Song#: 2166
Date: 12/22/1984
Debut: 87
Peak: 41
Weeks: 10
Genre: Rock
Pop Bits: The Kinks got the fifth (and final) Pop Top 10 of their career with "Come Dancing" (#6), the first single from their album State of Confusion. Another Top 30 single would follow, which helped send the album to #12. Nearly a year and a half later, the band returned with their next LP, Word of Mouth. This track was selected as the first single and it did well at Rock getting to #4. It tried to catch on a Pop, but couldn't quite break through and it ended up peaking at the dreaded #41 spot. It would end up being the band's final single to reach the Pop chart. They would grab a few more entries on the Rock chart over the next few years, but by 1996, the band had reached the end of the line and parted ways.
ReduxReview: The Kinks return to a more rock-oriented sound following the pop-nostalgia of "Come Dancing." When I saw the title of the song, I didn't think I knew it. Once it started and it got to the chorus, I thought "oh, the 'back where we started' song!" I guess I never realized it was titled "Do It Again." This was a good song and it probably should have gotten into the Top 40. I woudn't peg it for a hit at Pop, but it was a solid Rock track for the band. Not a bad song to go out on.
ReduxRating: 7/10
Trivia: Double Shot! 1) Many artists would cover songs from The Kinks, but only a handful would reach the charts with their versions. In the US, the most successful remake of a Ray Davies tune would happen in 1966 via an unlikely artist. The Kinks recorded the song "Dandy" for their 1966 album Face to Face. The song would not be issued in the US or the UK as a single, but it was in a few European countries getting into a few Top 10's. The song was quickly covered by the quirky UK band Herman's Hermits. It was issued as a single in North America and became a hit both in the US (#5) and in Canada (#1). It was the band's tenth US Top 10 hit. 2) The Kinks main singer/songwriter, Ray Davies, would do a few solo albums over the years. His biggest chart success came in 2017 when his album Americana got to #79. The album was a musical extension of a book he wrote in 2013 titled Americana: The Kinks, the Riff, the Road: The Story. The book and album concerned Davies' experiences touring and living in America.
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The Low Budget album was my real introduction to The Kinks. Later on I got the Come Dancing with the Kinks: The Best of 1977-1986 collection and I was astonished by how many great songs they put out during that time. I still visit the Kinks folder of my mp3s often. And on a good morning I'll hop out of bed and sing "Day after day I get up and I say, Come on do it again!"
ReplyDeleteNice! Yeah, The Kinks are still a bit on my undiscovered list. I know a lot of the hits, but I really need to dive in on their classic 60s/70s albums.
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