its "Acapulco-style beat" to another of his songs on Village Green, "Starstruck". [6] Kitts thinks the calypso rhythm is meant to suggest that the song takes place in the narrator's fantasy and emphasise that he actually only possesses Monica in his mind. [4] Author Ken Rayes describes the song's arrangement as "celebratory" in its incorporation of Caribbean rhythms, jazz tempo changes and a playful vocal from Davies suggesting a schoolboy-like innocence. [13]

Recording and release

The Kinks recorded "Monica" sometime between late 1967 and May 1968, during a period when the band recorded numerous songs without initially knowing when or in what format they would be released. [14] [lower-alpha 2] Recording took place in Pye Studio 2, [17] one of two basement studios at Pye Records' London offices. [18] Davies produced the song, [17] while Pye's in-house engineer Alan "Mac" MacKenzie operated the four-track mixing console. [19] The song features a syncopated backing track, including an acoustic guitar, congas and organ. Bass guitar does not appear until the second verse. [3]

"Monica" was among the songs Davies selected for the aborted US album Four More Respected Gentlemen , [3] originally planned for a late 1968 release. [20] While sessions for Village Green continued through the summer of 1968, the Kinks performed the song for BBC Radio on 1 and 9 July 1968. [21] [lower-alpha 3] Davies planned to include "Monica" on the original twelve-track edition of Village Green and he kept the song on the album when he decided to expand it to fifteen tracks, though he changed the planned sequence from the first to the second side of the LP. [22] Pye released Village Green in the UK on 22 November 1968, with "Monica" sequenced as the penultimate track. [17] In his preview of the album for New Musical Express magazine, critic Keith Altham wrote that "Monica" is an example of "the beauty of [Ray Davies]" in that "you are never quite sure when to take him seriously". [23]

Among retrospective commentators, Miller considers "Monica" "the flimsiest thing" on the album, [3] and Morgan Enos of Billboard placed it last in his ranking of the songs. [24] Rogan considers the song and "Starstruck" to be "distinctly un-Village Green compositions", [5] while Kitts counters that it fits into the album with its theme of escapism through obsession, something he thinks is also heard on "Starstruck" and "Phenomenal Cat". [25] Kitts and Miller each consider the song one of the album's several character studies. [26]

Notes

  1. ↑ Miller writes the genre reappears in Davies' songs "Apeman" (1970) and "Supersonic Rocket Ship" (1972), but thinks that with "Monica" Davies "fortunately ... eschews the cod-Jamaican delivery" heard on the later singles. [3]
  2. ↑ In Doug Hinman and Jason Brabazon's 1994 self-published Kinks discography, they date the recording to spring 1968. [15] Later authors like Peter Doggett (1998) and Miller (2003) cite Hinman & Brabazon's book to provide the same dating. [16] In his 2004 book, Hinman updated his dating to a range of autumn 1967 to May 1968. [14]
  3. ↑ The latter performance was later featured on the 2001 release BBC Sessions 1964–1977 . [21]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society</i> 1968 studio album by the Kinks

The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society is the sixth studio album by the English rock band the Kinks. It was released on 22 November 1968 in the United Kingdom by Pye Records and in February 1969 in the United States by Reprise Records. The album had no accompanying lead single in the UK, though "Starstruck" was issued in the US and Europe. A modest seller on release, it was the band's first studio album which failed to chart in either country, but was lauded by contemporary critics for its songwriting. It was embraced by America's new underground rock press, completing the Kinks' transformation from mid-1960s pop hitmakers to critically favoured cult band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Village Green Preservation Society</span> 1968 song by The Kinks

"The Village Green Preservation Society" 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 the band's principal songwriter, Ray Davies, the song is a nostalgic reflection where the band state their promise to "preserve" British things for posterity. As the opening track of Village Green, "The Village Green Preservation Society" introduces many of the LP's themes, and Ray subsequently described it as the album's "national anthem". Recorded in August 1968, the song evokes the style of music hall, indicating Ray's continued interest in the genre.

<i>The Great Lost Kinks Album</i> 1973 compilation 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.

<i>Four More Respected Gentlemen</i> Unreleased album by the Kinks

Four More Respected Gentlemen is an unreleased album by the English rock band the Kinks. The project arose out of the band's different American contract schedule, which obligated them to submit a new LP to Reprise Records in June 1968. As the band continued recording their next album, released later in the year as The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, bandleader Ray Davies submitted fifteen completed master tapes to Reprise. The label planned to issue the LP in the US in November 1968, but abandoned the project only a month beforehand for unclear reasons.

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Picture Book (song)</span> 1969 single by the Kinks

"Picture Book" 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 May 1968. The music's cheerful sound is defined by the jangle of an acoustic twelve-string guitar and a disengaged snare drum. 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". In continental Europe, it was issued as a 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Village Green (song)</span> 1968 song by the Kinks

"Village Green" 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 the band's principal songwriter, Ray Davies, the song was first recorded in November 1966 during the sessions for Something Else by the Kinks (1967) but was re-recorded in February 1967. Both the composition and instrumentation of "Village Green" evoke Baroque music, especially its prominently featured harpsichord played by session keyboardist Nicky Hopkins. Unlike most of the band's late 1960s recordings, it employs real orchestral instruments, including oboe, cello, viola and piccolo, as arranged by English composer David Whitaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polly (The Kinks song)</span> 1968 song by the Kinks

"Polly" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks. It was released on a non-album single in April 1968, as the B-side to "Wonderboy". Written and sung by bandleader Ray Davies, the song was recorded in March 1968 during the sessions for The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968). Davies was initially inspired by the character Polly Garter in Welsh poet Dylan Thomas's 1954 radio drama Under Milk Wood, though Davies's resulting character does not share anything with Thomas's besides the same name. The song is one of the few Kinks recordings from the late 1960s to possibly feature real strings, as arranged by English composer David Whitaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starstruck (The Kinks song)</span> 1969 single by the Kinks

"Starstruck" 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 July 1968. The song was issued as the album's lead single in continental Europe in November 1968 and in the United States in January 1969. The European release was accompanied by a promo film shot in Waterlow Park, Highgate. The song failed to chart anywhere besides the Netherlands, where it reached No. 13 on the Veronica Top 40 and No. 9 on the Hilversum 3 Top 30.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Do You Remember Walter?</span> 1968 song by the Kinks

"Do You Remember Walter?" 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 July 1968. The song's narrator describes an experience of running into old friend, only to find that the two no longer have anything to talk about. The song was directly inspired by a similar experience of Davies. As one of several character studies to appear on Village Green, the song is often characterised by commentators as central to the album's themes of nostalgia and loss. Retrospective commentators have described it as one of Davies's best compositions.

"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 sixth studio album, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968). Written and sung by Ray Davies, the song was recorded in October 1968 and was among the final tracks done 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.

"People Take Pictures of Each Other" 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 July 1968. The song features a breathless vocal from Davies as well as harpsichord and piano from Nicky Hopkins, which was likely the last contribution he ever made to a Kinks recording.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berkeley Mews</span> 1970 single by the Kinks

"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 chaotic arrangement and features a heavier production than was typical for the band's 1968 work.

"All of My Friends Were There" 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 July or October 1968. It features a church-like organ and a changing metre, while the style showcased Davies's continued interest in music hall. The song's narrator describes an embarrassing concert experience which all of his friends were present to witness. Its lyrics were inspired by a July 1967 concert during which Davies fell ill but was persuaded to perform due to the agreed contract. The song was not present on Davies's original twelve-track edition of Village Green, but was among the tracks he added for its UK release in November 1968. Retrospective commentators have described the song in favourable terms while disputing its level of thematic cohesion with the others on Village Green.

"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.

"Phenomenal Cat" 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, the song was recorded sometime between late 1967 and May 1968. The song features a Mellotron which duplicates the sound of a flute. It is one of several character studies on Village Green, recounting the story of a flying cat who travels the world, discovers "the secret of life" and spends the rest of his life eating. Commentators have likened the song to children's music or Victorian fairy tales and have sometimes described it as an example of psychedelia, though others dispute this.

"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.

"Big Sky" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks. Written and sung by Ray Davies, it was released in November 1968 on the album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. While Davies has typically avoided providing a direct answer on the song's meaning, commentators often interpret it as describing God as unsympathetic towards the problems of humans.

"Mr. Songbird" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks. Written and sung by Ray Davies, it is about a songbird whose call helps the singer's problems go away. Its recording features session musician Nicky Hopkins on Mellotron, duplicating a flute which mimics the call of a bird. Davies included the song on the original 12-track edition of The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968), but removed it from the LP in a last-minute decision to expand the album's track listing. Because the original 12-track edition had already been sent to several European countries, the song's first release was in Sweden and Norway in October 1968. It was first issued in the US on the 1973 compilation The Great Lost Kinks Album and was not officially available in the UK until Village Green's 1998 CD remaster.

References

  1. ↑ Breyer & Vittenson 1976, p. 8, quoted in Rogan 1984, p. 97.
  2. ↑ Rogan 1998, p. 66.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Miller 2003, p. 94.
  4. 1 2 3 Kitts 2008, p. 121.
  5. 1 2 Rogan 2015, p. 360.
  6. 1 2 Rogan 1984, p. 97.
  7. 1 2 Hinman 2004, p. 92.
  8. ↑ Rogan 1998, p. 20.
  9. ↑ Hinman 2004, pp. 92, 111, 112.
  10. ↑ Doyle 2020, p. 114.
  11. ↑ Miller 2003 , p. 94; Stratton 2016 , p. 106; Doyle 2020 , p. 114; Rogan 1984 , p. 97.
  12. ↑ Miller 2003 , p. 94; Rogan 1984 , pp. 65, 97.
  13. ↑ Rayes 2002, p. 160.
  14. 1 2 Hinman 2004, pp. 110, 121.
  15. ↑ Hinman & Brabazon 1994, quoted in Doggett 1998.
  16. ↑ Doggett 1998; Miller 2003, pp. 94, 146.
  17. 1 2 3 Hinman 2004, p. 121.
  18. ↑ Miller 2003, p. 21.
  19. ↑ Miller 2003 , p. 21: (engineers MacKenzie & Humphries, operated four-track); Hinman 2004 , p. 111: (MacKenzie worked on recordings from spring 1968 and earlier).
  20. ↑ Hinman 2004, pp. 115, 116.
  21. 1 2 Miller 2003 , p. 94; Hinman 2004 , p. 117.
  22. ↑ Miller 2003 , pp. 39n5, 94: (on both editions, first side); Hinman 2004 , p. 121: (second side).
  23. ↑ Altham 1968, p. 10.
  24. ↑ Enos, Morgan (22 November 2018). "'The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society' at 50: Every Song From Worst to Best". Billboard . Archived from the original on 3 April 2022.
  25. ↑ Kitts 2008, p. 117.
  26. ↑ Miller 2003 , p. 94; Kitts 2008 , p. 120.

Sources

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.