The Kinks - You Really Got Me
"You Really Got Me" by The Kinks stands as one of the most influential rock songs of the 1960s and a pivotal moment in the development of hard rock and heavy metal. Written by frontman Ray Davies and released as the band's third single in 1964, the song became the Kinks' breakthrough hit, establishing them as one of the top British Invasion acts in the United States. During the spring of 1964, Ray Davies initially conceived the song as a more laid-back, jazz-oriented number centered around a piano or saxophone line. However, when he played the chords to his younger brother Dave Davies, the Kinks' lead guitarist, Dave recognized that the riff would be much more powerful on guitar. This decision to transform the song into a guitar-centered track proved to be career-defining, as the resulting sound was radically different from anything the band had recorded before.
The recording process for "You Really Got Me" was fraught with tension and nearly didn't happen at all. The Kinks recorded the song at least twice in mid-1964, likely around June and July. The band's first full studio version was slower and less emphatic than the final single, with producer Shel Talmy covering the track in reverb that buried the lead guitar. The band was dissatisfied with this version and wanted to re-record it, but their record company Pye refused to fund another session since the band's first two singles had failed to chart. Ray Davies threatened that he would refuse to perform or promote the single unless it was re-recorded, and manager Larry Page also refused to publish the original recording. When Pye stood its ground, the band's own management broke the stalemate by funding the session themselves. The final version was recorded in July 1964, with session drummer Bobby Graham playing drums (despite Mick Avory having joined the band, Talmy didn't trust him and had him play tambourine instead). The song's revolutionary guitar sound came from Dave Davies' damaged amplifier, though the Davies brothers have disputed over the years exactly how the distortion was achieved—Ray claims he stuck knitting needles through the speaker, while Dave insists he sliced the amp's speaker cone with a razor blade.
The impact of "You Really Got Me" was immediate and far-reaching. Released in the UK on August 4, 1964, it climbed to number one on September 16, where it stayed for two weeks. When it first charted in the U.S. on September 26, 1964, it was already number one on the British pop charts, and it would reach number seven on the U.S. Hot 100. The song's novel use of power chords and distortion heavily influenced later rock musicians, particularly in the heavy metal and punk rock genres. Its raw, aggressive guitar riff became a template for countless rock songs that followed, and the track has been covered by numerous artists over the decades. Most notably, Van Halen recorded a new version of the song for their self-titled debut album in 1978, turning it into a Top 40 single all over again and helping spark a Kinks revival in the process. "You Really Got Me" remains a fundamental building block of rock music, representing the moment when the genre took a decisive turn toward heavier, more aggressive sounds.
The Kinks - You Really Got Me Lyrics
Girl, you really got me goin'
You got me so I don't know what I'm doin'
Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night
Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I don't know what I'm doin', now
Oh yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night
You Really Got Me
You Really Got Me
You Really Got Me
See, don't ever set me free
I always wanna be by your side
Girl, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night
Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I don't know what I'm doin', now
Oh yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night
You Really Got Me
You Really Got Me
You Really Got Me
Oh no...
(solo)
See, don't ever set me free
I always wanna be by your side
Girl, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night
Yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I don't know what I'm doin', now
Oh yeah, you really got me now
You got me so I can't sleep at night
You Really Got Me
You Really Got Me
You Really Got Me