‘This Is Where I Belong’: Black Francis’ favourite song by The Kinks
The Kinks were a truly iconic group of the swinging sixties age, creating some of the greatest rock and roll anthems of the era. However, the band had so much more to offer than the likes of ‘You Really Got Me’. Their pioneering distortion, proto-punk stylings and pop sensibilities often overshadow the real driving force behind The Kinks’ success: the songwriting genius of Ray Davies.
Davies’ writing and lyricism have formed some of the most enduring and profound tracks in British musical history. From the timeless romanticism of ‘Waterloo Sunset’ to the new wave stylings of ‘Destroyer’, Davies has repeatedly affirmed himself as one of the greatest songwriters of the 20th century. However, he is not often afforded the same levels of praise as some of his contemporaries from the mod rock scene of the 1960s. One person who has never doubted the songwriting of Davies and The Kinks is Black Francis.
Francis, of course, has his own claims to songwriting greatness as the driving force behind Boston alt-rockers Pixies. First formed in 1986, the group would go on to explore a variety of differing styles and genres, drawing inspiration from a plethora of incredible groups, including The Kinks. Given that Pixies were heavily inspired by the punk generation, it should come as no surprise that Francis harbours a love for The Kinks. After all, the London group pioneered a variety of styles and techniques that were later appropriated by punk rock.
For the Pixies frontman, one Kinks track has always remained a firm favourite. “The phrase ‘This Is Where I Belong’ is taped to the side of one of my guitars,” told Magnet in 2008, referring to the band’s 1967 track. Explaining his deep love for the track, Francis said, “While the song can be described as a declaration of love, there’s something deeper for me. It’s a kind of spiritual, a song of acceptance about one’s place in the universe, within the space-time continuum.”
The two-and-a-half-minute track is woefully underrated within The Kinks’ discography, perhaps because it was initially released as the B-side to ‘Mister Pleasant’ after being recorded during the Face to Face sessions. The song has reportedly been a guiding light for Francis throughout his career. “It’s there behind my guitar,” he shared, “singing a song, sometimes singing this very song.”
Highlighting the lyrics, “I won’t search for a house upon the hill/Why should I, when I would only miss you still?” Francis explained, “That is such a heavy statement: about contentment, about truth, about having arrived in the palace of wisdom.” The Kinks’ music is awash with heavy statements, usually masked within catchy three-minute pop tracks, but ‘This Is Where I Belong’ is a particularly profound track.
Seemingly, the song has a lot more to answer for than originally thought, given the consistent inspiration it has provided to Black Francis and, by extension, the genre of alternative rock. In 2011, the Pixies songwriter got a chance to showcase his love for the track, covering it for the Ray Davies collaboration album See My Friends, which saw his appreciation for The Kinks’ track come full circle.
