Ronan O'BrienPower chords and distorted guitars have been staples of rock, punk and metal music for what seems like always. What many fail to realise, is that every single song that uses these elements can trace it back to one song: “You Really Got Me” by The Kinks.
The Kinks
The Kinks existed around the time of The Beatles, yet lack the height of success that the Fab Four enjoyed. While understandable to an extent, I find this highly unfair as The Kinks were as trailblazing as their Liverpudlian counterparts.
The band formed in 1962 in North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. Immersed in music from an early age, they took direct inspiration from the skiffle and rockabilly subgenres that were rampant at the time. The brothers formed their first band with schoolmate Peter Quaife. They dabbled with many other early members, including the now-legendary Rod Stewart. The original quartet was completed with the addition of Mick Avory on drums, who had briefly played with an emerging band called The Rolling Stones. I wonder if they ever made it big.
Performing under the stage name, The Ravens, the band operated under the watchful eyes of producer Shel Talmy and promoter Arthur Howes. The latter was working as a promoter for The Beatles at the same time. After many unsuccessful attempts to break into the music scene, the band were signed by Pye Records. Once signed, the band wasted no time in releasing their first single. This came in the form of a Little Richard cover, “Long Tall Sally“. While this and their second single, “You Still Want Me“ went relatively unnoticed, the public’s ears were truly open to the band’s third. “You Really Got Me“ became a worldwide hit, and sparked generations of rock subgenres in the decades that followed.
The Distortion
The first thing noticed on this two-minute track is the sound emitting from the guitar. While distortion has become a staple in modern rock music, there was next to nothing of this calibre in the early sixties. Today, guitarists have a wide range of pedals and speaker effects that can emulate this sound. But no technology of this sort was available to Dave Davies at the time. Instead, he used an ingenious technique to create that gritty, raw sound that made people take notice.
Toying with a razor blade one evening, he took his frustrations out at a small green Elpico guitar amp whose sound annoyed him. He couldn’t believe his ears when he played through it. The slashed speaker cone emitted a dirty, raw sound to Dave’s driving guitar. Upon hooking it up to another amp, it became louder, and the song had its distinction. Davies brought these findings to the band and Shel Talmy, who wanted the song scrapped originally, was amazed.
Talmy used his own expertise to elevate the sound. He used a two-channel technique to record distorted and clean guitar simultaneously, giving an even bigger sound. The band reportedly even kicked the amp when passing, to make it sound even rougher. According to Davies, he could have easily slashed his own wrists with that blade after his parents made him split up with his then-pregnant girlfriend. Instead, he turned it into a tool that created history.
The Power Chords
Now into the technicalities. The Kinks and many bands at that time were known for jangly, bluesy guitar lines that bridged the gap between fifties’ R&B-style and the modern, evolved rock sound. With just one chord, The Kinks changed that. The power chord.
The power chord is essentially two or more notes played simultaneously on guitar, mostly the root note and the fifth. While Davies did not create this, like distortion, he popularised it in immense style. “You Really Got Me” became one of the very first hit-songs that were centred around power chords. This driving rhythm Davies incorporated gave the song a terrific, confrontational appeal. It was unapologetic, and oh so enjoyable.
The chord progression is relatively simple, alternating between the F and G power chords. Naturally, the changes come through the verses and choruses, with the G chord switching up to the A chord and later switching to the C and D chords. This creates variety, as well as that instantly recognisable hook. Add to that the raw distorted sound with a slashed amp cone, it creates a driving, intense rhythm that can’t be forgotten.
The Legacy
“You Really Got Me” turned The Kinks from another local band to a global sensation. Not only did the song propel their success, it turned The Kinks into one of the main acts leading “The British Invasion” of America. Upon the song’s release in 1964, the demand grew so big that Pye Records had to cease all other record production to solely produce copies of the single.
The techniques displayed in the song also became an inspiration to some of the greatest guitarists in modern history. Pete Townshend of The Who used similar power chords in “My Generation“ while Jimi Hendrix described it as a “landmark”. As well as inspiring guitarists at the time, the use of distortion and power chords inspired many others who went on to spearhead new genres of music.
Without this song, punk rock would have looked very different. The Ramones, The Clash and The Jam, among countless others were influenced by The Kinks and use similar techniques in their songwriting. In a similar vein, heavy metal also found its roots thanks to this song. Van Halen and Black Sabbath were early contemporaries of this style, which again has only grown to become a staple within the genre.
The Kinks were one of the most innovative bands that appear to be somewhat glossed over by musical history. Without them, the three-chord progression and riff-based songs that we know and love would have never existed as we know them today. And for that, we owe them our eternal thanks.
