Waterloo Sunset: Difference between revisions
(174 intermediate revisions by 72 users not shown) | |||
Line 1: | Line 1: | ||
{{short description|1967 single by the Kinks}} |
{{short description|1967 single by the Kinks}} |
||
{{about|the song by the Kinks|the album by Barb Jungr|Waterloo Sunset (album)}} |
|||
{{Use British English|date=August 2020}} |
{{Use British English|date=August 2020}} |
||
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}} |
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}} |
||
{{Infobox song |
{{Infobox song |
||
| name = Waterloo Sunset |
| name = Waterloo Sunset |
||
| cover = Waterloo Sunset |
| cover = Waterloo Sunset West German picture sleeve.jpg |
||
| caption = West German picture sleeve |
|||
| alt = |
| alt = |
||
| type = single |
| type = single |
||
Line 10: | Line 12: | ||
| album = [[Something Else by the Kinks]] |
| album = [[Something Else by the Kinks]] |
||
| B-side = *"Act Nice and Gentle" (UK) |
| B-side = *"Act Nice and Gentle" (UK) |
||
*"[[Two Sisters (The Kinks song)|Two Sisters]]" (US) |
* "[[Two Sisters (The Kinks song)|Two Sisters]]" (US) |
||
| released = {{ |
| released = {{start date|1967|05|05|df=y}} |
||
| recorded = 3, 10 and {{nowrap|13 April 1967}}{{sfn|Hinman|2004|pp=96, 98, 99}} |
|||
| recorded = April 1967<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.kindakinks.net/discography/showsong.php?song=432 |title=Waterloo Sunset|website=KindaKinks.net}}</ref> |
|||
| studio = [[Pye Studios|Pye]], London{{sfn|Hinman|2004|pp=96, 98, 99}} |
|||
| studio = |
|||
| venue = |
| venue = |
||
| genre = *[[Pop music|Pop]]<ref>{{harvnb|Bennett|1997|p=23}}; {{harvnb|Harris|2003|p=87}}.</ref> |
|||
| genre = [[Psychedelic pop]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-kinks-ray-davies-waterloo-sunset-story-behind-the-song/amp/|title=The Story Behind The Song: ‘Waterloo Sunset’ The Kinks’ dreamy love letter to London|website=Far Out Magazine}}</ref> |
|||
* [[Rock music|rock]]{{sfn|Luhrssen|Larson|2017|p=197}} |
|||
| length = {{Duration|m=3|s=16}} |
|||
* [[Psychedelic music|psychedelia]]{{sfn|Matijas-Mecca|2020|p=104}} |
|||
| label = *[[Pye Records|Pye]] (UK, 7N 17321) |
|||
| length = {{duration|m=3|s=16}} |
|||
*[[Reprise Records|Reprise]] (US, 0612) |
|||
| label = *[[Pye Records|Pye]] (UK) |
|||
* [[Reprise Records|Reprise]] (US) |
|||
| writer = [[Ray Davies]] |
| writer = [[Ray Davies]] |
||
| producer = Ray Davies |
| producer = Ray Davies |
||
Line 25: | Line 29: | ||
| prev_year = 1966 |
| prev_year = 1966 |
||
| title = Waterloo Sunset |
| title = Waterloo Sunset |
||
| year = 1967 |
| year = 1967 |
||
| next_title = [[Autumn Almanac]] |
| next_title = [[Autumn Almanac]] |
||
| next_year = 1967 |
| next_year = 1967 |
||
| misc = {{ |
| misc = {{extra chronology |
||
| artist = The Kinks US |
| artist = The Kinks US |
||
| type = single |
| type = single |
||
Line 43: | Line 47: | ||
}} |
}} |
||
"'''Waterloo Sunset'''" is a song by |
"'''Waterloo Sunset'''" is a song by English [[Rock music|rock]] band [[the Kinks]]. It was released as a single on 5 May{{nbsp}}1967 and featured on the album ''[[Something Else by the Kinks]]'' later that year. Written and produced by Kinks frontman [[Ray Davies]], "Waterloo Sunset" is one of the band's best-known and most acclaimed songs, and was ranked number 14 on the 2021 edition of [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time]] list. It was also their first single that was available in true [[Stereophonic sound|stereo]]. |
||
"Waterloo Sunset" reached number 2 on the British charts in mid-1967. It was a top 10 hit in Australia, New Zealand and most of Europe. It was also released as a single in North America, but failed to chart there. |
|||
==History== |
==History== |
||
[[File:Waterloo Sunset. - geograph.org.uk - 123522.jpg|thumb|A sunset over Waterloo, taken from the [[Victoria Embankment]] in 2001 |
[[File:Waterloo Sunset. - geograph.org.uk - 123522.jpg|thumb|A sunset over Waterloo, taken from the [[Victoria Embankment]] in 2001]] |
||
Interviewed in May 1967, [[Ray Davies]] stated that he wrote "Waterloo Sunset" having had "the actual melody line in my head for two or three years".<ref name="exploitdave">{{cite journal |title="I should exploit Dave more..." |journal=The History of Rock: 1967 |date=September 2015 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/New-Musical-Express/History-of-Rock/TheHistoryOfRock1967.pdf |access-date=4 December 2022}}</ref> He initially titled the song "Liverpool Sunset", but scrapped the Liverpool theme after the release of [[the Beatles]]' song "[[Penny Lane]]".<ref name="exploitdave"/><ref name="liverpool">{{cite web|title=Ray Davies: Waterloo Sunset was originally Liverpool Sunset|url=http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-entertainment/echo-entertainment/2010/05/14/ray-davies-waterloo-sunset-was-originally-liverpool-sunset-100252-26442323/|author=Jade Wright|date=13 May 2010|work=liverpoolecho}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonsong/songlibrary/indepth/waterloosunset1.shtml|title=BBC - Radio 2 - Sold On Song - TOP 100 - Number 19 - Waterloo Sunset}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|In a 2010 interview with the ''[[Liverpool Echo]]'', Davies elaborated: "[[Liverpool]] is my favourite city... ...I was inspired by [[Merseybeat]]. I'd fallen in love with Liverpool by that point. On every tour, that was the best reception. We played [[The Cavern Club|The Cavern]], all those old places, and I couldn't get enough of it. I had a load of mates in bands up there, and that sound – not the Beatles but Merseybeat – that was unbelievable. It used to inspire me every time. So I wrote "Liverpool Sunset". Later it got changed to "Waterloo Sunset", but there's still that play on words with Waterloo. London was home, I'd grown up there, but I like to think I could be an adopted [[Scouse]]r. My heart is definitely there."<ref name="liverpool"/>}} |
|||
The lyrics describe a solitary narrator watching (or imagining) two lovers passing over a bridge, with the observer reflecting on the couple, the [[Thames]], and [[London Waterloo railway station|Waterloo station]].<ref name="AllmusicWaterloo">{{cite web|title=Waterloo Sunset|publisher=Allmusic|url={{AllMusic|class=song|id=t5593941|pure_url=yes}}|last=Maginnis|first=Tom|access-date=27 November 2009}}</ref><ref name="Spinner"/> The song was rumoured to have been inspired by the romance between two British celebrities of the time, actors [[Terence Stamp]] and [[Julie Christie]],<ref name="Rogan 18"/><ref name="Variety 1">{{cite web|url=https://www.variety.com/profiles/people/Biography/29040/Julie+Christie.html?dataSet=1 |title=Variety biography of Julie Christie |access-date=27 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422201702/http://www.variety.com/profiles/people/Biography/29040/Julie+Christie.html?dataSet=1 |archive-date=22 April 2009 }}</ref><ref name="Telegraph">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/02/03/sv_juliechristie.xml&page=2|title=Julie Christie: Still Our Darling|work=Sunday Telegraph|date=3 February 2008|access-date=27 November 2009 | location=London | first=David | last=Jenkins}}</ref> stars of 1967's ''[[Far from the Madding Crowd (1967 film)|Far from the Madding Crowd]]''. Ray Davies denied this in his autobiography and claimed in a 2008 interview, "It was a fantasy about my sister going off with her boyfriend to a new world and they were going to emigrate and go to another country."<ref name="Spinner">{{cite web |url=http://www.spinner.com/2008/03/27/the-kinks-ray-davies-serves-up-songs-at-the-working-mans-cafe/ |title=The Kinks' Ray Davies Serves Up Songs at the 'Working Man's Cafe' |author=Baltin, Steve |date=27 March 2008 |publisher=Spinner |access-date=8 December 2009}}</ref><ref name="Independent Well Respected">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-kinks-well-respected-man-545632.html|title=The Kinks: Well respected man|work=[[The Independent]]|date=10 September 2004|access-date=27 November 2009 | location=London}}</ref> In a 2010 interview with Kinks biographer Nick Hasted, he said Terry was his nephew Terry Davies, "who he was perhaps closer to than his real brother in early adolescence."<ref>{{cite web|publisher=The Independent|url=http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-entertainment/echo-entertainment/2010/05/14/ray-davies-waterloo-sunset-was-originally-liverpool-sunset-100252-26442323|quote="Davies says" “Liverpool is my favourite city, and the song was originally called Liverpool Sunset,” ."I was inspired by Merseybeat. I'd fallen in love with Liverpool by that point. On every tour, that was the best reception. We played The Cavern, all those old places, and I couldn't get enough of it.“I had a load of mates in bands up there, and that sound – not the Beatles but Merseybeat – that was unbelievable. It used to inspire me every time. “So I wrote Liverpool Sunset. Later it got changed to Waterloo Sunset, but there's still that play on words with Waterloo. "This statement confirms local folklore that the Waterloo is the Waterloo in Liverpool, a suburb on the banks of The River Mersey looking out towards the Irish sea and now host to the Anthony Gormley Iron Men statues."|title=''How a lonely Londoner created one of the great Sixties songs''|date=26 August 2011|access-date=14 June 2014}}</ref> Despite its complex arrangement, the sessions for "Waterloo Sunset" lasted a mere ten hours;<ref name="Kitts Waterloo">Kitts, Thomas (2007). pp. 86–87</ref> [[Dave Davies]] later commented on the recording: "We spent a lot of time trying to get a different guitar sound, to get a more unique feel for the record. In the end we used a tape-delay echo, but it sounded new because nobody had done it since the 1950s. I remember [[Steve Marriott]] of the [[Small Faces]] came up and asked me how we'd got that sound. We were almost trendy for a while."<ref name="Savage 87">Savage, Jon (1984). p. 87.</ref> The single was one of the group's biggest UK successes, reaching number two on ''Melody Maker'''s chart,<ref name="Rogan 18">Rogan, Johnny (1998). p. 18</ref> and went on to become one of their best-known. |
|||
The lyrics describe a solitary narrator watching (or imagining) two lovers passing over a bridge, with the observer reflecting on the couple, the [[Thames]], and [[London Waterloo railway station|Waterloo station]].<ref name="AllmusicWaterloo">{{cite web|title=Waterloo Sunset|publisher=Allmusic|url={{AllMusic|class=song|id=t5593941|pure_url=yes}}|last=Maginnis|first=Tom|access-date=27 November 2009}}</ref><ref name="Spinner"/> Speaking in 2010, Davies commented "I didn't think to make it about Waterloo, initially, but I realised the place was so very significant in my life. I was in [[St Thomas' Hospital]] when I was really ill [when he had a [[tracheotomy]] aged 13] and the nurses would wheel me out on the balcony to look at the river. It was also about being taken down to the 1951 [[Festival of Britain]]. It's about the two characters – and the aspirations of my sisters' generation who grew up during the Second World War. It's about the world I wanted them to have. That, and then walking by the Thames with my first wife and all the dreams that we had."<ref>{{cite web |title=Ray Davies – How a lonely Londoner created one of the great Sixties |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/ray-davies--how-a-lonely-londoner-created-one-of-the-great-sixties-songs-2343826.html |date=23 October 2011|work=The Independent}}</ref> The two lovers in the lyric are named as Terry and Julie.<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/02/03/sv_juliechristie.xml&page=2|title=Julie Christie: Still Our Darling|work=The Sunday Telegraph|date=3 February 2008|access-date=27 November 2009 |location=London |first=David |last=Jenkins}}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Interviewed in May 1967, Davies stated in 1967 that "if you look at the song as a kind of film, I suppose Terry would be [[Terence Stamp]] and Julie would be [[Julie Christie]]", referring to the popular British film actors romantically linked at the time.<ref name="Rogan 18">Rogan, Johnny (1998). p. 18</ref><ref name="Variety 1">{{cite web|url=https://www.variety.com/profiles/people/Biography/29040/Julie+Christie.html?dataSet=1 |title=Variety biography of Julie Christie |access-date=27 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422201702/http://www.variety.com/profiles/people/Biography/29040/Julie+Christie.html?dataSet=1 |archive-date=22 April 2009}}</ref><ref name="Telegraph"/> Latterly, Davies has refuted this connection; in 2008, he described the song as "a fantasy about my sister going off with her boyfriend to a new world", referring to Rosy Davies, who moved to Australia in 1964.<ref name="Spinner">{{cite web |url=http://www.spinner.com/2008/03/27/the-kinks-ray-davies-serves-up-songs-at-the-working-mans-cafe/ |title=The Kinks' Ray Davies Serves Up Songs at the 'Working Man's Cafe' |author=Baltin, Steve |date=27 March 2008 |publisher=Spinner |access-date=8 December 2009}}</ref><ref name="Independent Well Respected">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-kinks-well-respected-man-545632.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422205942/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-kinks-well-respected-man-545632.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 April 2009|title=The Kinks: Well respected man|work=[[The Independent]]|date=10 September 2004|access-date=27 November 2009 |location=London}}</ref> |
|||
The elaborate production was the first Kinks recording produced solely by Ray Davies, without longtime producer [[Shel Talmy]]. |
|||
The song was the first Kinks recording produced solely by Ray Davies, without longtime producer [[Shel Talmy]]; Talmy's contract with the band had expired in spring 1967.<ref name="kitts">{{cite book |last=Kitts |first=Thomas M. |title=Ray Davies: Not Like Everybody Else |date=2008 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9781135867959 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RICQAgAAQBAJ |access-date=4 December 2022}}</ref> Despite its complex arrangement, the sessions for "Waterloo Sunset" lasted ten hours;<ref name="Kitts Waterloo">Kitts, Thomas (2007). pp. 86–87</ref> [[Dave Davies]] later commented on the recording: "We spent a lot of time trying to get a different guitar sound, to get a more unique feel for the record. In the end we used a tape-delay echo, but it sounded new because nobody had done it since the 1950s. I remember [[Steve Marriott]] of the [[Small Faces]] came up and asked me how we'd got that sound. We were almost trendy for a while."<ref name="Savage 87">Savage, Jon (1984). p. 87.</ref> |
|||
In 2010 Ray Davies stated the song was originally entitled "Liverpool Sunset". In an interview with the ''Liverpool Echo'', he explained: "[[Liverpool]] is my favourite city, and the song was originally called 'Liverpool Sunset'. I was inspired by [[Merseybeat]]. I'd fallen in love with Liverpool by that point. On every tour, that was the best reception. We played [[The Cavern Club|The Cavern]], all those old places, and I couldn't get enough of it. I had a load of mates in bands up there, and that sound – not the Beatles but Merseybeat – that was unbelievable. It used to inspire me every time. So I wrote 'Liverpool Sunset'. Later it got changed to 'Waterloo Sunset', but there's still that play on words with Waterloo. London was home, I'd grown up there, but I like to think I could be an adopted [[Scouse]]r. My heart is definitely there.'<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-entertainment/echo-entertainment/2010/05/14/ray-davies-waterloo-sunset-was-originally-liverpool-sunset-100252-26442323/|title=Ray Davies: Waterloo Sunset was originally Liverpool Sunset|author=Jade Wright|date=13 May 2010|work=liverpoolecho}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonsong/songlibrary/indepth/waterloosunset1.shtml|title=BBC - Radio 2 - Sold On Song - TOP 100 - Number 19 - Waterloo Sunset|author=BBC}}</ref> |
|||
== "Act Nice and Gentle" == |
|||
The song derives from the period 1965-73 when Ray Davies lived at 87 [[Fortis Green]], the semi-detached suburban home where almost all his songs were written at this period. "I didn't think to make it about Waterloo, initially", Davies said in a 2010 interview, "but I realised the place was so very significant in my life. I was in [[St Thomas' Hospital]] when I was really ill [when he had a [[tracheotomy]] aged 13] and the nurses would wheel me out on the balcony to look at the river. It was also about being taken down to the 1951 [[Festival of Britain]]. It's about the two characters – and the aspirations of my sisters' generation who grew up during the Second World War. It's about the world I wanted them to have. That, and then walking by the Thames with my first wife and all the dreams that we had." Davies' first wife was Rasa Didzpetris, the mother of his first two daughters. They divorced in 1973.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/ray-davies--how-a-lonely-londoner-created-one-of-the-great-sixties-songs-2343826.html|title=Ray Davies - How a lonely Londoner created one of the great Sixties|date=23 October 2011|work=The Independent}}</ref> |
|||
The B-side "Act Nice and Gentle" was exclusive to this single, and has been described as a plea for "some civility".<ref>{{cite book|last=Hasted|first=Nick|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eDv_AgAAQBAJ&q=Act+Nice+and+Gentle+The+Kinks&pg=PT127|title=You Really Got Me: The Story of The Kinks|date=2017-10-01|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=978-0-85712-991-8}}</ref> It has a "country-western influence" that foreshadowed ''[[Muswell Hillbillies]]'', and later appeared on album as a bonus track with the 1998 reissue of ''[[Something Else by the Kinks]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Fleiner|first=Carey|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CIKHDQAAQBAJ&q=Act+Nice+and+Gentle+The+Kinks&pg=PA32|title=The Kinks: A Thoroughly English Phenomenon|date=2017-03-01|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-4422-3542-7}}</ref> |
|||
==Legacy and accolades== |
|||
in 1985 Ray Davies released an album entitled ''[[Return to Waterloo]]'', a soundtrack for the movie of the same name. |
|||
[[File:Waterloo station main entrance.JPG|thumb|Waterloo Station, London]] |
|||
In Britain, the song is commonly considered to be Davies' most famous work, and it has been "regarded by many as the apogee of the [[swinging sixties]]".<ref name="Laing">{{cite news |last=Laing |first=Allan |date=22 February 2001 |title=Waterloo sunset not so fine, says Davies |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-23833806.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911125121/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-23833806.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 September 2016 |newspaper=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]] |location=Glasgow |access-date=24 June 2016 }}</ref> Highly esteemed for its musical and lyrical qualities, the song is commonly the subject of study in university arts courses.<ref name="Laing"/> Davies largely dismisses such praise and has even suggested that he would like to go back and alter some of the lyrics; most professionals, however, generally side with the observation of Ken Garner, a lecturer at [[Caledonian University]] in Glasgow, who said: "Davies, like all the best singer-songwriters, is intensely self-critical."<ref name="Laing"/> |
|||
Pop music journalist [[Robert Christgau]] has called the song "the most beautiful song in the English language".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=the+kinks|title= Robert Christgau, Consumer Guide: The Kinks|website=Robertchristgau.com}}</ref> [[Pete Townshend]] of [[the Who]] has called it "divine" and "a masterpiece".<ref>{{YouTube|-u3U2I84sGA|The Kinks - UK Music Hall of Fame 2005}}</ref> In 1972, ''[[Record World]]'' said that it "may be the best thing [the Kinks have] ever done."<ref name=rw2>{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=May 20, 1972|accessdate=2023-04-01|title=Single Picks|page=10|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/72/RW-1972-05-20.pdf}}</ref> [[Damon Albarn]] was similarly effusive, naming it the one song he wished he had written, and commenting that "It's the most perfect song I could ever hope to write, with my sort of voice."<ref>{{cite web |date=2023-03-21 |title=Blur's Damon Albarn wishes he wrote 'Waterloo Sunset |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-song-damon-albarn-wishes-he-wrote-its-the-most-perfect-song/ |access-date=2023-03-22 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US}}</ref> [[AllMusic]] senior editor [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] concurred, citing it as "possibly the most beautiful song of the rock and roll era".<ref>{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|title=To the Bone - The Kinks {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/to-the-bone-mw0000071485|publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> In 2004, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine placed the song at number 42 on their list of "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]",<ref name="rs">{{cite magazine|date=11 December 2003|title=500 Greatest Songs of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-151127/the-kinks-waterloo-sunset-69046/|access-date=3 April 2021|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> and was re-ranked at number 14 on the 2021 list.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-of-all-time-1224767/the-kinks-waterloo-sunset-2-1225324/|title=Waterloo Sunset ranked #14 on Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs List|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=15 September 2021 |access-date=16 September 2021}}</ref> Ray Davies performed "Waterloo Sunset" at the closing ceremony of the [[London 2012 Olympics]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Moreton |first=Cole |date=22 July 2016 |title=London 2012 Olympics: The perfect stage for Ray Davies's Waterloo Sunset |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9417179/London-2012-Olympics-The-perfect-stage-for-Ray-Daviess-Waterloo-Sunset.html |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=London |access-date=25 June 2016}}</ref> A subsequent reissue of the Kinks' original single entered the UK charts at #47.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kluv.cbslocal.com/2012/08/22/the-olympic-effect-the-kinks-john-lennon-more-re-enter-uk-charts/ |title=The Olympic Effect: The Kinks, John Lennon & More Re-enter UK Charts |author=Mapes, Jillian |date=22 August 2012 |publisher=[[KSPF|KLUV]] |website=Kluv.cbslocal.com/ |access-date=25 June 2016}}</ref> |
|||
Davies also wrote a collection of short stories called ''Waterloo Sunset'' which revolve around an aged rock star called Les Mulligan and a cynical promoter planning his comeback. All stories are named after Kinks/Ray Davies songs. |
|||
==Personnel== |
|||
== "Act Nice and Gentle" == |
|||
According to band researcher Doug Hinman:{{sfn|Hinman|2004|p=99}} |
|||
The B-side "Act Nice and Gentle" was exclusive to this single and has been described as a plea for "some civility".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hasted|first=Nick|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eDv_AgAAQBAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PT127&dq=Act+Nice+and+Gentle+The+Kinks&hl=en|title=You Really Got Me: The Story of The Kinks|date=2017-10-01|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=978-0-85712-991-8|language=en}}</ref> It has a "country-western influence" that foreshadowed ''[[Muswell Hillbillies]]'', and later appeared on album as a bonus track with the 1998 reissue of ''Something Else by the Kinks''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Fleiner|first=Carey|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CIKHDQAAQBAJ&newbks=0&printsec=frontcover&pg=PA32&dq=Act+Nice+and+Gentle+The+Kinks&hl=en|title=The Kinks: A Thoroughly English Phenomenon|date=2017-03-01|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-4422-3542-7|language=en}}</ref> |
|||
'''The Kinks''' |
|||
==Legacy and accolades== |
|||
* [[Ray Davies]]{{snd}} lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar, piano |
|||
[[File:Waterloo station main entrance.JPG|thumb|Waterloo Station, London.]] |
|||
* [[Dave Davies]]{{snd}} backing vocal, electric guitar |
|||
In the UK, the song is commonly considered to be Davies' most famous work, and it has been "regarded by many as the apogee of the [[swinging sixties]]".<ref name="Laing">{{Cite news |last=Laing |first=Allan |date=22 February 2001 |title=Waterloo sunset not so fine, says Davies |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-23833806.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911125121/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-23833806.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 September 2016 |newspaper=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]] |location=Glasgow |access-date=24 June 2016 }}{{Subscription required|via=[[HighBeam Research]]}}</ref> Highly esteemed for its musical and lyrical qualities, the song is commonly the subject of study in university arts courses.<ref name="Laing"/> Davies largely dismisses such praise and has even suggested that he would like to go back and alter some of the lyrics; most professionals, however, generally side with the observation of Ken Garner, a lecturer at [[Caledonian University]] in Glasgow, who said: "Davies, like all the best singer-songwriters, is intensely self-critical."<ref name="Laing"/> |
|||
* [[Pete Quaife]]{{snd}} backing vocal, bass guitar |
|||
* [[Mick Avory]]{{snd}} drums |
|||
'''Additional musician''' |
|||
Pop music journalist [[Robert Christgau]] has called the song "the most beautiful song in the English language".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=the+kinks|title= Robert Christgau, Consumer Guide: The Kinks|website=Robertchristgau.com}}</ref> [[Pete Townshend]] of [[the Who]] has called it "divine" and "a masterpiece".<ref>{{YouTube|-u3U2I84sGA|The Kinks - UK Music Hall of Fame 2005}}</ref> [[AllMusic]] senior editor [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] concurred, citing it as "possibly the most beautiful song of the rock and roll era".<ref>{{cite web |url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r206539|pure_url=yes}}|title= Allmusic Review: ''To the Bone''}}</ref> In 2004 ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine placed the song at number 42 on their [[The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|list of the 500 greatest songs of all time]], the highest-placing Kinks song on the list. |
|||
* Rasa Davies{{snd}} backing vocal |
|||
==Charts== |
|||
Ray Davies performed "Waterloo Sunset" at the closing ceremony of the [[London 2012 Olympics]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Moreton |first=Cole |date=22 July 2016 |title=London 2012 Olympics: The perfect stage for Ray Davies's Waterloo Sunset |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9417179/London-2012-Olympics-The-perfect-stage-for-Ray-Daviess-Waterloo-Sunset.html |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=London |access-date=25 June 2016 }}</ref> A subsequent reissue of the Kinks' original single entered the UK charts at #47.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://kluv.cbslocal.com/2012/08/22/the-olympic-effect-the-kinks-john-lennon-more-re-enter-uk-charts/ |title=The Olympic Effect: The Kinks, John Lennon & More Re-enter UK Charts |author=Mapes, Jillian |date=22 August 2012 |publisher=[[KLUV]] |work=Kluv.cbslocal.com/ |access-date=25 June 2016 }}</ref> |
|||
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
|||
!Chart (1967) |
|||
!Peak<br />position |
|||
|- |
|||
!scope="row"|Australia (''[[Go-Set]]'')<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gosetcharts.com/1967/19670726.html|title=Go-Set Australian charts - 26 July 1967|website=www.poparchives.com.au}}</ref> |
|||
|4 |
|||
|- |
|||
!scope="row"|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref>{{cite book|title=Australian Chart Book 1940–1969|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. |year=2005|isbn=0-646-44439-5|title-link=Kent Music Report}}</ref> |
|||
|4 |
|||
|- |
|||
{{single chart|Austria|10|artist=The Kinks|song=Waterloo Sunset|rowheader=true}} |
|||
|- |
|||
{{single chart|Belgium (Flanders)|6|artist=The Kinks|song=Waterloo Sunset|rowheader=true}} |
|||
|- |
|||
{{single chart|Belgium (Wallonia)|8|artist=The Kinks|song=Waterloo Sunset|rowheader=true}} |
|||
|- |
|||
!scope="row"|Denmark ([[DR (broadcaster)|Danmarks Radio]])<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-04-09 |title=danskehitlister.dk |url=http://danskehitlister.dk/?hitlist_id=12&y=1967&hitlist_item_id=1094 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409074436/http://danskehitlister.dk/?hitlist_id=12&y=1967&hitlist_item_id=1094 |archive-date=2016-04-09 |access-date=2022-06-22 }}</ref> |
|||
|5 |
|||
|- |
|||
{{single chart|Germany|7|artist=The Kinks|song=Waterloo Sunset|songid=12238|rowheader=true}} |
|||
|- |
|||
{{single chart|Ireland2|3|song=Waterloo Sunset|rowheader=true}} |
|||
|- |
|||
{{single chart|Dutch40|1|artist=The Kinks|song=Waterloo Sunset|rowheader=true}} |
|||
|- |
|||
{{single chart|Dutch100|1|artist=The Kinks|song=Waterloo Sunset|rowheader=true}} |
|||
|- |
|||
!scope="row"|New Zealand (''[[New Zealand Listener|Listener]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qsongid=1510#n_view_location|title=flavour of new zealand - search listener |website=Flavourofnz.co.nz |access-date=2022-06-22}}</ref> |
|||
|7 |
|||
|- |
|||
{{single chart|Norway|7|artist=The Kinks|song=Waterloo Sunset|rowheader=true}} |
|||
|- |
|||
!scope="row"|Rhodesia ([[Lyons Maid]])<ref>Kimberley, C. ''Zimbabwe: Singles Chart Book''. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000</ref> |
|||
|3 |
|||
|- |
|||
!scope="row"|Sweden ([[Kvällstoppen]])<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hallberg|first=Eric|title=Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962 - 19. 8. 1975|publisher=Drift Musik|year=193|isbn=9163021404|location=|pages=}}</ref> |
|||
|14 |
|||
|- |
|||
!scope="row"|Sweden (''[[Tio i Topp]]'')<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hallberg |first1=Eric |title=Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 - 74 |last2=Henningsson |first2=Ulf |publisher=Premium Publishing |year=1998 |isbn=919727125X |location= |pages=205}}</ref> |
|||
|4 |
|||
|- |
|||
{{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|2|artist=Kinks|artistid=11246|rowheader=true}} |
|||
|} |
|||
== |
==Certifications== |
||
{{Certification Table Top}} |
|||
*[[Ray Davies]]–lead vocals, acoustic guitar |
|||
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Kinks|title=Waterloo Sunset|award=Platinum|relyear=2004|certyear=2024|id=14906-1446-1|access-date=9 October 2024}} |
|||
*[[Dave Davies]]–electric guitar, backing vocals |
|||
{{Certification Table Bottom|noshipments=true|streaming=true|nosales=true}} |
|||
*[[Pete Quaife]]–bass, backing vocals |
|||
*[[Mick Avory]]–drums |
|||
*Rasa Davies–backing vocals |
|||
==References in other works== |
==References in other works== |
||
* In the 1979 [[Barrie Keeffe]] ''[[Play for Today]]'', "Waterloo Sunset", directed by [[Richard Eyre]], the song is performed at the piano by [[Queenie Watts]] at the start of the play. |
|||
*In her 2000 novel, ''White Teeth'', [[Zadie Smith]] references a central character fantasising herself "demanding 'Waterloo Sunset' be played at [her boyfriend's] funeral."<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zZFlmid0HOYC&pg=PA30 |title=White Teeth - Zadie Smith - Google Books |via=[[Google Books]]|date=20 May 2003 |isbn=9781400075508 |access-date=13 June 2014|last1=Smith |first1=Zadie }}</ref> |
|||
* In Bob Geldof's 1986 first solo album, [[Deep in the Heart of Nowhere|Deep In the Heart of Nowhere]], his song [[Love Like a Rocket]] is a cynical updating of the couple in the song. It begins "Terry still meets Julie every Friday night down Waterloo underground" but then describes how their relationship has deteriorated over time. |
|||
*In the 2018 film ''[[Love, Simon]]'', the film's protagonist Simon chooses his username (frommywindow1) from lines of the song as he listens to the record. |
|||
* In her 2000 novel, ''[[White Teeth]]'', [[Zadie Smith]] references a central character fantasising herself "demanding 'Waterloo Sunset' be played at [her boyfriend's] funeral."<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zZFlmid0HOYC&pg=PA30 |title=White Teeth - Zadie Smith - Google Books |via=[[Google Books]]|date=20 May 2003 |isbn=9781400075508 |access-date=13 June 2014|last1=Smith |first1=Zadie |publisher=Knopf Doubleday Publishing }}</ref> |
|||
*In the 2018 film ''[[Juliet, Naked (film)|Juliet, Naked]]'', singer/songwriter Tucker Crowe plays the song and says he wishes he had written it. |
|||
* In the 2018 film ''[[Love, Simon]]'', the film's protagonist Simon chooses his username (frommywindow1) from lines of the song as he listens to the record. |
|||
*[[Okkervil River]]'s 2018 album ''In the Rainbow Rain'' contains the song "Famous Tracheotomies," which tells the tales of several celebrities' brushes with tracheotomies, and ends with the story of Ray Davies's writing "Waterloo Sunset" (and references the song's melody.) |
|||
* In the 2018 film ''[[Juliet, Naked (film)|Juliet, Naked]]'', singer/songwriter Tucker Crowe ([[Ethan Hawke]]) plays the song and says he wishes he had written it. |
|||
* [[Okkervil River]]'s 2018 album ''[[In the Rainbow Rain]]'' contains the song "Famous Tracheotomies," which tells the tales of several celebrities' brushes with tracheotomies, and ends with the story of Ray Davies's writing "Waterloo Sunset" (and references the song's melody.) |
|||
* In the second season of the [[Netflix]] show ''[[Green Eggs and Ham (TV series)|Green Eggs and Ham]]'', the song is heard twice—in one episode as background music and in another episode with one of the characters, Looka, singing part of it. |
|||
* Plays during the closing credits of the movie [[BlackBerry (film)|''BlackBerry'']]. |
|||
==Cathy Dennis version== |
==Cathy Dennis version== |
||
Line 93: | Line 148: | ||
| artist = [[Cathy Dennis]] |
| artist = [[Cathy Dennis]] |
||
| album = [[Am I the Kinda Girl?]] |
| album = [[Am I the Kinda Girl?]] |
||
| B-side = Consolidation |
|||
| released = 1997 |
| released = 1997 |
||
| recorded = |
| recorded = |
||
Line 99: | Line 155: | ||
| genre = |
| genre = |
||
| length = 3:41 |
| length = 3:41 |
||
| label = [[Polydor]] |
| label = [[Polydor Records|Polydor]] |
||
| writer = [[Ray Davies]] |
| writer = [[Ray Davies]] |
||
| producer = |
| producer = |
||
* Cathy Dennis |
|||
* [[Mark Saunders (record producer)|Mark Saunders]] |
|||
| prev_title = [[West End Pad]] |
| prev_title = [[West End Pad]] |
||
| prev_year = 1996 |
| prev_year = 1996 |
||
Line 108: | Line 166: | ||
}} |
}} |
||
[[Cathy Dennis]] recorded a version of the song |
British singer-songwriter [[Cathy Dennis]] recorded a version of the song that was released as the second single from her 1997 album, ''[[Am I the Kinda Girl?]]''. Her version peaked at number 11 on the [[UK Singles Chart]] and number seven in Iceland. Both versions of the [[CD single]] feature a cover of another Kinks song: "[[Sunny Afternoon]]". |
||
===Critical reception=== |
|||
The video consists of Dennis singing the song whilst travelling alone in a taxi driven by Ray Davies in a cameo role. The scenes visible outside the taxi windows vary between the London of the 1990s and film of various locations (e.g. driving up [[Piccadilly]] with [[Green Park tube station]] on the left, [[Knightsbridge tube station]] and the small dome<ref>on the corner of [[City Road]] and Tabernacle Street; as of 2020 this listed building is the [[Travelodge]] London Central City Road</ref> north of [[Finsbury Square]]) as they were in the 1960s. |
|||
British magazine ''[[Music Week]]'' rated Dennis' version three out of five. The reviewer wrote, "The approval of [[Ray Davies]] — who appears in the video — will help the cause of this cover which captures the atmosphere and laziness of [[The Kinks]]' original. This could be the hit to kick off the album ''[[Am I the Kinda Girl?|Am I The Kinda Girl?]]''."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1996/Music-Week-1996-10-05.pdf|first=|last=|title=Reviews: Singles|magazine=[[Music Week]]|date=5 October 1996|page=12|accessdate=6 September 2021}}</ref> In a 1997 review, the magazine gave it two out of five, adding, "Ray Davies's song is given an unremarkable treatment by the former [[Electronic dance music|dance]] chanteuse, but television exposure should help this reach the Top 40."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=|last=|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1997/Music-Week-1997-02-01.pdf|title=Reviews: Singles|magazine=[[Music Week]]|date=1 February 1997|page=27|accessdate=8 May 2022}}</ref> |
|||
===Music video=== |
|||
The accompanying [[music video]] for "Waterloo Sunset" consists of Dennis singing the song whilst travelling alone in a taxi driven by Ray Davies in a cameo role. The scenes visible outside the taxi windows vary between the London of the 1990s and film of various locations (e.g. driving up [[Piccadilly]] with [[Green Park tube station]] on the left, [[Knightsbridge tube station]] and the small dome<ref>on the corner of [[City Road]] and Tabernacle Street; as of 2020 this listed building is the [[Travelodge]] London Central City Road</ref> north of [[Finsbury Square]]) as they were in the 1960s. |
|||
===Track listings=== |
===Track listings=== |
||
* '''UK CD1'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Waterloo Sunset|others=[[Cathy Dennis]]|year=1997|type=UK CD1 liner notes|publisher=[[Polydor Records]]|id=575 961 2}}</ref> |
|||
'''UK single''' |
|||
#"Waterloo Sunset" |
# "Waterloo Sunset" |
||
#"Consolation" |
# "Consolation" |
||
#"Sunny Afternoon" |
# "[[Sunny Afternoon]]" |
||
#"I Just Love You" |
# "I Just Love You" |
||
* '''UK CD2'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Waterloo Sunset|others=Cathy Dennis|year=1997|type=UK CD2 liner notes|publisher=Polydor Records|id=575 963-2}}</ref> |
|||
# "Waterloo Sunset" |
|||
'''UK Limited Edition''' |
|||
# "Consolation" |
|||
#"Waterloo Sunset" – 3:41 |
|||
# "Sunny Afternoon" |
|||
#"Consolation" – 4:08 |
|||
# "West End Pad" (Alternative Supple 7-inch) – 3:41 |
|||
#"Sunny Afternoon" – 3:16 |
|||
* '''UK cassette single'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Waterloo Sunset|others=Cathy Dennis|year=1997|type=UK cassette single sleeve liner notes|publisher=Polydor Records|id=5759604}}</ref> |
|||
#"West End Pad (Alternative Supple 7")" – 3:41 |
|||
# "Waterloo Sunset" |
|||
# "Consolation" |
|||
===Charts=== |
===Charts=== |
||
{{col-begin}} |
|||
{{col-2}} |
|||
====Weekly charts==== |
====Weekly charts==== |
||
{|class="wikitable sortable" |
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
||
!Chart (1997) |
!Chart (1997) |
||
!Peak<br>position |
!Peak<br />position |
||
|- |
|||
|Australia ([[ARIA Charts|ARIA]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://i.imgur.com/BikHYyC.jpg|title=Response from ARIA re: Cathy Dennis ARIA chart history, received 26 June 2018|publisher=Imgur.com|access-date=26 June 2018}} N.B. The High Point number in the NAT column represents the release's peak on the national chart.</ref> |
|||
|align="center"|238 |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
|Europe ([[European Hot 100 Singles|Eurochart Hot 100]])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1997/MM-1997-03-15.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|volume=14|issue=11|page=13|date=15 March 1997|access-date=6 March 2020}}</ref> |
!scope="row"|Europe ([[European Hot 100 Singles|Eurochart Hot 100]])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1997/MM-1997-03-15.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|volume=14|issue=11|page=13|date=15 March 1997|access-date=6 March 2020}}</ref> |
||
|51 |
|||
|align="center"|51 |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
|Iceland ([[Íslenski listinn|Íslenski Listinn Topp 40]])<ref>{{cite |
!scope="row"|Iceland ([[Íslenski listinn|Íslenski Listinn Topp 40]])<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timarit.is/page/2952843#page/n1/mode/2up|title=Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (27.3. '97 – 2.4. '97)|work=[[DV (newspaper)|Dagblaðið Vísir]]|language=is|page=28|date=26 March 1997|access-date=2 October 2019}}</ref> |
||
|7 |
|||
|align="center"|7 |
|||
|- |
|- |
||
{{ |
{{single chart|Scotland|9|date=19970301|access-date=21 December 2018|rowheader=true}} |
||
|- |
|- |
||
{{ |
{{single chart|UK|11|date=19970301|access-date=10 March 2016|rowheader=true}} |
||
|} |
|} |
||
{{col-2}} |
|||
====Year-end charts==== |
====Year-end charts==== |
||
{|class="wikitable" |
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" |
||
!Chart (1997) |
!Chart (1997) |
||
!Position |
!Position |
||
|- |
|- |
||
|Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)<ref>{{cite |
!scope="row"|Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timarit.is/page/2963913?iabr=on#page/n15/mode/2up/|title=Árslistinn 1997 – Íslenski Listinn – 100 Vinsælustu Lögin|newspaper=Dagblaðið Vísir|language=is|page=25|date=2 January 1998|access-date=16 February 2020}}</ref> |
||
|80 |
|||
|align="center"|80 |
|||
|} |
|} |
||
{{col-end}} |
|||
==Other versions== |
==Other versions== |
||
The song has been recorded by many other artists, including [[the Jam]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/waterloo-sunset-mt0039738874 | title=Waterloo Sunset by the Jam - Track Info | AllMusic | website=[[AllMusic]] }}</ref> [[Def Leppard]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.defleppard.com/song/waterloo-sunset/ | title=Waterloo Sunset | date=15 October 2015 }}</ref> [[Elliott Smith]] and [[David Bowie]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/5-best-covers-of-the-kinks-waterloo-sunset/ | title=The 5 best covers of the Kinks' 'Waterloo Sunset' - Far Out Magazine | date=5 May 2021 }}</ref> |
|||
*Ray Davies performed the song with [[Damon Albarn]], along with a rendition of "[[Parklife (song)|Parklife]]" on Channel 4's show ''The White Room'' in 1995. |
|||
==Notes== |
|||
*[[The Jam]] released their demo cover of Waterloo Sunset on the the deluxe edition of [[Sound Affects]] |
|||
{{reflist|group=nb}} |
|||
==References== |
==References== |
||
{{Reflist}} |
{{Reflist}} |
||
== |
===Sources=== |
||
{{refbegin}} |
|||
* {{MetroLyrics song|kinks|waterloo-sunset}}<!-- Licensed lyrics provider --> |
|||
* {{cite journal |last1=Bennett |first1=Andy |title='Village greens and terraced streets': Britpop and representations of 'Britishness' |journal=YOUNG |date=December 1997 |volume=5 |issue=4 |pages=20–33 |doi=10.1177/110330889700500402 |s2cid=142998506 |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/110330889700500402 |language=en |issn=1103-3088}} |
|||
* {{cite book |last1=Harris |first1=John |author1-link=John Harris (critic) |title=The Last Party: Britpop, Blair and the Demise of English Rock |date=2003 |publisher=[[HarperCollins|Fourth Estate]] |location=London |isbn=0-00-713472-X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mI0wAQAAIAAJ |via=[[Google Books]]}} |
|||
* {{cite book |last1=Hinman |first1=Doug |title=The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night: Day-by-Day Concerts, Recordings and Broadcasts, 1961–1996 |date=2004 |publisher=Backbeat Books |location=San Francisco, California |isbn=978-0-87930-765-3}} |
|||
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Luhrssen |editor1-first=David |editor2-last=Larson |editor2-first=Michael |title=Encyclopedia of Classic Rock |date=2017 |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |location=Santa Barbara, California |isbn=978-1-4408-3514-8 |pages=195–197 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=phsIDgAAQBAJ |language=en |chapter=Kinks}} |
|||
* {{cite book |last1=Matijas-Mecca |first1=Christian |title=Listen to Psychedelic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre |date=2020 |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |location=Santa Barbara, California |isbn=978-1-4408-6198-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=knTtDwAAQBAJ |language=en |via=[[Google Books]]}} |
|||
* {{cite book |last=Pegg |first=Nicholas |author-link=Nicholas Pegg |title=The Complete David Bowie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LqFkDQAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Titan Books]] |location=London |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-78565-365-0 |edition=Revised and Updated }} |
|||
{{refend}} |
|||
{{The Kinks}} |
{{The Kinks}} |
||
Line 182: | Line 256: | ||
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Ray Davies]] |
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Ray Davies]] |
||
[[Category:Pye Records singles]] |
[[Category:Pye Records singles]] |
||
[[Category:Psychedelic pop songs]] |
|||
[[Category:1967 songs]] |
[[Category:1967 songs]] |
||
[[Category:Reprise Records singles]] |
[[Category:Reprise Records singles]] |
||
[[Category:Polydor Records singles]] |
[[Category:Polydor Records singles]] |
||
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Mark Saunders]] |
|||
[[Category:Pop ballads]] |
|||
[[Category:1960s ballads]] |
Latest revision as of 23:35, 15 December 2024
"Waterloo Sunset" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by the Kinks | ||||
from the album Something Else by the Kinks | ||||
B-side |
| |||
Released | 5 May 1967 | |||
Recorded | 3, 10 and 13 April 1967[1] | |||
Studio | Pye, London[1] | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:16 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Ray Davies | |||
Producer(s) | Ray Davies | |||
The Kinks UK singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The Kinks US singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Audio sample | ||||
"Waterloo Sunset" is a song by English rock band the Kinks. It was released as a single on 5 May 1967 and featured on the album Something Else by the Kinks later that year. Written and produced by Kinks frontman Ray Davies, "Waterloo Sunset" is one of the band's best-known and most acclaimed songs, and was ranked number 14 on the 2021 edition of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. It was also their first single that was available in true stereo.
"Waterloo Sunset" reached number 2 on the British charts in mid-1967. It was a top 10 hit in Australia, New Zealand and most of Europe. It was also released as a single in North America, but failed to chart there.
History
[edit]Interviewed in May 1967, Ray Davies stated that he wrote "Waterloo Sunset" having had "the actual melody line in my head for two or three years".[5] He initially titled the song "Liverpool Sunset", but scrapped the Liverpool theme after the release of the Beatles' song "Penny Lane".[5][6][7][nb 1]
The lyrics describe a solitary narrator watching (or imagining) two lovers passing over a bridge, with the observer reflecting on the couple, the Thames, and Waterloo station.[8][9] Speaking in 2010, Davies commented "I didn't think to make it about Waterloo, initially, but I realised the place was so very significant in my life. I was in St Thomas' Hospital when I was really ill [when he had a tracheotomy aged 13] and the nurses would wheel me out on the balcony to look at the river. It was also about being taken down to the 1951 Festival of Britain. It's about the two characters – and the aspirations of my sisters' generation who grew up during the Second World War. It's about the world I wanted them to have. That, and then walking by the Thames with my first wife and all the dreams that we had."[10] The two lovers in the lyric are named as Terry and Julie.[11] Interviewed in May 1967, Davies stated in 1967 that "if you look at the song as a kind of film, I suppose Terry would be Terence Stamp and Julie would be Julie Christie", referring to the popular British film actors romantically linked at the time.[12][13][11] Latterly, Davies has refuted this connection; in 2008, he described the song as "a fantasy about my sister going off with her boyfriend to a new world", referring to Rosy Davies, who moved to Australia in 1964.[9][14]
The song was the first Kinks recording produced solely by Ray Davies, without longtime producer Shel Talmy; Talmy's contract with the band had expired in spring 1967.[15] Despite its complex arrangement, the sessions for "Waterloo Sunset" lasted ten hours;[16] Dave Davies later commented on the recording: "We spent a lot of time trying to get a different guitar sound, to get a more unique feel for the record. In the end we used a tape-delay echo, but it sounded new because nobody had done it since the 1950s. I remember Steve Marriott of the Small Faces came up and asked me how we'd got that sound. We were almost trendy for a while."[17]
"Act Nice and Gentle"
[edit]The B-side "Act Nice and Gentle" was exclusive to this single, and has been described as a plea for "some civility".[18] It has a "country-western influence" that foreshadowed Muswell Hillbillies, and later appeared on album as a bonus track with the 1998 reissue of Something Else by the Kinks.[19]
Legacy and accolades
[edit]In Britain, the song is commonly considered to be Davies' most famous work, and it has been "regarded by many as the apogee of the swinging sixties".[20] Highly esteemed for its musical and lyrical qualities, the song is commonly the subject of study in university arts courses.[20] Davies largely dismisses such praise and has even suggested that he would like to go back and alter some of the lyrics; most professionals, however, generally side with the observation of Ken Garner, a lecturer at Caledonian University in Glasgow, who said: "Davies, like all the best singer-songwriters, is intensely self-critical."[20]
Pop music journalist Robert Christgau has called the song "the most beautiful song in the English language".[21] Pete Townshend of the Who has called it "divine" and "a masterpiece".[22] In 1972, Record World said that it "may be the best thing [the Kinks have] ever done."[23] Damon Albarn was similarly effusive, naming it the one song he wished he had written, and commenting that "It's the most perfect song I could ever hope to write, with my sort of voice."[24] AllMusic senior editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine concurred, citing it as "possibly the most beautiful song of the rock and roll era".[25] In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine placed the song at number 42 on their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time",[26] and was re-ranked at number 14 on the 2021 list.[27] Ray Davies performed "Waterloo Sunset" at the closing ceremony of the London 2012 Olympics.[28] A subsequent reissue of the Kinks' original single entered the UK charts at #47.[29]
Personnel
[edit]According to band researcher Doug Hinman:[30]
The Kinks
- Ray Davies – lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar, piano
- Dave Davies – backing vocal, electric guitar
- Pete Quaife – backing vocal, bass guitar
- Mick Avory – drums
Additional musician
- Rasa Davies – backing vocal
Charts
[edit]Chart (1967) | Peak position |
---|---|
Australia (Go-Set)[31] | 4 |
Australia (Kent Music Report)[32] | 4 |
Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[33] | 10 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[34] | 6 |
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[35] | 8 |
Denmark (Danmarks Radio)[36] | 5 |
Germany (GfK)[37] | 7 |
Ireland (IRMA)[38] | 3 |
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[39] | 1 |
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[40] | 1 |
New Zealand (Listener)[41] | 7 |
Norway (VG-lista)[42] | 7 |
Rhodesia (Lyons Maid)[43] | 3 |
Sweden (Kvällstoppen)[44] | 14 |
Sweden (Tio i Topp)[45] | 4 |
UK Singles (OCC)[46] | 2 |
Certifications
[edit]Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[47] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
References in other works
[edit]- In the 1979 Barrie Keeffe Play for Today, "Waterloo Sunset", directed by Richard Eyre, the song is performed at the piano by Queenie Watts at the start of the play.
- In Bob Geldof's 1986 first solo album, Deep In the Heart of Nowhere, his song Love Like a Rocket is a cynical updating of the couple in the song. It begins "Terry still meets Julie every Friday night down Waterloo underground" but then describes how their relationship has deteriorated over time.
- In her 2000 novel, White Teeth, Zadie Smith references a central character fantasising herself "demanding 'Waterloo Sunset' be played at [her boyfriend's] funeral."[48]
- In the 2018 film Love, Simon, the film's protagonist Simon chooses his username (frommywindow1) from lines of the song as he listens to the record.
- In the 2018 film Juliet, Naked, singer/songwriter Tucker Crowe (Ethan Hawke) plays the song and says he wishes he had written it.
- Okkervil River's 2018 album In the Rainbow Rain contains the song "Famous Tracheotomies," which tells the tales of several celebrities' brushes with tracheotomies, and ends with the story of Ray Davies's writing "Waterloo Sunset" (and references the song's melody.)
- In the second season of the Netflix show Green Eggs and Ham, the song is heard twice—in one episode as background music and in another episode with one of the characters, Looka, singing part of it.
- Plays during the closing credits of the movie BlackBerry.
Cathy Dennis version
[edit]"Waterloo Sunset" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Cathy Dennis | ||||
from the album Am I the Kinda Girl? | ||||
B-side | "Consolidation" | |||
Released | 1997 | |||
Length | 3:41 | |||
Label | Polydor | |||
Songwriter(s) | Ray Davies | |||
Producer(s) |
| |||
Cathy Dennis singles chronology | ||||
|
British singer-songwriter Cathy Dennis recorded a version of the song that was released as the second single from her 1997 album, Am I the Kinda Girl?. Her version peaked at number 11 on the UK Singles Chart and number seven in Iceland. Both versions of the CD single feature a cover of another Kinks song: "Sunny Afternoon".
Critical reception
[edit]British magazine Music Week rated Dennis' version three out of five. The reviewer wrote, "The approval of Ray Davies — who appears in the video — will help the cause of this cover which captures the atmosphere and laziness of The Kinks' original. This could be the hit to kick off the album Am I The Kinda Girl?."[49] In a 1997 review, the magazine gave it two out of five, adding, "Ray Davies's song is given an unremarkable treatment by the former dance chanteuse, but television exposure should help this reach the Top 40."[50]
Music video
[edit]The accompanying music video for "Waterloo Sunset" consists of Dennis singing the song whilst travelling alone in a taxi driven by Ray Davies in a cameo role. The scenes visible outside the taxi windows vary between the London of the 1990s and film of various locations (e.g. driving up Piccadilly with Green Park tube station on the left, Knightsbridge tube station and the small dome[51] north of Finsbury Square) as they were in the 1960s.
Track listings
[edit]- UK CD1[52]
- "Waterloo Sunset"
- "Consolation"
- "Sunny Afternoon"
- "I Just Love You"
- UK CD2[53]
- "Waterloo Sunset"
- "Consolation"
- "Sunny Afternoon"
- "West End Pad" (Alternative Supple 7-inch) – 3:41
- UK cassette single[54]
- "Waterloo Sunset"
- "Consolation"
Charts
[edit]
Weekly charts[edit]
|
Year-end charts[edit]
|
Other versions
[edit]The song has been recorded by many other artists, including the Jam,[60] Def Leppard,[61] Elliott Smith and David Bowie.[62]
Notes
[edit]- ^ In a 2010 interview with the Liverpool Echo, Davies elaborated: "Liverpool is my favourite city... ...I was inspired by Merseybeat. I'd fallen in love with Liverpool by that point. On every tour, that was the best reception. We played The Cavern, all those old places, and I couldn't get enough of it. I had a load of mates in bands up there, and that sound – not the Beatles but Merseybeat – that was unbelievable. It used to inspire me every time. So I wrote "Liverpool Sunset". Later it got changed to "Waterloo Sunset", but there's still that play on words with Waterloo. London was home, I'd grown up there, but I like to think I could be an adopted Scouser. My heart is definitely there."[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Hinman 2004, pp. 96, 98, 99.
- ^ Bennett 1997, p. 23; Harris 2003, p. 87.
- ^ Luhrssen & Larson 2017, p. 197.
- ^ Matijas-Mecca 2020, p. 104.
- ^ a b ""I should exploit Dave more..."" (PDF). The History of Rock: 1967. September 2015. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
- ^ a b Jade Wright (13 May 2010). "Ray Davies: Waterloo Sunset was originally Liverpool Sunset". liverpoolecho.
- ^ "BBC - Radio 2 - Sold On Song - TOP 100 - Number 19 - Waterloo Sunset".
- ^ Maginnis, Tom. "Waterloo Sunset". Allmusic. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- ^ a b Baltin, Steve (27 March 2008). "The Kinks' Ray Davies Serves Up Songs at the 'Working Man's Cafe'". Spinner. Retrieved 8 December 2009.
- ^ "Ray Davies – How a lonely Londoner created one of the great Sixties". The Independent. 23 October 2011.
- ^ a b Jenkins, David (3 February 2008). "Julie Christie: Still Our Darling". The Sunday Telegraph. London. Retrieved 27 November 2009.[dead link ]
- ^ Rogan, Johnny (1998). p. 18
- ^ "Variety biography of Julie Christie". Archived from the original on 22 April 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- ^ "The Kinks: Well respected man". The Independent. London. 10 September 2004. Archived from the original on 22 April 2009. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- ^ Kitts, Thomas M. (2008). Ray Davies: Not Like Everybody Else. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781135867959. Retrieved 4 December 2022.
- ^ Kitts, Thomas (2007). pp. 86–87
- ^ Savage, Jon (1984). p. 87.
- ^ Hasted, Nick (1 October 2017). You Really Got Me: The Story of The Kinks. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-85712-991-8.
- ^ Fleiner, Carey (1 March 2017). The Kinks: A Thoroughly English Phenomenon. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-3542-7.
- ^ a b c Laing, Allan (22 February 2001). "Waterloo sunset not so fine, says Davies". The Herald. Glasgow. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
- ^ "Robert Christgau, Consumer Guide: The Kinks". Robertchristgau.com.
- ^ The Kinks - UK Music Hall of Fame 2005 on YouTube
- ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. 20 May 1972. p. 10. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
- ^ "Blur's Damon Albarn wishes he wrote 'Waterloo Sunset". faroutmagazine.co.uk. 21 March 2023. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
- ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "To the Bone - The Kinks | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic.
- ^ "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 11 December 2003. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
- ^ "Waterloo Sunset ranked #14 on Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs List". Rolling Stone. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ Moreton, Cole (22 July 2016). "London 2012 Olympics: The perfect stage for Ray Davies's Waterloo Sunset". The Telegraph. London. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
- ^ Mapes, Jillian (22 August 2012). "The Olympic Effect: The Kinks, John Lennon & More Re-enter UK Charts". Kluv.cbslocal.com/. KLUV. Retrieved 25 June 2016.
- ^ Hinman 2004, p. 99.
- ^ "Go-Set Australian charts - 26 July 1967". www.poparchives.com.au.
- ^ Kent, David (2005). Australian Chart Book 1940–1969. Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. ISBN 0-646-44439-5.
- ^ "The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
- ^ "The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset" (in French). Ultratop 50.
- ^ "danskehitlister.dk". 9 April 2016. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ "The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Waterloo Sunset". Irish Singles Chart.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – The Kinks" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
- ^ "The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
- ^ "flavour of new zealand - search listener". Flavourofnz.co.nz. Retrieved 22 June 2022.
- ^ "The Kinks – Waterloo Sunset". VG-lista.
- ^ Kimberley, C. Zimbabwe: Singles Chart Book. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000
- ^ Hallberg, Eric (193). Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962 - 19. 8. 1975. Drift Musik. ISBN 9163021404.
- ^ Hallberg, Eric; Henningsson, Ulf (1998). Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 - 74. Premium Publishing. p. 205. ISBN 919727125X.
- ^ "Kinks: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company.
- ^ "British single certifications – Kinks – Waterloo Sunset". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 9 October 2024.
- ^ Smith, Zadie (20 May 2003). White Teeth - Zadie Smith - Google Books. Knopf Doubleday Publishing. ISBN 9781400075508. Retrieved 13 June 2014 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 5 October 1996. p. 12. Retrieved 6 September 2021.
- ^ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 1 February 1997. p. 27. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
- ^ on the corner of City Road and Tabernacle Street; as of 2020 this listed building is the Travelodge London Central City Road
- ^ Waterloo Sunset (UK CD1 liner notes). Cathy Dennis. Polydor Records. 1997. 575 961 2.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Waterloo Sunset (UK CD2 liner notes). Cathy Dennis. Polydor Records. 1997. 575 963-2.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ Waterloo Sunset (UK cassette single sleeve liner notes). Cathy Dennis. Polydor Records. 1997. 5759604.
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 14, no. 11. 15 March 1997. p. 13. Retrieved 6 March 2020.
- ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (27.3. '97 – 2.4. '97)". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 26 March 1997. p. 28. Retrieved 2 October 2019.
- ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
- ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ^ "Árslistinn 1997 – Íslenski Listinn – 100 Vinsælustu Lögin". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). 2 January 1998. p. 25. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
- ^ "Waterloo Sunset by the Jam - Track Info | AllMusic". AllMusic.
- ^ "Waterloo Sunset". 15 October 2015.
- ^ "The 5 best covers of the Kinks' 'Waterloo Sunset' - Far Out Magazine". 5 May 2021.
Sources
[edit]- Bennett, Andy (December 1997). "'Village greens and terraced streets': Britpop and representations of 'Britishness'". YOUNG. 5 (4): 20–33. doi:10.1177/110330889700500402. ISSN 1103-3088. S2CID 142998506.
- Harris, John (2003). The Last Party: Britpop, Blair and the Demise of English Rock. London: Fourth Estate. ISBN 0-00-713472-X – via Google Books.
- Hinman, Doug (2004). The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night: Day-by-Day Concerts, Recordings and Broadcasts, 1961–1996. San Francisco, California: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0-87930-765-3.
- Luhrssen, David; Larson, Michael, eds. (2017). "Kinks". Encyclopedia of Classic Rock. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. pp. 195–197. ISBN 978-1-4408-3514-8.
- Matijas-Mecca, Christian (2020). Listen to Psychedelic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre. Santa Barbara, California: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-4408-6198-7 – via Google Books.
- Pegg, Nicholas (2016). The Complete David Bowie (Revised and Updated ed.). London: Titan Books. ISBN 978-1-78565-365-0.
- The Kinks songs
- 1967 singles
- Dutch Top 40 number-one singles
- Song recordings produced by Shel Talmy
- 1997 singles
- Cathy Dennis songs
- Songs about London
- Songs about loneliness
- Songs written by Ray Davies
- Culture associated with the River Thames
- Song recordings produced by Ray Davies
- Pye Records singles
- Psychedelic pop songs
- 1967 songs
- Reprise Records singles
- Polydor Records singles
- Song recordings produced by Mark Saunders
- Pop ballads
- 1960s ballads