Sitting in the Midday Sun

Last updated

"Sitting in the Midday Sun"
Sitting In The Midday Sun cover.JPG
Single by The Kinks
from the album Preservation Act 1
B-side "Sweet Lady Genevieve" (US); "One Of The Survivors" (UK)
ReleasedJune 1973 (UK); August 1973 (US)
RecordedJune 1973 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, North London
Genre Rock, folk rock, music hall
Length3:47
Label RCA 2387 (U.K.)
RCA LPBO 5001 (U.S.)
Songwriter(s) Ray Davies
Producer(s) Ray Davies
The Kinks singles chronology
"Celluloid Heroes"
(1972)		"Sitting in the Midday Sun"
(1973)		"Sweet Lady Genevieve"
(1973)

"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. [1]

Contents

Background and recording

Doug Hinman estimates that "Sitting in the Midday Sun" was the first track recorded at The Kinks' new Konk Studios. [2] The song was recorded around 8 June, and was worked on along with several other tracks from the band's upcoming LP. [2]

Izabela Curyllo-Klag regarded the protagonist of "Sitting in the Midday Sun" to be an example of a Davies' character dealing with economic and social stresses by retaining his authenticity and becoming an outcast on the margins of society, as opposed to other Davies' characters aspiring to social mobility but losing authenticity. [3]

Release and reception

It was backed by "One of the Survivors" for its UK release, where it came out in June; for its August release in the US, "Sweet Lady Genevieve" was substituted. The single was given little promotion on either side of the Atlantic, and failed to chart, but was well received by the American rock press. Alan Betrock of Rock Marketplace wrote: "The new Kinks record has to bring smiles onto a lot of faces. ... 'Sitting in the Midday Sun' sounds like it could have come right off of Village Green and melodically and lyrically is quite fine." [4] Reception in the UK was mixed. Melody Maker praised "Sitting in the Midday Sun", noting its "lazy summer sound," and calling it "another winning tune from Raymond Douglas Davies and the boys." [4] New Musical Express was mixed: "One of those lightweight singles The Kinks put out when they're waiting for Ray Davies to come up with something truly remarkable. It's an adequately pleasant little summer song that will do what it's supposed to do." [4] Disc called it "one of the week's better releases". [4] Record World called it "a change of pace from this English contingent as Ray Davies slows it down a bit with this pleasant ditty" and said that the "background vocals are akin to those of their classic 'Waterloo Sunset.'" [5]

Aftermath and album release

"Sitting in the Midday Sun" was released during a period of turmoil for The Kinks—bandleader Ray Davies' marital problems with his wife Rasa came to a head nine days before the song's UK release when she left him, taking their children with her. [2] Ray went into a state of depression; Doug Hinman wrote about his condition: "a week following his wife's departure, an emotionally distraught Ray [was] admitted to hospital for suspected barbiturate poisoning. He [was] treated and released." [4] Shortly after the incident, on 15 July, The Kinks made an infamous appearance at the White City Stadium. [4] According to a Melody Maker review of the concert, "Davies swore on stage. He stood at The White City and swore that he was 'F......[ sic ] sick of the whole thing'. ... He was 'Sick up to here with it' ... and those that heard shook their heads. Mick [Avory, drummer] just ventured a disbelieving smile, and drummed on through 'Waterloo Sunset.'" [6] At the show's conclusion, as pretaped music played on the sound system, Ray declared that he was quitting. [4] [6] He subsequently collapsed after a drug overdose and was rushed to hospital. [4] [7] Dave Davies later commented in an interview about the incident:

God, that was horrible. That was when Ray tried to top himself. I thought he looked a bit weird after the show—I didn't know that he'd taken a whole bloody bottle of weird-looking psychiatric pills. It was a bad time. Ray suddenly announced that he was going to end it all ... I think he took the pills before the show. I said to him towards the end that he was getting a bit crazy. I didn't know what happened—I suddenly got a phone call saying he was in the hospital. I remember going to the hospital after they'd pumped his stomach and it was bad. [8]

With Ray Davies in a seemingly critical condition, plans were discussed for Dave to continue as frontman in a worst-case scenario. [8] Ray eventually pulled through and recovered from his illness as well as his depression, but throughout the remainder of The Kinks' theatrical incarnation the band's output remained uneven, and their popularity, which had already faded, declined even more. [7] [a 1]

Modern opinion

Modern criticism towards "Sitting in the Midday Sun" and Preservation as a whole is mixed. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic called "Sitting in the Midday Sun" "endearingly lazy," [9] and noted it as one of the highlights of the album. Nevile Marten and Jeff Hudson, however, called it a "joint rewrite of 'Sunny Afternoon' and 'Sitting by the Riverside' ... that was never necessary." [10]

Personnel

Notes

  1. ↑ Hinman 2004 , p. 176
  2. 1 2 3 Hinman 2004 , p. 173
  3. ↑ Curyllo-Klag, Izabela (2016). "Utopia, Dystopia and the "Heretic Streak": The Orwellian Aesthetic in Ray Davies' Song Writing and Other Creative Projects" (PDF). Studia Humanistyczne. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Hinman 2004 , p. 174
  5. ↑ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. 18 August 1973. p. 14. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  6. 1 2 Hollingsworth 1973
  7. 1 2 George 1994
  8. 1 2 Marten & Hudson 2007 , pp. 128–129
  9. ↑ Erlewine
  10. ↑ Marten & Hudson 2007 , p. 132

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Portions of this section (Aftermath and album release), namely the one concerning Ray Davies' incident at the White City Stadium, are closely modeled after or incorporate text from the "Theatrical incarnation (1973–1976)" section of The Kinks Wikipedia article.

Related Research Articles

<i>Something Else by the Kinks</i> 1967 studio album by the Kinks

Something Else by the Kinks, often referred to simply as Something Else, is the fifth UK studio album by the Kinks, released in September 1967. The album continued the Kinks' trend toward an eccentric baroque pop and music hall-influenced style defined by Ray Davies' observational and introspective lyrics. It also marks the final involvement of American producer Shel Talmy in the Kinks' 1960s studio recordings; henceforth Ray Davies would produce the group's recordings. Many of the songs feature the keyboard work of Nicky Hopkins and the backing vocals of Davies's wife, Rasa. The album was preceded by the singles "Waterloo Sunset", one of the group's most acclaimed songs, and the Dave Davies solo record "Death of a Clown", both of which charted in the UK top 3.

<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. Released on 22 November 1968, Village Green is regarded by commentators as an early concept album. A modest seller on release, it was the band's first studio album which failed to chart in either the United Kingdom or United States, 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.

<i>Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)</i> 1969 studio album by the Kinks

Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire), 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lola (song)</span> 1970 song by The Kinks

"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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Kinks</span> English rock band

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.

<i>Preservation Act 1</i> 1973 studio album by the Kinks

Preservation Act 1 is a concept album and the 12th studio album by the English rock group the Kinks, released 16 November 1973 by RCA Records.

<i>Misfits</i> (The Kinks album) 1978 studio album by the Kinks

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".

<i>UK Jive</i> 1989 studio album by the Kinks

UK Jive is the twenty-third studio album by the English rock group, the Kinks, released in 1989. It was the first album in almost three years since the 1986 album, Think Visual. At this point, it was the longest gap between album releases since the inception of the group.

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

"Wonderboy" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks, released as a single in 1968. It stalled at number 36 in the UK charts, becoming the band's first single not to make the UK Top Twenty since their early covers. Despite this, it became a favourite of John Lennon of the Beatles, and, according to Ray Davies in his autobiography, X-Ray, "someone had seen John Lennon in a club and he kept on asking the disc jockey to play 'Wonder Boy' [sic] over and over again." Kinks guitarist Dave Davies praised the song, saying, "'Wonderboy' was a big one for us although it wasn't a hit. That was one song we really felt something for." However, bassist Peter Quaife's opinion towards the track was low, later stating that "[I] hated it ... it was horrible."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm Not Like Everybody Else</span> 1966 single by the Kinks

"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.

"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 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.

<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 sessions for the band's 1968 album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. Ray was initially inspired by the character Polly Garter in Dylan Thomas's 1954 radio drama Under Milk Wood, though his 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 David Whitaker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sitting in My Hotel</span> 1973 single by The Kinks

"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.

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

"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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">She's Got Everything (The Kinks song)</span> 1968 single by the Kinks

"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".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rock 'n' Roll Cities</span> 1986 single by The Kinks

"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.

"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.

"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.

<i>Then Now and Inbetween</i> 1969 promotional album by the Kinks

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.

References

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.