The cover that shocked The Kinks: “A chasm between the two versions”
Having your song covered can mean one of two things: either the covering artist wants to pay tribute to a favourite song of theirs, or they think they can do a far superior job. The Kinks have been on the receiving end of this many times, but it’s often hard to figure out what the intention of a cover is when you wrote it.
From The Fall’s incendiary version of ‘Victoria’ to The Raincoats’ brilliantly naive interpretation of ‘Lola’, there have been many unusual covers of the British band’s work that have placed their music in an entirely different context. However, there’s one that sticks out above all others for how it captures the raucous energy of the original and dials it up a notch.
Aside from the rip-roaring guitar solos that are a considerable amount more flashy than Dave Davies’ efforts, Van Halen’s interpretation of ‘You Really Got Me’ doesn’t feel too dramatically different from the source material. Released on their self-titled 1978 debut album, it’s one of two songs that the heavy metal legends covered from the Kinks’ catalogue, and it undoubtedly their most celebrated version of one of their songs.
It can be argued that the rawness of the song is captured perfectly, and while Van Halen were a metal band inspired by punk, The Kinks already predicted the emergence of punk with their version as early as 1964. Yes, the production is a lot more polished, which takes away some of the grit that the original had, but there’s enough snarl in the vocals of David Lee Roth, and the way in which the rest of the band shred through the track and provide backing vocals remains faithful to its creators.
Davies, however, didn’t agree with the sentiment that Van Halen kept as close as they could to the original, and claimed that their version was so far removed from what the Kinks’ intentions were with the song. While he could have just conceded that being covered by a massive act in the ascendency ought to only be a good thing, given how it shines a light on your work to a new audience, he doubled down on the perceived differences between the versions.
“When I heard the guys’ version of it, I felt, you know, ‘This sounds really flashy,’” he told the Van Halen News Desk website. “It depicted the era, didn’t it? In that it was in the era when stadium rock was big, and guitars were flasher, and tight trousers, and swanky. There’s a chasm between the two versions: one’s about a comfortable American urban life, and one is about a raunchy, desperate kind of survival instinct.”
However, what Davies did have to agree on was that they did an impressive job. “I’m not saying it wasn’t a good record,” he continued. “It always makes you feel good when people are inspired by your work.” As much as the Kinks became known for producing some of the greatest works of the British Invasion, ‘You Really Got Me’ remains one of their most beloved tracks, and if we’re being honest, Van Halen’s version remains the best cover of it.
