You Really Got Me
The Kinks, 1964. Solo by Dave Davies.
A torn speaker and a frantic break, and hard rock gets its distortion.
Dave Davies played the lead, including the frantic solo, and the sound was born when he slashed the speaker cone of his small Elpico amplifier with a razor blade and poked it with a pin. The torn cone rattled and fuzzed, and chained into a Vox AC30 it produced a tone that pointed straight toward hard rock. The solo is short and wild, a burst of fast, jagged picking over the two-chord riff that sounds more like an eruption than a planned lead. Its roughness is the point, and countless garage and punk players followed where it led. Listen for the ragged edge on every note; that buzz came from a damaged speaker, not a pedal.
You Really Got Me by The Kinks is ranked #57 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Dave Davies and the song was released in 1964. It appears on 11 lists, placing as high as #7 (Music in Minnesota).
The story of You Really Got Me
Ray Davies worked out the song on the piano at his family home in March 1964. His first idea was gentler and jazzier, shaped by his love of blues and folk figures such as Lead Belly and Big Bill Broonzy. He later described it as a love song for street kids, and traced the feeling behind it to seeing a girl at a club that left him lost for words. His younger brother Dave then moved the piano figure onto electric guitar, turning it into a hard, repeating riff.
The Kinks' first two singles had flopped, and a first recording of the song in June was slower and softer, with Shel Talmy's heavy reverb burying the lead guitar. Ray hated it and refused to promote it. Pye Records would not pay for a remake, so the band's managers financed a second session themselves at IBC in London on 13 July 1964.
The remake captured the sound the brothers wanted. Talmy recorded the guitar through two channels, one distorted and one clean, and blended them for a louder, rougher result. Session drummer Bobby Graham played on the track and Arthur Greenslade added piano, with Mick Avory on tambourine. Ray later recalled shouting at Dave during the solo, and Dave swearing back, a moment he believes can faintly be heard on the tape.
Released in August 1964, the single went to No. 1 in the UK and No. 7 in the US, becoming the Kinks' breakthrough after two misses. It also opened their debut album. The song was credited to Ray alone, even though Dave's guitar part defined the record, and that division of credit became a lasting source of tension between the brothers.
The solo
Dave Davies played the lead guitar, including the frantic solo, not Jimmy Page as long rumoured; Page, Shel Talmy and drummer Mick Avory have all confirmed it. The sound was born when Dave, angry and frustrated, cut the speaker cone of his small Elpico amplifier with a razor blade and poked it with a pin. The torn cone rattled and fuzzed, and he chained the Elpico into a Vox AC30 to push it harder. Talmy then mixed a distorted guitar channel with a clean one. The solo itself is short and wild, a burst of fast, jagged picking over the two-chord riff that sounds as much like an eruption as a planned lead. Dave has said he alone created the tone, and he rejected claims that knitting needles were involved.
Legacy
Musicologist Robert Walser called it the first hit built around power chords, and it is widely treated as a blueprint for hard rock and heavy metal. Rolling Stone ranked it No. 82 among the 500 greatest songs and No. 4 among the greatest guitar songs, Q placed it ninth among guitar tracks, and it entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999. Jimi Hendrix called it a landmark record, and Pete Townshend credited it for shaping The Who's 'I Can't Explain'.
Top 10 facts about You Really Got Me
Ray Davies wrote the song on piano at home between 9 and 12 March 1964.
WikipediaPye refused to fund a re-recording after the first version, so the band's management paid for the July session.
WikipediaDave Davies created the distorted tone by slicing his Elpico amp's speaker cone with a razor blade and piercing it with a pin.
WikipediaJimmy Page has repeatedly denied playing the solo, and producer Shel Talmy has also said Page was not on the track.
WikipediaTalmy recorded the guitar on two channels, one distorted and one clean, and combined them.
SongfactsThe original lyric was 'you, you really got me'; 'girl' was added to appeal to a teenage audience.
SongfactsSession musician Bobby Graham, not Mick Avory, played drums on the hit recording.
WikipediaRay Davies wrote that Dave's reply to his shouted encouragement during the solo is faintly audible on the record.
WikipediaA concertgoer once praised Dave Davies for his 'great cover of the Van Halen song'.
WikipediaA 2005 BBC radio poll named it the best British song of 1955-1965.
Wikipedia
Live versions
- Live at Kelvin Hall (Glasgow) (1967) Recorded in Glasgow in 1967 for the Kinks' first live album.
- Saturday Night Live medley (1977) Played on US television alongside 'All Day and All of the Night', 'A Well Respected Man' and 'Lola'.
- One for the Road (1980) Arena-rock era live version, issued as a US single backed with 'Attitude'.
- To the Bone (Mann Music Center, Philadelphia) (1994) Late-career recording showing the song still anchoring Kinks sets three decades on.
Notable covers
- Van Halen (1978) Their debut single, a heavier, supercharged version; reached No. 36 in the US.
- The Who Played it frequently; Townshend drew on its approach for 'I Can't Explain'.
- The Smithereens (with The Kinks) (1991) Boston performance with the Kinks later issued on Attack of the Smithereens (1995).
In our lists
- The Greatest Solo of Every Year — #21
- The Road Trip 50 — #13
- The 25 Greatest Rock and Roll Guitar Solos — #3
- The Pioneers: 1950s & 60s — #12
- Short & Perfect — #4
- Solos in Hit Singles — #13
- Critics' Picks — #21
Sources
- Music in Minnesota: 38 Best Guitar Solos Of All Time — #7
- liamrecord.blog: 洋楽ロックを代表する心に刺さる 名曲ギターソロ、ベスト20 — #9
- Classic Rock (Louder): The 100 greatest guitar solos in rock — #18
- uDiscover Music: The Best Guitar Solos Of All Time: 108 Amazing Moments — #35
- Rolling Stone: The 100 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time — #36
- Bombay Lives (Substack): 100 Greatest Guitar Solos — #59
- Topito (now 10h26.com): Top 100 des plus grands solos de guitare de l'histoire (Benoit Floyd) — #59
- Radio Beat: 88 kytarových sól na Beatu — #68
- Magazyn Gitarzysta: 100 solówek wszech czasów [100 solos of all time] — #69
- Digital Dream Door: 250 Greatest Rock Guitar Solos — #75
- Far Out Magazine: The 10 greatest guitar solos from the 1960s
- RAG Music: ギターソロがかっこいい洋楽の名曲まとめ
- Wikipedia: You Really Got Me
- Songfacts: You Really Got Me
What guitar was used on the You Really Got Me solo?
A harmony meteor through an Elpico amp, with slashed speaker, according to widely reported accounts.
Where does You Really Got Me rank among the greatest guitar solos?
#57 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 11 of them.
Who played the guitar solo on You Really Got Me?
Dave Davies of the Kinks; the rumour that Jimmy Page played it has been denied by Page and producer Shel Talmy.
How did the Kinks get the distorted sound?
Dave Davies slashed the speaker cone of his Elpico amp with a razor blade and ran it into a Vox AC30.
Who wrote You Really Got Me?
Ray Davies is the sole credited writer; he composed it on the piano in 1964.
What album is You Really Got Me on?
It appears on the Kinks' 1964 debut album, Kinks.
Did Van Halen cover You Really Got Me?
Yes, it was Van Halen's first single in 1978 and reached No. 36 on the Hot 100.