Lola
A Soho encounter set to acoustic guitars, and a worldwide hit.
The Kinks, from Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One (1970)
- Written by
- Ray Davies
- Released
- 12 June 1970
- Length
- 4:01
- Album
- Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One
Ray Davies wrote the song about a meeting with Lola in a Soho bar. She may have been a trans woman or a cross-dresser, and Ray said the song was based on a personal experience. It was recorded in April and May 1970 at Morgan Studios and was John Gosling's first recording with the band. The guitar sound mixes a Martin acoustic with a 1938 resonator guitar. The BBC objected to product placement, so "Coca-Cola" became "cherry cola" on a re-recorded line.
The UK single appeared on 12 June 1970 and the US single on 28 June. It reached number two in Britain and number nine in America, and went to number one in Ireland, New Zealand, South Africa and the Netherlands. Weird Al parodied it as "Yoda" in 1985.
Live
A live version from Providence in 1979 was a single in 1980, reaching 81 in America and number one in the Netherlands and Belgium. Setlist.fm logs 504 performances, second only to You Really Got Me.
Covers and versions
- The Raincoats (1979)
- Andy Taylor (1990)
- Madness (2005)
More songs by The Kinks
You Really Got Me, Sunny Afternoon, Waterloo Sunset, Days, All Day and All of the Night, Come Dancing, Celluloid Heroes, Victoria
Sources
- Lola (song), Wikipedia
- The Kinks song statistics, setlist.fm