Song: “You Really Got Me”
A song that introduced fuzz to rock — and sibling discord, as well
Distorted guitars have been a signature part of rock music for as long as most of us can remember, but before Ray Davies of the Kinks got his girlfriend pregnant, they were unheard of — literally.
In 1964, when Davies got his then-girlfriend, Sue Sheehan, pregnant, their parents didn’t want them to get married. Irate, Davies took a razor blade, and rather than cutting himself, he took his rage out on the cone of his cheap Elpico amp. When he later played through the amp, the sound of the slashed speaker created a fuzzy tone.
In the recording studio, the wounded Elpico was hooked into a Vox amp, and the sound they got changed the course of rock history. “You Really Got Me” became the first big hit to use distortion.
- Sheehan had the baby, a girl named Tracey who finally met Davies in 1993.
Ray is the only Davies credited as songwriter on this track. This was one of many friction points for the brothers, who are near the top of any list of the most combative siblings in rock.
When they recorded the song, Ray was 22 and Dave was 17.
Two other famous covers of the song are provided in this week’s feature — Van Halen’s 1978 cover, and Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers 1997 cover. All are audio only.
Enjoy!