Mick Foley Blogs
Mick’s 25 Favorite Kinks Songs
Heading into March, I had four of my busiest months in recent years lined up. But 4 shows into a 47 show tour, the serious nature of the Coronavirus became apparent quickly, and the rest of the tour was postponed. So instead of my “Nice Day Tour” storytelling show hitting 47 cities in 22 states over 49 days, I found myself alone, in my easy chair with nothing but time on my hands. Of course I binged on television – first it was classic westerns, then romantic comedies, and now, with it being Christmas in July, spending way too much time on the Hallmark channel. I have also been making random lists – just sitting down and making lists of things I like. Top 25 Christmas songs, top 25 Hallmark Christmas movies – and then, my 25 favorite Kinks songs.
No band has meant more to me over the years, or given me as much listening pleasure as The Kinks. Their music was always there for – helping me celebrate the good times, consoling me during the bad times, and keeping me company on countless road trips, since discovering the band with 1979’s ”Low Budget” album. With the release of 1980s live album “One For the Road”, I became a major fan, and by the time I picked up 1981’s “Give the People What They Want”, I was a full-fledged Kinks kultist. I perused the band’s back catalog, like the fine works of art they were, and spent a good portion of anything I brought in as a dishwasher, lifeguard, broasted chicken delivery man and landscaper procuring as much Kinks vinyl as I could get my hands on. Over the years, I have bequeathed most of my vinyl collection to friends – with NXT announcer Alicia Taylor, and the one and only Jewel being the primary recipients of most of the vintage Foley vinyl – but I held onto all of my Kinks albums: 34 of them, counting Dave Davies solo albums.
Despite their undeniable influence on heavy-metal, with younger Davies brother Dave practically inventing the genre with 1964s seminal “You Really Got Me” and despite my personal discovery of the band at the peak of their late 70’s/80’s arena rock popularity, as I discovered The Kinks back-catalog, I found myself more drawn to many of the band’s lesser known songs; deeply personal compositions that didn’t always find large listenerships. But I wonder if that limited audience appeal was by design. As gifted a songwriter as Ray Davies was, coming off the monster success of “You Really Got Me” and “All Day and All of the Night”, The Kinks probably could have continued to turn out rollicking hits of a similar manner for many years to come. Instead, 1965’s “Till the End of the Day” was the last song of that particular vein for the band for years to come. By 1966, The Kinks had seemingly turned their backs on the conventional wisdom of the day, that stated for a British band to be successful, they had to sound American. Instead, The Kinks became the quintessentially British band, finding both joy and sadness in the minutiae of British working class life, and regularly returning to subjects that seemingly meant the most to them – family life, progress and stardom as both blessing and curse, and a longing for a return to a more innocent time.
A few weeks after completing my initial list of my favorite Kinks songs, my son Mickey, 19, a self-taught drummer and guitarist on the autism spectrum, recorded instrumental cover versions of every song on the Nirvana “Bleach” album for his YouTube channel. Nirvana: Bleach 31st Anniversary Guitar Medley! Among those who saw the video was Dave Davies himself, the founding father of the heavy metal sound. Dave said he liked Mickey’s guitar sound, and compared it to an avant garde David Bowie on “The Man Who Sold the World”. Bowie’s guitarist at the time was the great Mick Ronson, one of the most respected axemen in rock history. Needless to say, I was overjoyed to get that kind of feedback from the lead guitarist of my all-time favorite band – a personal hero of mine – and Dave’s comments were the inspiration I needed to turn my list of 25 favorite Kinks songs into something more than just a list; more of a personal observation journal about which songs touched me and why. I hope it is something Kinks enthusiasts and music fans in general can enjoy.
This is not a greatest hits list. I am certain that I will be leaving many songs off my list that Kinks enthusiasts love, and mentioning songs that might not rate as highly with many long-term fans. With a catalog of songs as rich and diverse as that of The Kinks, it is highly unlikely that anyone would come up with an identical list of 25 favorite songs. Besides, what would be the fun in writing a list that everyone agreed with? As far as I’m concerned, anything that gets Kinks fans talking and writing, and maybe taking their own musical walks down memory lane, is a good thing. This is simply my list of the 25 Kinks songs that have touched me, or which I have enjoyed the most over the years. Feel free to leave feedback on some of your favorite songs; the tunes you agree with, and the ones you think I overlooked.
25 – WE ARE THE VILLAGE GREEN PRESERVATION SOCIETY (1968)
A song I loved so much that I basically stole the motto, almost word for word for my own short-lived 1991 fan club – “The Cactus Jack Appreciation Society”. I think it’s safe to say that by 1968, Ray Davies was the only rockstar singing of saving little shops, china cups and virginity. There is a brilliant new documentary on PBS, “Echoes of the World”, dedicating 90 minutes to the album from which this song came – highly recommended viewing for any true music fan. I really love this live version from the early 1970’s, as you can get a good feel for the Dave Davies backing vocals and harmonies that were the secret ingredient on many a classic Kinks track. Just gorgeous.
24 – DEATH OF A CLOWN (1967)
Co-written by Ray and Dave, with lead vocals by Dave, this gorgeous song is a sad nod to the circus-like atmosphere that touring bands sometimes find themselves in. I have a slight personal connection to the song, as my friend Candice Night, knowing of my Kinks fandom, mentioned that her husband, legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore had long wanted her to cover the song for a future “Blackmore’s Night” project. At a recent get together, I urged Candice to give it a try – and with Ritchie on acoustic guitar, and yours truly On backing vocals, we had ourselves a tremendous time – and in so doing, changed Candice’s mind on the possibility of giving the song a go for an official release. So if you hear an exquisite “Blackmore’s Night” cover, you’ll know where the gentle nudge of a friend came from! Here’s some very rare footage – a little glitchy, but well worth watching!
23 – A ROCK ‘N’ ROLL FANTASY (1978)
Written at a time when The Kinks were thinking of throwing in the towel on a long and illustrious career, Ray penned this self-affirming classic a week after the death of Elvis Presley. “The King is dead, rock is done”, Davies sings. “You might be through, but I’ve just begun.” And so they had, with some of their best days, their biggest shows, and some of their finest songs still in front of them. Here is a super cool Kinks hotel room jam of the song.
22 – YOUNG AND INNOCENT DAYS (1969)
It’s amazing to me to see how introspective Ray Davies was at such a young age – how he was capable of writing a song like this at the tender age of 25. Rock stars of his era just weren’t looking back at memories of “soft white dreams of sugar coated outside” or already looking back on those wide-eyed days of wonder as a paradise they’d let slip away. No matter how often I hear it, the one simple lyric, “it’s too late, so late – young and innocent days”, never fails to ever so gently break my heart. Here’s a rare solo version by Dave. It’s a handheld camera in the audience, so the shot isn’t great – but it’s really beautiful.
21 – THIS IS WHERE I BELONG (1968)
On it’s surface, it’s a beautiful love song, but on a deeper level, to me, it has become a song about appreciating special moments in time, no matter how small they may seem. In 2017, I was thinking of about hanging up my red suit after serving as one of Santa’s ambassadors for the 6th year. But after visiting a young child with cancer at his home on Christmas night, and feeling like I had accomplished something truly special in that home, I walked through the slush and darkness of that chilly December evening with this under-appreciated classic on continuous replay in my brain. This was where I belonged.
20 – THE WAY LOVE USED TO BE (1971)
Another song that no other rock-star of his era could have written, I carried the lyrics of this beautiful testament to old-fashioned romance folded up in my wallet for my final two years of college. When I finally had a chance to meet Ray Davies, in 2010 at the Westbury Music Fair, I gave him a photocopy of the page from my memoir where I talked about the lyrics in my wallet. I did not want to be so presumptuous as to hand Davies the entire book – even though, in retrospect, I wish I had. But my wife told me afterwards that Ray held the page in his hand like it was a rare jewel; like he genuinely appreciated how much the song meant to me.
19 – BETTER THINGS (1981)
I wore out the “Give the People What They Want” album, and saw The Kinks live for the first time on this tour, at Madison Square Garden in the Fall of 1981. There were so many great songs on this album – I even quoted part of the title song in a 1996 WWE interview (the part about Oswald being insane, but still we watch the re-runs again and again) but “Better Things” is the one from that album that has resonated with me most over the years. Its message of optimism and the hope of a brighter tomorrow has never been needed more than in today’s frightening Coronavirus world. I hope all of you have better things on the way!
“Here’s hoping all the days ahead
Won’t be as bitter as the ones behind you.
Be an optimist instead,
And somehow happiness will find you.
Forget what happened yesterday,
I know that better things are on the way.”
Here’s a nice version from Ray Davies album of duets, “See My Friends” with Ray and Bruce Springsteen sharing vocals on “Better Things”
18 – THIS TIME TOMORROW (1970)
Currently the music for a Lexus commercial, I see this song as another example of Ray Davies wishing the changing world might slow down just a little bit. Not all progress is good progress in Ray’s eyes – at least as interpreted by this middle-aged broken down former wrestler. “I’ll leave the sun behind me, and I’ll watch the clouds as they sadly pass me by.” I think the mood of the clouds, depends greatly on the viewpoint of who is passing them by. The sadness, in my repeated listenings, has always been in Davies perspective of a world rushing by at far too great a speed.
17 – YOU REALLY GOT ME (1964)
This was the one that changed everything for The Kinks. After two failed singles, the band had their backs to the wall, and pushed forward with great resistance from the record label to make “You Really Got Me” their third single. Had it failed, there likely would not have been a fourth single, and likely no future for the Kinks. But it did not fail; “You Really Got Me” became a huge hit, and changed the course of rock music history. Dave Davies, at the tender age of 16, brought forth one of the most memorable guitar licks in history, and set the stage for what would come to be known as heavy metal music. Here is my son Mickey, paying tribute to Dave, playing the chords that changed the course of rock ‘n’ roll.
16 – I’M NOT LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE (1967)
This one connected with me on a deeply personal level, and helped instill in me a sense of pride in regard to what some people perceived to be a growing weirdness in my personality. Instead of bemoaning the fact that I never quite felt like I fit in, I found comfort in this song’s rebellious words- and embracing that weirdness turned out to be a pretty good career move for me. A live version from 1996’s “To the Bone” (an amazing live album from the legendary Konk studious) with some incredible guitar work from Dave is particularly effective at inducing goosebumps on this listener. The the song was even featured in the very well received 2004 episode, “Cold Cuts” of the Sopranos. “I’m Not Like Everybody Else” is an unheralded classic! Here’s that scene from “The Sopranos” – the song kicks in at the 3:00 mark.
15 – A LONG WAY FROM HOME (1970)
This is part of the one-two punch (along with “This Time Tomorrow” that kicks off the “Lola vs Powerman and the Money-go-round” album. I see it as a sibling to that song, another example of how bigger and faster is not necessarily better. Again, Ray Davies has a penchant for finding heartbreaking poignancy in the simplest of words.
“You’ve come a long way from the runny-nosed and scruffy kid I knew. I can remember the little things that always made you smile. They made you happy. Now you think you’re wiser because you’re older. And you think that money buys everything. And you thank you need no one to guide you. But you’re still a long way from home.”
I can’t help but feel that Ray is writing about himself here, wishing he could trade in the trappings of stardom for a long overdue return to the village green. No matter how far his talent takes him, he will always be a long way from home. Here’s a duet of the song with Ray Davies and Lucinda Williams
14 – MISFITS (1978)
A touching tribute to those who don’t quite fit in, this was one of my favorite songs to see live. The soaring Dave Davies solo on 1980s “One For the Road” live LP and subsequent live events I attended, would create moments in my mind that would further allow me to embrace my differences, and the differences of those around me. Besides, as Ray Davies sang “so take a good look around – the misfits are everywhere.” Yes, we are! Here’s a live version from UK television in 1978
13 – OKLAHOMA USA (1971)
A tender ode to an older Davies sister, and her love for the escapism provided by big budget Hollywood musicals, this is one of the loveliest and saddest songs I have ever heard. I was at a comic convention a few years ago and was excited to meet academy award winner Shirley Jones. I had grown up with Ms Jones as Shirley Partridge on television’s ”Partridge Family” – a staple of the Foley TV diet in the early 1970s, and for years to follow in syndication. I approached her hesitantly, with the subject I had a long wondered if she was even aware of. “Excuse me, Shirley”, I said. “my name is Mick Foley, and I’m one of the guests here. I was wondering if you knew that you were part of a 1971 Kinks song, called “Oklahoma USA”. Shirley said she had never heard of it, but was open to my invitation to listen to it on my phone. So I played the haunting tune and studied her face carefully – and as Ray sings “But lost in her dreams, she is far, far away – in Oklahoma, USA, with Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae” I saw Shirley’s eyes well up with tears. “That’s beautiful”, she said, wiping her eyes. “Thank you for playing that for me.” Here’s a very tender 2006 live solo version from Ray.
12 – TWO SISTERS (1967)
When I saw Ray Davies solo show at Westbury in 2010, he dedicated this song to his brother Dave. I turned to my wife and said “I don’t think that’s a compliment!” Indeed, the song was written as an allegory for married Ray’s initial jealousy at his bachelor brother’s liberty, way of life, and smart young friends. But then Ray’s protagonist, Priscilla “saw her little children, and decided she was better off than the wayward lass that her sister had been.” Only in a Kinks song could running around the house with curlers on be seen as a quiet triumph over the legendary allure of rock and roll debauchery.
11 – TOP OF THE POPS (1970)
For any wrestling fans out there who has enjoyed my theme song “Wreck” over the years, give Dave Davies guitar solo at the beginning of this one a listen, and see if it rings any bells! The infectious guitar riff leads into a rollicking tongue in cheek tale of a single moment in pop music instantly changing the life of an aspiring rocker for the better… or worse. It also shows Ray’s willingness to bite the hand that feeds him, or at the very least, poke fun at the randomness and precarious nature of instant stardom. Remember, listen for those first guitar chords…
10 – SUPERMAN (1979)
What first struck me as a humorous tune about a well meaning loser playing a weak hand in the game of life, became instead, upon repeated listenings (several hundred) one man’s sincere yearning to find something better within himself. No matter how many times I hear it, the line “Surely there must be a way for me to change the shape I’m in. Dissatisfied with what I am, I want to be a better man”, never fails to bring those goosebumps out. Here’s a great live version from 1979
9 – STRANGERS (1970)
Although never released as a single, this beautiful song has continued to grow in stature since its release 50 years ago, and has become Increasingly acknowledged as one of The Kinks very best songs. It also serves notice that Dave Davies was a very underrated songwriter, and probably underutilized on lead vocals as well. Norah Jones does a wonderful cover version of “Strangers” and the original version has been featured in the 2007 Wes Anderson movie “The Darjeeling Limited” and in the current Apple TV series “Truth Be Told”. In an increasingly divisive period of time, the songs message “Strangers on this road we are one, we are not two, we are one” has never been more valuable. Here is a really sweet version Dave did just a few years ago
And a really nice version by Norah Jones
And now, in my version of six degrees of Dave Davies, here’s me (in the red suit) singing “Must Be Santa with Norah Jones, Catherine Popper and Sasha Dobson
8 – CELLULOID HEROES (1972)
Appearing on the 1972 album, “Everybody’s in Showbiz”, this is the best-known of a sub-genre of Kinks songs about the perils of Hollywood and show business in general. While Ray Davies is clearly reverential to the heroes he writes of, he is always wary of the burden that stardom brings, warning listeners to “be always on your guard, success walks hand-in-hand with failure along the Hollywood Boulevard.” Ray clearly has a soft spot for those who were ill-prepared for fame when it arrived, singing of Greta Garbo that “she turned her back on stardom, because she wanted to be alone” and asking us to tread lightly on Marilyn Monroe because ”she’s not very tough – she should have been made of iron or steel, but she was only made of flesh and blood.” “Celluloid Heroes” has been covered by many artists, including Joan Jett, Steve Vai, and Blackmore’s Night. I even had the chance to sing along with Candice Night recently, while her legendary husband, Ritchie Blackmore created an impromptu masterpiece on acoustic guitar. It was a moment I will never forget! Here’s some footage of that intimate Blackmore/Knight/Foley late night jam.
7 – LIVING ON A THIN LINE (1984)
Written and sung by Dave Davies, this songs opening lyric sets the tone for a dark and moody journey to Dave’s England of 1984.
“All the stories have been told
Of kings and days of old
But there’s no England now
All the wars that were won and lost
Somehow don’t seem to matter very much anymore
All the lies we were told
All the lies of the people running round
Their castles have burned
Now I see change
But inside we’re the same as we ever were”
“Living on a Thin Line” is featured three different times in a 2001 episode of the Sopranos, and according to Soprano’s producer Terrance Winter, is the most asked about of all the songs featured on the immensely popular series. It is widely considered to be one of the band greatest songs and remains a mainstay on Dave’s solo tours. I wish I could share the “Sopranos” video here, but there are boobies in it – so here’s a great version from Dave in 1984.
6 – LOLA (1970)
The song that brought the band back into the mainstream and onto the charts, and inspired my own rendition of the song, “Boner” which both won my high school talent show in 1983, and subsequently got us disqualified from that same show. I claimed it was a touching song about a sensitive young man whose hormonal activity dominated his life, but was overruled by student council president Norris Marschack, who said he could not in good conscience give us the $40 certificate for Chinese food that rightfully should have been ours. Still, after all these years, this lyric “we sat at the bar, and I bought her a drink, and she glanced at my pants, and she said I think you’ve got a Boner” has “$40 Chinese food gift certificate written all over it! I was robbed!
5 – 20th CENTURY MAN (1971)
Somewhere in the 1983 Ward Melville High School yearbook, there’s a quote from me, quoting this Ray Davies composition, that somehow got through the editing process and made it to the final print.
“My mama says she can’t understand me. She can’t see my motivation.
Just give me some security – I’m a paranoid, schizoid product of the 20th century”
Yup, that was me, connecting maybe a little bit too deeply with “20th Century Man”. In the days before lyrics were readily available at the touch of a button, I listened to this song repeatedly, trying to find the references to the painters Ray wrote of in the song. In fact, it was only minutes ago (with the help of a google search) that I figured out the last elusive painter’s name – a name that evaded me for almost 40 years. Titian! As in:
“You keep all your smart modern writers
Give me William Shakespeare
You keep all your smart modern painters, I’ll take Rembrandt, Titian, DaVinci and Gainsborough.”
While other artists of their era sang songs of social consciousness, for this Kinks lover, no one covered more ground than Ray Davies. In this song alone, he tackles poverty, loneliness, alienation, and with the lyric “don’t want to get myself shot down by some trigger happy policeman” was far ahead of the curve in calling out potential police impropriety. 1980’s “One For the Road” live version of the song featured a soaring Dave Davies guitar intro, and eliminated some of the lyrics to make the complex song more easily palatable. In any form, it’s a great song – and one that is still powerful and relevant in today’s mixed up, muddled up, shook up world. Here’s a version by Ray from “Austin City Limits”
4 – FATHER CHRISTMAS (1979)
Here’s where the real Kinks Kontroversy comes in! I might need some back up from my fellow Kinks Kultists as I proudly proclaim that “Father Christmas” is the greatest rock ‘n’ roll Christmas song of all time! Long before it took “Daddy’s Home 2” to unforeseen greatness, this song had been kicking a$$ and taking names for almost 40 years! Sometimes, it was so busy kicking a$$ that it didn’t have time to take names. Remove Springsteen’s laughter out of his version of “Santa Claus is Comin’ to Town” and it’s just a really good cover of the Jackson 5 version of the 1934 classic. “Run Run Rudolph”? Not even close – even with some incredible guitar work on some of the great covers of this Chuck Berry classic. Besides, name me a pure rock ‘n’ roll Christmas song that works astute social commentary into its a$$ kicking nature. I still get chills each time I hear Ray sing “but give my daddy a job ‘cause he needs one; he’s got lots of mouths to feed.” “Father Christmas” is the Bret “Hitman” Hart of rock ‘n’ roll Christmas songs; it’s the best there is, the best there was, the best there ever will be! Kase Klosed!
3 – WATERLOO SUNSET (1967)
Just three years removed from inventing heavy metal with “You Really Got Me” Ray Davies singing lead with brother Dave’s majestic harmonies, make this not only one of the best Kinks songs of all time, but one of the most beautiful songs ever written. Millions of people may be swarming like flies around Waterloo underground (subway/train station) but as long as they gaze on Waterloo Sunset, they are in paradise. It’s a simple, beautiful example of seeing a cloud’s silver lining, of seeing the light at the end of a long tunnel. No matter how tough life might get, as long as we have that simple beauty to appreciate, we’re going to be all right. A song not only for the time, but for all time – and maybe one that is needed more now than ever. This version is from a 1973 live show (the same show “We are the Village Green Preservation Society” was filmed at) and is another telling reminder of just how great Dave was on background vocals and harmonies.
2 – TOO MUCH ON MY MIND (1966)
It’s just stunning to me that this tender, deeply introspective heartbreaker was written by Ray Davies at the tender age of 22-when most of his rock contemporaries were relishing the life of rock ‘n’ roll excess. Along comes Davies, lamenting the downside to fame, freely admitting he is ill-equipped to handle the emotional fallout of stardom.
“My thoughts just weigh me down
And drag me to the ground
And shake my head till there’s no more life in me
It’s ruining my brain
I’ll never be the same
My poor demented mind is slowly going”
When I was 19, trying to navigate the stormy seas of first love, I found myself feeling similarly weighed down by my thoughts, and asked a friend if he would drop me off in a nearby forest with just my Sony Walkman and Kinks “Face to Face” cassette to see me through the worst of the storm. To this day, I am thankful to the band for letting me know that I was not alone in my loneliness and confusion.
1 – DAYS (1968)
Remember that first love I wrote of in reference to “Too Much on My Mind”? Well hearts are resilient, and for her graduation from college, I presented this very special young lady with a prestigious Foley mixed tape that included “Days” in the mix. It’s the perfect song to let someone – a former love, a current love, a child, a parent, a friend – know that you consider your own life fuller, richer, better for having known them.
“Thank you for the days
Those endless days, those sacred days you gave me
I’m thinking of the days
I won’t forget a single day, believe me
I bless the light. I bless the light that shines on you, believe me.
And though you’re gone
You’re with me every single day, believe me.”
Thank you Ray, and thank you Dave. Thank you for the days – those endless days, those sacred days you gave me.