The “perfect” song David Gilmour and Damon Albarn both wish they’d written
Music might be subjective, but when countless legends all agree that one particular track is a winner, surely that means something. When both David Gilmour and Damon Albarn are green with envy that they didn’t pen certain lyrics, that just has to be a sign.
The world’s songbook is an interesting thing. Every now and then, a song comes out that is so universally powerful that it seems to enter a whole other realm, becoming a track that it almost feels like people are born knowing. ‘Hey Jude’ by The Beatles is one, ‘Wonderwall’ by Oasis is another, and then we have ‘Waterloo Sunset’ by The Kinks.
Whether people think they know the track or not, or whether they remember the lyrics in their entirety, I’d bet that most people know the tune, or would at least feel a pang of familiarity when that guitar intro kicks to life.
It’s one of those songs you really only have to hear once or twice to recall forever, as it seems like the Davies brothers sprinkled some magic into it. That’s undoubtedly part of the reason why it became such a huge hit back in 1967 and has endured as such a beloved tune.
So yeah, music is subjective, but when it comes to a song like ‘Waterloo Sunset’, it feels like an answer to the question of whether there is such a thing as a universal, unquestionably good song.
Both Damon Albarn and David Gilmour would say so, as the two icons, both from different eras and working in different genres, agree that The Kinks’ track is a special one. In fact, both wish they’d written it.
“For me, the perfect pop song is ‘Waterloo Sunset’ by The Kinks. I would have loved to have written that,” Gilmour said. As a man who has penned some of the best rock songs ever made, it’s no light praise that he wishes he hadn’t written The Kinks’ simpler ditty.
Albarn feels the same. “’Waterloo Sunset’ by Ray Davies [The Kinks]. Without a shadow of a doubt. It’s the most perfect song I could ever hope to write, with my sort of voice,” he said, agreeing with Gilmour on the track’s perfection, and sharing in his envy.
But where does magic come from? Had Blur released ‘Waterloo Sunset’, would it have been adopted quite the same? Could Pink Floyd have brought it into the world of prog-rock? Or, does the magic of the track tie into the zeitgeist, capturing London in the golden age of the mid-1960s?
Who’s to say? Music is entirely subjective, and its movements are elusive, as some songs simply come and go, and others stick around forever, leaving other artists kicking themselves, wishing they could have written that rare and perfect track.
