"Better Things" by The Kinks

Better Things by The Kinks

In 1981 the British invasion band The Kinks were riding a wave of popularity. They were selling out arena's and theaters all over the world.  In fact, within a year I saw 2 sold out Kinks shows.  The first was at Boston City Music Hall and the second was at the old Boston Garden.

People remember them as the band that, in 1964, revolutionized garage rock with the songs You Really Got Me & All Day and All of the Night.  But then a US touring ban short circuited the Kinks rise to world fame.  They made some great records that sold quite well in England but not so well in America.  By the late 60's their music had become thematically introspective and nostalgic which doesn't hold a lot of interest for the more forward looking American teenage music buyer.

But then in 1970 they captured the worlds attention with the hit song Lola.  This song became an FM radio staple for the next 2 decades.  A few years later in 1978 Van Halen hit with a cover of  You Really Got Me which featured a frenetic virtuoso guitar intro by Eddie Van Halen.

At that moment the Kinks were in the middle of a strong creative period. Before the Van Halen release They had achieved strong radio play and sales for the songs Sleepwalker, Juke Box Music, Father Christmas, & Rock & Roll Fantasy which was already raising the US national awareness of this former British invasion band.

After the Van Halen cover the Kinks had success with the songs Superman, Catch Me Now I'm Falling, Destroyer, Low Budget, & live versions of both Lola and You Really Got Me.  This fueled strong record sales and even stronger concert ticket sales and finally brought the Kinks the connection with American audience and fame  they never enjoyed before.

In the middle of all this the band released a song called Better Things, which is one of the finest songs the Davies Brothers ever recorded.  It wasn't a big seller and it only received modest radio airplay.  But it featured a nice Elton John style piano intro and a Pretenders inspired guitar sound.  The Pretenders themselves had a hit covering the Kinks Stop Your Sobbing. 

With the lyric "I hope tomorrow you find better things" Ray Davies is telling the world that while yesterday may have been shit that doesn't mean tomorrow will be. It is unusual and touching that a band would write lyrics that reads like a well wishing letter or perhaps even a prayer to a friend who happens to be you.  Please give it a listen I think you'll really enjoy it...