"Sunny Afternoon" is a song by

the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhyt ...

, written by chief songwriter

Ray Davies Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for the rock band the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother Dave on lead guitar and backing voc ...

. The track later featured on the '' Face to Face'' album as well as being the title track for their 1967 compilation album. Like its contemporary " Taxman" by

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...

, the song references the high levels of

progressive tax A progressive tax is a tax in which the tax rate increases as the taxable amount increases.Sommerfeld, Ray M., Silvia A. Madeo, Kenneth E. Anderson, Betty R. Jackson (1992), ''Concepts of Taxation'', Dryden Press: Fort Worth, TX The term ''progre ...

taken by the British Labour government of

Harold Wilson James Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, (11 March 1916 – 24 May 1995) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from October 1964 to June 1970, and again from March 1974 to April 1976. He ...

. Its strong

music hall Music hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment that was popular from the early Victorian era, beginning around 1850. It faded away after 1918 as the halls rebranded their entertainment as variety. Perceptions of a distinction in Br ...

flavour and lyrical focus was part of a stylistic departure for the band (begun with 1965's " A Well Respected Man"), which had risen to fame in 1964–65 with a series of hard-driving, power-chord rock hits.

Background

"Sunny Afternoon" was first written in Ray Davies' house when he was sick. Davies said of the song's lyrics, "The only way I could interpret how I felt was through a dusty, fallen aristocrat who had come from old money as opposed to the wealth I had created for myself." In order to prevent the listener from sympathizing with the song's protagonist, Davies said, "I turned him into a scoundrel who fought with his girlfriend after a night of drunkenness and cruelty." Davies said of the song as well as its recording:

Release and reception

Released as a single on 3 June 1966, it went to No. 1 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

on 7 July 1966, remaining there for two weeks. The track also went to No. 1 in Ireland on 14 July 1966. In America, it peaked at No. 14 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop singles chart early autumn 1966. The promotional video for the single featured the band performing in a cold, snowy environment. ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large adverti ...

'' praised the single's "off-beat music hall melody and up-to-date lyrics." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an onli ...

'' said that it is a "slow-moving, blues-drenched, seasonal affair with a catchy, low-key repeating riff." "Sunny Afternoon" was placed at No. 200 on

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

's list of The 200 Greatest Songs of the 1960s. The song was featured in and was the title song of West End musical '' Sunny Afternoon.'' It has been covered by artists including

Jimmy Buffett James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffe ...

, Stereophonics, Michael McDonald, and Michael Caruso.

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Personnel

According to band researcher Doug Hinman, except where noted: The Kinks *

lead and backing vocals, twelve-string acoustic rhythm guitar: (twelve-string, acoustic rhythm); : (Ray Davies, acoustic guitar). * Dave Davies backing vocal, electric guitar *

Pete Quaife Peter Alexander Greenlaw Quaife (born Kinnes; 31 December 1943 – 23 June 2010) was an English musician, artist and author. He was a founding member and the original bass guitarist for the Kinks, from 1963 until 1969. He also sang backing voca ...

bass * Mick Avory drums Additional musicians *Rasa Davies backing vocal *

Nicky Hopkins Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins (24 February 1944 – 6 September 1994) was an English pianist and organist. Hopkins performed on many popular and enduring British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, most notably ...

piano,

melodica The melodica is a handheld free-reed instrument similar to a pump organ or harmonica. It features a musical keyboard on top, and is played by blowing air through a mouthpiece that fits into a hole in the side of the instrument. The keyboard usua ...

References

Sources

* *

External links

The Official Ray Davies Web Site

{{Authority control 1966 songs 1966 singles The Kinks songs Jan and Dean songs Pye Records singles UK Singles Chart number-one singles Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Dutch Top 40 number-one singles Number-one singles in Norway Jimmy Buffett songs Song recordings produced by Shel Talmy Songs written by Ray Davies Tom Jones (singer) songs RPM Top Singles number-one singles Reprise Records singles