The Kinks song that “ripped off” Chuck Berry: “His lyrics were on a par with Dylan”
Throughout their iconic career, The Kinks built a blueprint for all British bands to follow for decades to come. However, at the start of their journey, the Davies brothers were still discovering their unique sound and looked further afield for influences.
Looking back now, it feels as though the band are as unique as you might hope to find during the explosion of pop during the 1960s. They dressed with suave mocksy, they delivered stories within their music that spoke specifically to the British condition, and they seemed to transmit a sense of understated cool with everything they did. It felt as though they had no inspiration at all, let alone some from across The Pond.
One of their key inspirations was the legendary guitarist Chuck Berry, who the band later admitted they “ripped off” on one early track.
The Kinks’ love of Berry can be distilled into one action, which says everything about their admiration for the late musician. Their self-titled 1964 album was a mix of original tracks and covers of songs from their record collection. The opener is ‘Beautiful Delilah’, which was first recorded by Berry, and sees The Kinks wear their influences firmly on the sleeve.
Additionally, elsewhere on the album, they covered ‘Too Much Monkey Business’, a track originally performed by Berry in 1956. While the lead single ‘You Really Got Me’ is a proto-punk anthem which heavily changed the fabric of British music, there was a strong R&B feel to their debut, which they transported from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
Berry’s influence on The Kinks’ first collection of songs transcended the covers they elected to place on the album and even found its way into inspiring their own original contributions to the LP. An example is the second track on the record, ‘So Mystifying’, which Ray Davies later said “ripped off” their hero.
During a conversation with The Los Angeles Times, the singer was asked about The Kinks’ creation, which rips off another artist, and he responded by revealing how Berry shaped ‘So Mystifying’. Ray then described the blues musician as “one of the underrated poets in American culture.”
Dave Davies was equally inspired by Berry, once telling Louder Sound: “Chuck Berry was the key to everything that happened in the ’60s. His lyrics were on a par with Dylan and my brother. I eventually met him at an airport in Atlanta. [Long pause] Shit, I’m getting emotional here. He had these great shoes – white and brown brogues, but kind of 50s style. I looked at him and was speechless.”
The guitarist continued to recall the encounter: “Then he started swearing at some flight attendant who’d put him in the wrong seat. I was thinking, ‘Wow, I wish I could swear like that!’ I was just completely in awe of him, while I think he just thought I was some cocky kid.”
He continued: “He ended up saying things like: ‘Sure, yeah, how you doin’?’ and ‘Oh, you’re in a band called the Kinks?’ Humouring me, I suppose. He was looking over his shoulder and waiting for the flight to be called and the lights to go up. He had incredible presence.”
John Lennon once said that if you were to find another name for rock and roll it might well be Chuck Berry, and it is hard to disagree. But considering the wide variety of bands and guitarists he inspired he simply isn;t treated with the same amount of revery he deserves. While duck-walking and his cantankerous off-stage personality might be best left forgotten, his lyricism and ear for a riff are the foundation of everything we know today about music.
Lennon knew it, The Kinks knew, well, just about everyone in the 1960s knew it. But for some reason, today, Berry’s name is forgotten among those who followed him.
Listen below to The Kinks’ attempt at sounding like Chuck Berry on ‘So Mystifying’ below.
