Alyson Camus Writes:
The Kinks’ bassist, Pete Quailfe, died a few days ago, and it is probably not very original to talk about them using one of their best-known songs ‘Waterloo Sunset’ from their album ‘Something Else’, but it’s worth it regardless.
Like for many other songs I like a lot, I was too young to remember anything about the release of ‘Waterloo Sunset’ in May 1967. I’m not even sure the Kinks had a lot of exposure when and where I grew up, so I don’t know how I became aware of this song, but I have the feeling I have always known it, without having really listened to it, do you know this strange feeling? It’s part of you and you don’t know how it ended up in your brain.
It’s true it’s not a difficult song to like, so many artists have praised it, covered it from David Bowie, Def Leppard to Peter Gabriel, but contrary to many people who love it, I have no childhood memory attached to it, no Proust’s Madeleine at all for me, it is just an emotion that may have awaken memories connected to other songs.
The song, which is about the Waterloo neighborhood described as unwelcoming, crowded and dirty, has the power to make you happy and sad at the same time. Ray Davies wrote the song while realizing Waterloo was a very significant place in his life, one of his inspirations for the song coming from a childhood memory when he was ill in St. Thomas’ Hospital, looking out on the river. Waterloo is not a particularly beautiful place, but that’s not the point, the place he is talking about is not really physical, it’s magical.
The upbeat melody is so light and effortless you catch it right away, with first the drum’s beats that build up the tempo, the melancholic guitar melody that delightfully pours in your head as golden honey in your favorite tea, and then the vocal harmonies that sing about a place so grey and make it so colorful.
It is a jubilation to acclaim the place he has found, the territory he can look at and be happy, the sunset over Waterloo, a sort of celebration and enjoyment of being alone, just by yourself, a desire to find an inner world within the whole world.
But I don’t see it as a disconnection from the world, on the contrary, the song’s lyrics show a profound connection with everything about this place, the dirty river, the millions of people so busy, the taxi lights that shine so bright, the two lovers that cross over the river, the song is so atmospheric!
His loneliness is deeply anchored in the real world, making him apart, but experiencing all these real scenes, alone and together with the world at the same time.
Iman Lababedi Writes:
1) If you can, try and remix with only the backup harmonys. That would be Ray’s ex wife Raisa, a lovely singer, uncredited on the album
2. Waterloo Station is like Grand central Station only uglier
3. 1967 was the height of Swingin’ London, Carnaby Street, etc and, like the masterpiece of an album it is from, Something Else by the Kinks, it is a step out of fahion and out of time.
4. A true recherche de temp perdu!!