Formed in 1963 in Muswell Hill, North London, they first gained prominence on the heels of the well-received and highly influential single "You Really Got Me" (1964). The group originally consisted of lead singer/guitarist Ray Davies, his brother lead guitarist Dave Davies, drummer Mick Avory, and bassist Pete Quaife. Quaife left (twice) in the late 1960s, and Avory finally left in 1984 as the result of a long-running dispute with Dave Davies, leaving only the Davies brothers as the core of the original group.
With Ray Davies' songwriting skills and unabashedly English voices, Dave Davies' impressive guitar work, and Avory's tight and steady drumming, the band became one of the best and most influential groups of British pop and the "British Invasion" of the U.S.A., lasting longer than any of their competitors, apart from the Rolling Stones, as they broke up in 1996. Their catalogue of songs has been covered by Van Halen, The Pretenders, The Black Keys, The Stranglers, Queens of the Stone Age , and many more.
Members:
Ray Davies – vocals, rhythm guitar (1963–1996)
Dave Davies – lead guitar, vocals (1963–1996)
Pete Quaife – bass guitar (1963–1969)
John Dalton – bass guitar (1969–1976)
Andy Pyle – bass guitar (1976–1978)
Jim Rodford – bass guitar (1978–1996)
Mick Avory – drums (1963–1984)
Bob Henrit – drums (1984–1996)
John Gosling – keyboards, piano (1970–1978)
Gordon Edwards – keyboards, piano (1978–1979)
Ian Gibbons – keyboards, piano (1979–1989, 1993–1996)
Mark Haley – keyboards, piano (1989–1993)
Big Sky
The Kinks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just in case someone thought they had missed it,
And to proved that it really existed.
Fathers take pictures of the mothers,
And the sisters take pictures of brothers,
Just to show that they love one another.
You can't picture love that you took from me,
When we were young and the world was free.
Don't show me no more, please.
People take pictures of each other,
Just to prove that they really existed,
Just to prove that they really existed.
People take pictures of each other,
And the moment to last them for ever,
Of the time when they mattered to someone.
People take pictures of the Summer,
Just in case someone thought they had missed it,
Just to proved that it really existed.
People take pictures of each other,
And the moment to last them for ever,
Of the time when they mattered to someone.
Picture of me when I was just three,
Sucking my thumb by the old oak tree.
Oh how I love things as they used to be,
Don't show me no more, please.
The song "Big Sky" by The Kinks is a poignant commentary on the human desire to capture and preserve moments in time, specifically through the act of taking photographs. The opening verse sets the scene, with people scrambling to take pictures of the summer season to ensure that they don't miss it and to "prove" that it really existed. The following lines delve further into the themes of family and connection, with fathers taking pictures of mothers and sisters taking pictures of brothers to demonstrate their love for one another.
The chorus repeats the idea that people take pictures of each other to prove their existence and to capture a moment that will last forever. However, the final verse takes a nostalgic turn, with the singer reminiscing on his own childhood and the importance of preserving memories of times gone by. He pleads with the listener to "Don't show me no more" pictures of the past, as he wants to hold onto his own memories without the interference of snapshots.
Overall, "Big Sky" is a reflection on the power and limitations of photography, and the ways in which we attempt to make time stand still through the act of taking pictures.
Line by Line Meaning
People take pictures of the Summer,
People take pictures of the beautiful moments and places they experience during the summer season.
Just in case someone thought they had missed it,
They take pictures to make sure that they never forget the summer moments.
And to prove that it really existed.
They take pictures to make sure they have proof of the beauty they experienced, and to prove it to others.
Fathers take pictures of the mothers,
Fathers take pictures of mothers with their children, and they do this to capture the moments they spend with their family.
And the sisters take pictures of brothers,
Sisters take pictures of brothers to capture and show the bond they share as siblings.
Just to show that they love one another.
The pictures show that there is love and affection between siblings and parents.
You can't picture love that you took from me,
Love is not something that can be captured in a picture as it is a feeling, an emotion.
When we were young and the world was free.
The line reminisces the past and those carefree moments that they experienced when they were younger.
Pictures of things as they used to be,
Looking at pictures of the past and recalling how things used to be.
Don't show me no more, please.
Being tired of constantly being reminded of the past and wanting to move on.
People take pictures of each other,
People take pictures of each other similarly to how they take pictures of their family and friends for memories.
And the moment to last them for ever,
The pictures capture moments in time that will last forever.
Of the time when they mattered to someone.
The pictures capture moments when they were important to someone and their presence was valued.
Picture of me when I was just three,
A personal picture that captures the singer's childhood, specifically when he was three years old.
Sucking my thumb by the old oak tree.
A descriptive line describing the picture when he was three years old.
Oh how I love things as they used to be,
The singer reminisces about the past and the memories associated with that time.
Don't show me no more, please.
The singer expresses his desire not to be reminded of the past anymore and to move on.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RAYMOND DOUGLAS DAVIES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@stephencoomer5692
Big Sky looked down on all the people looking up at the Big Sky.
Everybody pushing one another around
Big Sky feels sad when he sees the children scream and cry
But the Big Sky's too big to let it get him down.
Big Sky too big to cry
Big Sky too high to see
People like you and me
One day we'll be free, we won't care, just you see
'Til that day can be, don't let it get you down
When I feel that the world is too much for me
I think of the Big Sky, and nothing matters much to me.
Big Sky looked down on all the people who think they got problems
They get depressed and they hold their head in their hands and cry.
People lift up their hands and they look up to the Big Sky
But Big Sky is too big to sympathize
Big Sky's too occupied
Though he would like to try
And he feels bad inside
Big Sky's too big to cry
One day we'll be free, we won't care, just you wait and see
'Til that day can be, don't let it get you down.
When I feel that the world is too much for me
I think of the Big Sky, and nothing matters much to me.
@wrapcall1461
26 November, 1965. Kinks Kontroversary. 'I am free'
Dave Davies 18yrs.Old.
I need someone,
It's dark and I could get lonely,
I am free.
Ukraine 24/02/2022
#14. Introduction to Solution
#15. Big Sky
#16. Flash's Dream
@parsivalk5015
well, with a name like "dave" you can excuse the mistake or not. And penis envy is something that is or was even more ascribed to females at one point, so it fits. I happen to be a Kinks fan. And Who fan. And a fan of all kinds of music without being a specific "fan" of one band, so you're labeling me is far more ridiculous than mine of you. But the Beatles did Village Green over a year before The Kinks. It's called Sgt. Pepper's. The Kinks catalogue? From when to when? Sure, there were songs that were great. And lyrically, Ray Davies was often pushing the envelope before Lennon or McCartney. But Face to Face, Something Else and Village Green while great are not anywhere near the level of Revolver or the White Album or Abbey Road. And after Muswell Hillbillies, the Kinks are pretty lame.
No, you don't have to be Shakespeare, but when a Zeppelin or Kinks or Stones or Madonna or whatever fan is constantly berating the Beatles as if one song or two proves some objective fact, it just shows said fan to be an ass.
And it is funny, that it is always and ever The Beatles that everyone compares "their" bands to, because the Beatles were and are still the baseline. So if you want to say you like The Kinks better, fine, but if you are going to bash fanatics' favorite whipping post, The Beatles, as if you know something we all don't, be prepared to be called a twit. Twit.
Better writers in what genre and what time? From pop/rock in the 60s? Dylan certainly, ahead of everyone. Ray Davies and Townshend come close though not when it comes to quantity of songs that match great lyrics (which they were as great at as the fabs) with great melodies. And the only band that matches the Beatles run of albums is the Stones and it took them from 68-73 to do that.
Twit to the nth degree.
And, hell, The Beatle solo catalogues are still better than most "classic" rock acts. At least until the mid 70s.
And as players? OK, The Who, Zeppelin, Hendrix would wipe the stage with them. As they would the Kinks. But that doesn't mean either band wasn't great at playing live rock and roll. And McCartney's bass playing is regarded as the finest in rock by, you know, actual musicians.
Nope, don't label me a "fan" of any one band. Fans are usually in a case of arrested development. It is just simple:
Sometimes the most popular artists/acts are as great, influential and timeless as (most) people think. Hitchcock, Kubrick, Chekov, Duke Ellington, Chuck Berry, Hank Williams, Beethoven, The Beatles, to name a few.
Finally, some Beatles songs are just terrible. Yellow Submarine should be banned at any age. Ditto most of their first album. And so should The Kink's music from the late 70s on, with the exception of Come Dancing.
@wrapcall1461
Ukraine. 29/04/2022
You and me are free,
From morning.......
Till the end of the day.
Ray Davies 21 yrs old
26 November, 1965
Kink Kontroversy
#014. Introduction to Solution
#015. Big Sky
#016. Flash's Dream/Confession
@annickrasquin1346
You. "The Beatles or The Stones?"
Me. "The Kinks"
@wayneelliott7011
Me too!
@wayneelliott7011
Qoute: First you discover The Beatles. Then you discover The Rolling Stones. Then you decide if you're a Beatles person or a Rolling Stones person (you can't be both). If you can handle that- if that's something that matters to you in you life, you graduate and move on to The Kinks.
@soneslixo6791
I prefer The The tbh
@thezenitsufan1249
I absolutely love Mick Avery's drumming not just on this song but on the entire Village Green album
@bobsmith-ih7ol
Mick Avory was Extremely underrated.
@MarinxxxEagle
Way too underappreciated! In my opinion, he's one of the best rock drummers ever.
@kelechi_77
He just keeps it so tight, my favorite album by them is Something Else mainly because of his drumming, it's so good on all the other albums too
@CreatingExcellence
He slays the percussion
@LSDforEveryone
I just plain love Mick Avery. I am also partial to his work on this album and on Arthur though. Either way, I totally agree.