Dead End Street (song)
Encyclopedia
"Dead End Street" is a song by the British
band The Kinks
from 1966, written by main songwriter Ray Davies
. Like many other songs written by Davies, it is slightly influenced by British Music Hall
. It was originally released as a non-album single, but has since been included as one of several bonus tracks from the Face to Face
CD. The song, like many others by the group, deals with the poverty and misery found in the lower classes
of English society. The song was a big success in the UK, reaching #5 on the singles charts, but only reached #73 in the United States
. In 1976 it ranked #72 on New Musical Express's list of the Top 100 Singles of All Time.
.
The video was filmed in black and white, and featured each member of the band dressed as undertakers, as well as playing various other characters throughout. With a length of roughly 3:15 in total, it represents one of the first true "music videos". Dave Davies
says that the BBC
disliked the film, claiming it was in bad taste.
The song was recorded at a time when Pete Quaife
had left the band after a car accident. While bassist John Dalton
performs on the track, Quaife had returned to the group by the time the video was shot.
band The Jam
.
The song and its music video influenced Oasis
's #1 hit "The Importance of Being Idle
" from 2005.
An unreleased alternative recording of the song from October 1966 was issued in December 2008 on the Kinks 6-CD box set Picture Book.
In 2010, Davies also recorded this as a duet with Amy Macdonald
on the album See My Friends
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
band The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
from 1966, written by main songwriter Ray Davies
Ray Davies
Ray Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
. Like many other songs written by Davies, it is slightly influenced by British Music Hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
. It was originally released as a non-album single, but has since been included as one of several bonus tracks from the Face to Face
Face to Face (The Kinks album)
Face to Face, released in 1966 on Pye Records in the United Kingdom and on Reprise Records in the United States, is the fourth UK studio album by The Kinks. A major artistic breakthrough for Kinks' songwriter Ray Davies, the LP represents the first full flowering of Davies' use of narrative,...
CD. The song, like many others by the group, deals with the poverty and misery found in the lower classes
Social class
Social classes are economic or cultural arrangements of groups in society. Class is an essential object of analysis for sociologists, political scientists, economists, anthropologists and social historians. In the social sciences, social class is often discussed in terms of 'social stratification'...
of English society. The song was a big success in the UK, reaching #5 on the singles charts, but only reached #73 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 1976 it ranked #72 on New Musical Express's list of the Top 100 Singles of All Time.
Music video
A music video was produced for the song in 1966, filmed on Little Green Street, a diminutive eighteenth century lane in North London, located off Highgate Road in Kentish TownKentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of north west London, England in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The most widely accepted explanation of the name of Kentish Town is that it derived from 'Ken-ditch' meaning the 'bed of a waterway'...
.
Dave Davies
David Russell Gordon "Dave" Davies is an English rock musician best known for his role as lead guitarist and vocalist for the English rock band The Kinks....
says that the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
disliked the film, claiming it was in bad taste.
The song was recorded at a time when Pete Quaife
Pete Quaife
Peter Alexander Greenlaw "Pete" Quaife was an English musician, artist and author. He was a founding member and the original bass guitarist for The Kinks, from 1963 until 1969....
had left the band after a car accident. While bassist John Dalton
John Dalton (musician)
John Dalton is a British bass guitar player, best known as a member of The Kinks' from 1969 to 1976, replacing original member Pete Quaife.- Biography :...
performs on the track, Quaife had returned to the group by the time the video was shot.
Covers and alternative versions
The song has been covered by the Mod revivalMod Revival
The mod revival was a music genre and subculture that started in England in 1978 and later spread to other countries . The mod revival's mainstream popularity was relatively short, although its influence has lasted for decades...
band The Jam
The Jam
The Jam were an English punk rock/New Wave/mod revival band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. They were formed in Woking, Surrey. While they shared the "angry young men" outlook and fast tempos of their punk rock contemporaries, The Jam wore smartly tailored suits rather than ripped...
.
The song and its music video influenced Oasis
Oasis (band)
Oasis were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1991. Originally known as The Rain, the group was formed by Liam Gallagher , Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs , Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan and Tony McCarroll , who were soon joined by Liam's older brother Noel Gallagher...
's #1 hit "The Importance of Being Idle
The Importance of Being Idle (song)
"The Importance of Being Idle" is a song by the English rock band Oasis from their sixth album, Don't Believe the Truth, written and sung by lead guitarist Noel Gallagher. It was the second single released from the album in the UK, on 22 August 2005, where it debuted at number one...
" from 2005.
An unreleased alternative recording of the song from October 1966 was issued in December 2008 on the Kinks 6-CD box set Picture Book.
In 2010, Davies also recorded this as a duet with Amy Macdonald
Amy MacDonald
Amy MacDonald is an American author of children's books. Her works include Little Beaver and the Echo, which has been translated into 28 languages around the world, and Rachel Fister's Blister. Her first book, a satire of Jill Krementz's children's books, was A Very Young Housewife.Amy MacDonald...
on the album See My Friends
See My Friends (album)
-Track listing:#"Better Things" - Ray Davies and Bruce Springsteen#"Celluloid Heroes" - Ray Davies, Jon Bon Jovi and Richie Sambora#"Days/This Time Tomorrow" - Ray Davies and Mumford & Sons#"A Long Way from Home" - Ray Davies, Lucinda Williams and The 88...
.
Personnel
- Ray DaviesRay DaviesRay Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
-Lead vocals, guitar - Dave DaviesDave DaviesDavid Russell Gordon "Dave" Davies is an English rock musician best known for his role as lead guitarist and vocalist for the English rock band The Kinks....
-Guitar, bass, backing vocals - John DaltonJohn Dalton (musician)John Dalton is a British bass guitar player, best known as a member of The Kinks' from 1969 to 1976, replacing original member Pete Quaife.- Biography :...
-Bass, backing vocals - Mick AvoryMick AvoryMichael Charles "Mick" Avory is an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer and percussionist for the British rock band, The Kinks, joining them shortly after their formation in 1964 and remaining with them until 1984, when he left amid creative friction with guitarist Dave Davies...
-drums - Nicky HopkinsNicky HopkinsNicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins was an English pianist and organist.He recorded and performed on noted British and American popular music recordings of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s as a session musician....
-piano
- It is unknown who played trombone on the song.