Kinks frontman Ray Davies has described dropping the band’s seminal hit ‘You Really Got Me‘ as being akin to ‘standing up to school bullies’ after they were on the wrong end of John Lennon‘s acerbic tongue during a stint on the road with The Beatles in the early Sixties.
Remembering a Bournemouth gig in August 1964 during an interview with Mojo as part of the magazine’s 20th anniversary celebrations, Davies said:
“We’d played with The Beatles in Bournemouth and John Lennon made a remark that we were only there to warm up for them, but we got a great reaction to ‘You Really Got Me’. It was an early validation that we had something that stood up for us, like being bullied in school and having something that was bigger than the bully, it was that sort of feeling.”
By August 1964 The Beatles had already secured their place at the summit of the pop pyramid, while The Kinks were just about to make their own mark in the UK with ‘You Really Got Me‘ and, a little later, ‘All Day and All Of The Night‘.
Ray Davies. I am just amazed. How old are you actually intending to be this year? John said something off cuff and in trying to be the Beatle John in front of a crowd. So what. I’m sure he thought you could be a big boy. After all you were a sucess and went on to write some of the most beautiful songs of the era’s. John underneath wished the best for everyone and knowing Liverpudlians you know it too. BTW, John is long dead and doesn’t need any shots given that we know he had no intention of causing you to loose any sleep. Shame on you. You owe an apology.
Ray is just telling old stories. Let it be lol