Ticket 2 Ride

This Friday Five, the impossible chore of picking five Kinks songs. Sadly, The Kinks stopped releasing new material in the 1990s, but they gave us quite a legacy of recorded works prior to their hiatus.

These are my five selections, songs I grew up with. Please reply with your five, and why you chose them.

“You Really Got Me” (1964) from their debut album. Those opening guitar chords are iconic and one of the first famous riff rock and roll songs. The playing is intended to be rough, distorted and convey a swagger. It does. Written by Ray Davies, this song put The Kinks on the map. This is what rock and roll was about in the mid-1960s, cool riffs and a lot swing.

“Tired of Waiting for You” (1965) the lead single from The Kinks second album, Kinda Kinks. Also written by Ray Davies. This song proved the Kinks were for real and more than just three-chord rockers.

“Waterloo Sunset” (1967) from the album, Something Else. Written and produced by Ray Davies. The elegant and thoughtful social commentary from Ray Davies, who wasn’t just about smashing things to bits, but appreciating who we are, and where we came from.

“Lola” (1970) from the Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One. Written and produced by Ray Davies. Who was Lola and why did they prefer cherry cola? A great concert singalong song.

“Catch Me Now I’m Falling” (1979) from Low Budget. Written and produced by Ray Davies. I could have picked almost anything from Low Budget, a masterful album and my favorite Kinks album.

There are so many other songs that could have been on this list, it would have been the Friday Twenty-Five.