Musical Observation Essay #1 1/2717 “You Really Got Me” by The Kins by Reeves !"oa n 1$%2& brothers brothers Ray Ray an' (ave (avies& (avies& then )ust )ust secon'ary school school stu'ents& the *K e+uivalent o, hi-h school stu'ents& alon- .ith their class"ates eter 0uai,e an' ohn !tart& ,or"e' The Kins& an early -ara-e ban' ban ' .ho contribute' si-ni,icantly to heavy "etal "usic& an' to the un roc sub3-enre in articular4 Eventually they beca"e reco-ni5e' as art o, the 6ritish nvasion& an' their in,luence can easily be seen in their conte"oraries in the invasion& such as The ho an' the Yar'bir's4
They .ere si-ne' to the ye label label in 1$%8& an' their ,irst t.o sin-les .ere release' to little little ,an,are an' sol' rather oorly4 t .as their thir' sin-le ho.ever& the anthe"ic “You “You Really Got Me”& .hich ut the" not only on ly on the charts& but also in the history boos4 9si'e ,ro" a ,e. son-s& inclu'in- the si"ilar Kins hit “9ll (ay an' 9ll o, the :i-ht&” "any o, the son-s on the albu" .eren;t .ritten by the brothers or the other ban' "e"bers& but .ere covers o, oular R<6 artists such as =huc 6erry an' 6o (i''ley4 ithin the scoe o, those covers the Kins si"ly too the ori-inal son-s an' si"ly re3recor'e' the" .ithout chan-in- very "uch& so that asect o, their ,irst albu" is lar-ely uni"ortant& but it .as their ori-inal son-s they are re"e"bere' ,or& in articular ,ro" that ,irst albu"& “You “You Really Got Me”& an' its; ,ollo. u sin-le “9ll (ay 9n' 9ll 9ll o, The :i-ht”4 6oth son-s are very si"ilar to each other in ter"s o, soun'& an' both o, the" hit to 1> on the charts4 “You “You Really Got Me” is an easily reco-ni5able e?a"le o, roto3"etal@ everythin- ,ro" the ra.& rasy rasy sin-in- o, Ray (avies to the -uitar tone an' ubeat te"o soun' lie early asects o,
.hat is no. consi'ere' heavy "etal4 Guitarists ran-in- ,ro" Keith Richar's to E''ie Aan Balen can trace so"e o, the ori-ins o, their -uitar tones to the ,u55y ri,,s o, The Kins4 CAan Balen;s ,irst sin-le .as a cover o, “You Really Got Me4”D On this trac the -uitar is s.athe' .ith a ,u55y tone& .hich& .hile not invente' by The Kins& .as oulari5e' by the" .hen (ave (avies use' a ra5or to slash the ,abric on his a"& an' the bluesy& o.er3chor's soun' "etal to this 'ay4 n articular& the -uitar tone in the son- “!atis,action” by the !tones 'ra.s clear in,luence ,ro" the ,u55 hear' in “You really -ot "e”4
The entire son- is base' aroun' its; ri,,& .ritten by youn-er brother (ave (avies .ho .as only 17 years ol' at the ti"e& an' heavily in,luence' by The Kin-s"en;s cover o, Richar' 6arry;s “ouie ouie&” is easily its; "ost "e"orable art4 The i'ea o, the entire son- bein base' aroun' the -uitar ri,, is a bi- 'eal because -enerally seain-& it .as a ne. i'ea in "usic4 9t the ti"e& basin- certain ele"ents o, a son- a-ainst its ri,, .as certainly not revolutionary& but basin- all o, the ele"ents on the ri,, .as unhear' o,4 n “You Really Got Me” The Kins ,or"e' the bass& ercussion& an' even vocal hrasin- on the si"le& bluesy -uitar .or o, (ave (avies4
Ray;s lyrics ,or"e' the basis ,or so"e "etal as .ell& containin- a sort o, youth,ul a--ression an' ener-y not inconsistent .ith his a-e C2>D& an' across the rest o, the Kins; "usic they .oul' continue to be cra,te' ,or the .orin- an' lo.er classes o, En-lan'& containin- social co""entary an' .ritten e?licitly& not hi'in- behin' "etahors an' alle-ories4 hen thinino, heavy "etal& one 'oesn;t ten' to thin o, R<6 as an in,luence& but the rasiness o, the sin-ers that Ray covere' no 'oubt also ha' so"e in,luence over the 'irtier vocals in his o.n "usic4
art 2 3 9nalysis
*on ,irst ressin- the lay button o, the son-& the "ain ri,, that is its; li,e ,orce burns itsel, into "e"ory4 t;s lou'& ,ast& loose& an' 'irty4 The 'istinctive “,u55 soun'” create' by (ave (avies; slashe' seaer "u,,les the tones o, the "i'3ran-e ,re+uencies o, the -uitar& .hile a''in- to the hi-h en' a cracly& crunchin- soun' that -ives the overall tone a really an -sty ,eelin-& an' is a lar-e art o, the success o, this son-4 The ri,, certainly borro.s ,ro" “ouie ouie” by The Kin-s"en& but 'oes "ae the hu-ely i"ortant 'istinction o, bein- co "rise' o, o.er chor's instea' o, the "ore tyical "a)or& "inor& or 7th chor's& etc4 One coul' ar-ue that by usin- o.er chor's& .hich are co"rise' o, ,e.er itches than the other chor's liste'& (ave .rote a si"li,ie' version o, their ri,,& an' it;s true that the ri,, is si"le4 Five +uic notes Co.er chor'sD& reeate' on a loo .ith a short ause in3bet.een ,or e"hasis& co"rise the entire ri,,& an' o, those ,ive si"le notes& there are really only t.o chor's that (ave "oves bac an' ,orth bet.een4 hen "ovin- ,ro" one chor' to the ne?t the sli'in- o, (ave;s han' can also be 'istin-uishe' au'ibly& a techni+ue .hich& .hether intentional or not& contributes to to the overall unolishe' si"licity that see"s to "ae u the basic hilosohy o, the ri,,4
9,ter t.o reeats o, the ri,,& a rocess .hich taes ,our secon's& the 'ru"s an' bass co"e in C>>8D& the 'ru" intro'ucin- itsel, .ith a shar hit o, the snare be,ore tain- the -uitar;s si'e& ,ollo.in- it so as to e"hasi5e the lou' stru"s& .hile allo.in- a ta"bourine to serve as "etrono"e4 The bass serves little urose e?cet to a'' to the lo. en' o, the ri,,& ,ollo.in- the -uitar e?actly4 These three son- ele"ents in tan'e" 'o little else ,or the rest o, the son- save to ee reeatin- that one ri,,4
T.o "ore reeats an' Ray (avies; vocals enter C>>HD& .astin- no ti"e intro'ucin- the ,ocal oint o, the lyrics 3 “Girl& you really -ot "eI” Aerse 1& as .ell as the rest o, the son-& is +uite si"le lyrically& not )ust in ter"s o, sub)ect "atter& but in ter"s o, the .or's use' as .ell4 The lyrics are not 'esi-ne' to con,use the listener .ith va-ue oetry or rose& but to ' eliver a clear an' concise "essa-e4 !i"le& lie the ri,,& an' the ,irst “instru"ent” to ,ollo. its; o.n ath searate' ,ro" the -uitar 4 9t C>2J3>JJD& a layer o, vocal har"ony is a''e'& an' the instru"ents as .ell as vocal "elo'y "o'ulate to another ey4 9ll o, the instru"ents continue to "o'ulate this .ay in a risin- yra"i' o, soun'& each ti"e a''in- another layer o, vocal har"ony& all to buil' to a re,rain& 'urin- .hich the vocal "elo'y "irrors the -uitar as .ell C>JJ3>JHD4 This re,rain .ill co"e bac at other oints 'urin- the son- as a sort o, chorus4
9,ter a ,ive secon' breather .here Ray taes a rest& an' the instru"ents allo. the"selves to rin- out& verse t.o hits in "uch the sa"e ,ashion as verse 1& this ti"e .ith the a''ition o, ,ast3 ace' staccato iano in the hi-her notes& reeatin- a si"le chor' an' servin- to a'' to the ener-y an' ur-ency o, the "usic& an' inclu'in- the risin- har"ony lea'in- u to the secon' re,rain C1>HD4
9roun' C11D& Ray lets out a +uic ho.l re"iniscent o, the blues be,ore lettin- (ave;s -uitar ste in an' solo Cthe rest o, the instru"ents still layin- the ri,, in the bac-roun' as i, verse J ha' starte'D4 (ave;s solo is short C11731J1D at only ,ourteen secon's lon-& but its; see' an' a--ression co""unicate the "essa-e4 t soun's as i, (ave is thrashin- a.ay at the strin-s o, his -uitar& an' the notes o, the solo stay in a relatively s"all itch3ran-e4 The oint the -uitar .ishes to co""unicate is not one o, technical brilliance& but rather youth,ul sirit4
Finally& the son- conclu'es .ith a reeat o, the secon' verse& ,ro" the lyrics to re,rain& .ith so"e sli-ht a''itions here an' there lie a 'ru" ,ill C188D& an' a secon' layer o, -uitar C187D4 The secon' -uitar 'oesn;t ,ollo. the ,irst as e?actly as the b ass 'oes& but serves to occasionally e"hasi5e that the instru"ents 'on;t have to be cha ine' .ithin the ri,,4 Four lou'& ercussive hits ,ro" the ban' en' the son- .ith a ban-& over al"ost as +uicly as it starte' at 2184
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