While they might be dubbed one of the most quintessentially British outfits, with their sharp look and songs about the sunset over Waterloo, The Kinks made a tremendous impact on the trajectory of music and popular culture outside of this aspect. Of course, without them spiritually, there’d likely be no The Libertines or Arctic Monkeys, but much of rock and its off-shoots can also be attributed to them.
With their 1964 single ‘You Really Got Me’, The Kinks took off meteorically and cemented themselves as undisputed innovators. Comprised of the sound of guitarist Dave Davies’ slashed amplifier – which heightened the distorted effect – his crunching power chords, and a noisy solo, this was the moment that rock became genuinely frenzied. A love song written for the rough urban environment, it was augmented by Davies’ fury, which effectively started rock’s long journey to punk and metal being born.
The song reached the top of the Record Retailer charts in the UK, peaked at number seven in the US, and had a widespread influence on those in the know. At the time, rock music was gradually capturing the hearts and minds of the younger generation as they looked to create a world in their image. They bore the blueprint The Kinks set out and took it in many thrilling directions. One man who was particularly inspired by the track was The Who leader and guitarist Pete Townshend, who later recalled that their debut single ‘I Can’t Explain’ was directly inspired by The Kinks’ efforts.
Other consequential artists who noted the importance of the anthem in their careers also included Jimi Hendrix, Tom Petty, and John Lydon. The Kinks’ angry genius was much more forward-thinking than anything their British Invasion counterparts, The Beatles, were doing at the time.
Another prominent act who were influenced by ‘You Really Got Me’ was the American metal band Van Halen. Boasting the sheer fretboard force of guitarist Eddie Van Halen, the quartet covered the song as the lead single of their 1978 self-titled debut.
Naturally, it puts an appropriately bombastic slant on the original, comprised of the axeman’s searing solos, mammoth dive bombs and a hefty dose of spandex-clad cheese. A vital release in the band becoming such a commercial juggernaut, they were fully aware of their route to the 1960s classic. They purposefully tried to update it for their era and appeal to the masses.
However, Eddie Van Halen would express his disdain for the song being used as his group’s debut single, decrying its lack of originality: “It kind of bummed me out that Ted [Templeman] wanted our first single to be someone else’s tune. I would have maybe picked ‘Jamie’s Cryin”, just because it was our own.”
The song would also split opinions in The Kinks. While guitar hero Dave Davies has questioned the track, his brother, the group’s frontman Ray, described it as a “great idea” when speaking to Guitar World in 1997.
Recalling his initial reaction to hearing it, he said: “The great thing about them, I understand, is that they took ‘You Really Got Me’ up a tone and played it in A. That allows you to thrash the chords out more, and it changed the sound of the whole thing–playing an open G and then slamming your hand down to the A. Whereas we did it in G and had to play barre chords and slide them. It was a great idea. More no-nonsense than our version.”
