You Really Got Me
Written by Ray Davies & Dave Davies
Chart : UK No 1

This has got to be one of the most exciting, rocking and concise pop songs of all time,You Really Got Me by The Kinks. Ths ong has been covered by Mott the Hoople, the Hammersmith Gorrillas, Robert Palmer, Sackwaddy, Dalek 1 and Van Halen.

When the Kinks released "You Really Got Me" on August 4, I964, it was a classic make-or-break moment. After two failed singles ("Long Tall Sally" only reached No. 42, and "You Still Want Me" fared even worse) the white R&B-influenced group from the North London suburb of Muswell Hill were about to be dropped from their recording contract with Pye records basically the band had to prove their commercial potential with a big hit single.

At that point the Kinks consisted of Ray Davies, his brother Dave and bass player Pete Quaife. Drummer Mick Avory completed the line up.

Producer Shel Talmy, who was also at the helm for the Who's early recordings, fancied himself another Phil Spector, and gave the Kinks' first recordings a clean sound far removed from that of their live shows. Ray Davies was determined that would change when the group entered the studio in the early summer of 1964 for what might well have been their final attempt at making a hit record.

Ray Davies had composed "You Really Got Me" in the front room of his parents' house in Fortis Green on Muswell Hill, with help from his little brother. According to Dave Davies, Ray first played him the riff on a piano. Dave tried it on the guitar, then Ray shifted the tone a couple of times, and within a day or two, Ray had written the lyrics. He wanted the song to be the kind of showstopper that would make audiences dance and go wild, and set out to make it repetitive, "like an African tribal chant." He has also claimed he wrote it with “Sunarise” by Rolf Harris in mind but that’s a moot point really. To me it’s always been based on that great 60’s dancefloor favourite Louie Louie by the Kingmen

Initially, the song began with the words "Yeah, you really got me now," but that was changed in the studio on the advice of Hal Carter, an impresario who had previously been hired to hone the group's image. Although Carter had been recently dismissed from his position with the Kinks, he did them one last favour by suggesting that Ray Davies add a new first word to the song to make it more personal and direct. Davies settled on replacing "Yeah" with "Girl," and recording commenced.

The recording was done at London's IBC Studios in July 1964, with Bobby Graham on drums. (By this point the Kinks had found a permanent drummer in Mick Avory, but Talmy insisted on Graham and relegated Avory to tambourine.) As was typical at the time the group had just three hours to get the recording right.
Error! Bookmark not defined. Error! Bookmark not defined.

When the first take was over, Ray Davies still wasn't satisfied. Talmy reluctantly let him have a second try, but it was obvious that the producer, engineer and drummer were growing impatient. Davies knew he had to get it right this was his big one, he had to get to the heart of it’s bluesy feel

The blistering guitar sound on "You Really Got Me" remains the most intriguing element of the song. The unique sound was achieved with an inexpensive eight- or 10-watt amp called an Elpico, which Dave Davies bought at a radio shop for about six pounds. The last step used to achieve just the right fuzzed-out sound is up for debate. Dave Davies claims he cut the speaker cone of the Elpico with a razor blade so the fabric contributed to the overall sound as it vibrated. As Ray Davies recalls it, his brother didn't just slit the amp, but stuck knitting needles into it, dubbing the contraption "the fart box."

The recording was astounding. It was only 1964 and Dave Davies had laid down a truly original guitar sound. There was no such thing as punk yet and wouldn't be for more than another decade but there it is in that magnificent riff!.

Before the month was over, Ray Davies received a telegram at home announcing that the song had gone to No. 1. He spent the rest of the day driving around London to interviews and photo shoots. That night, the Kinks played a concert at Streatham Ice Rink in London, where they performed their new hit twice.

Besides becoming a massive world wide hit and being credited with creating the first punk and heavy rock sound, the song also found favour with the intensely picky London mod audience of 1964. Normally the mods turned their noses up at rock prefering the sweeter sounds of soul and R&B.

A great rock 'n' roll song is often remembered because it does something magical: It captures a moment when all the elements are just right. From the angry single snare beat to the wails of that almost violent guitar riff the Kinks achieved that on their first hit. It still sounds perfect today.

Written by Ralph McLean