100 Records That Shook The World, #70

You Really Got Me

The Kinks

The Kinks, a band formed in London's Muswell Hill by brothers Ray and Dave Davies, are one of the most important and influential bands of the 'British Invasion' era and beyond. It has been suggested many times that 'You Really Got Me' was the first punk record, and the band paved the way for acts like Hendrix, Cream, Zeppelin, Sabbath, The Stooges and yes, even the Pistols.

One of the most persistent myths about the song is the old chestnut about Jimmy Page playing the solo on the track. In fact, the band has always maintained that the solo was by the then-seventeen-year-old Dave Davies, and Page himself has gone so far as to say "I didn't play on 'You Really Got Me' and that's what pisses him (Ray Davies) off."

Fact is, Jimmy played on several Kinks sessions as a rhythm guitarist a few weeks after 'You Really Got Me' was recorded, but Jon Lord, keyboardist for Deep Purple, who allegedly played piano on the song (it was either him or Arthur Greenslade), maintains it was Jimmy's solo, while producer Shel Talmy says Jimmy was only playing rhythm. Perhaps we'll never know. Either way, it's a fabulous song, and firmly established The Kinks as a force to be reckoned with.