The Kinks song Paul McCartney wishes he had written: “I should have made that”
As far as British invasion bands went, there were few more ferocious or blazing than The Beatles, who without doubt led the charge of putting these small isles on the transatlantic map of world-beating success. But in this sense, given the mania that ensued in their wake, there weren’t many times that Paul McCartney and Co. looked back to stake out their competitors – but when they did, the green eyes of jealousy still managed to sneak in.
Without wishing to diminish their impact, The Kinks were somewhat of The Beatles’ shadow in the sense that they emerged out of the same deep-rooted rhythm and blues and Merseybeat scene that then, in time, transformed into the rock revolution that took over the decade. But what were the differences between the pair that saw them cast off on such opposing trajectories?
Well, for starters, The Kinks were banned from touring the US in 1965 due to some pretty raucous behaviour, leaving the Fab Four to dominate the States. In certain respects, was Beatlemania purely due to The Kinks’ downfall in this area? Perhaps. But nevertheless, McCartney never stopped admiring the band, maybe for the reason that he knew he could have so easily been in their position.
To that end, there was one Kinks song that Macca wished he could have snatched for himself, never resting on his laurels of The Beatles’ prolific back catalogue and always searching for the next level. He found it in the Ray Davies-penned tune ‘See My Friends’ from 1965, which, upon its release, the latter recalled in his autobiography that McCartney proclaimed: “You bastard! How dare you! I should have made that record.”
While wishing that ‘See My Friends’ could have been his, this is not to say that McCartney didn’t freely take artistic inspiration from it, as its innovative sonics strike a remarkably similar chord to the musical positions that The Beatles would shortly go on to assume. Pioneering the Indian-influenced sub-genre of raga rock, ‘See My Friends’ set an evident precedent within the scene of using the tones of the country and infusing it into rock and roll.
With The Beatles releasing their sitar tune ‘Norwegian Wood’ not four months after The Kinks brought out ‘See My Friends’, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out where the sudden Indian overtures were borne out of. But in this sense, it also goes a long way in breaking down the Fab Four’s impenetrable illusion – as, ultimately, they were no bigger than any other band in taking inspiration from those treading the same boards around them.
When you look at it like that, what Macca then went on to helm with his band in the form of Sgt Pepper and The Magical Mystery Tour may never have existed if it wasn’t for The Kinks leading the way – though you might not often catch him admitting to that. It also demonstrates the sheer calibre of the British invasion, as although one group dominated the charge, all the others were just as vital in backing up the battalion.
