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)
Everybody's Gonna Be Happy
The Kinks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I know that ev'rybody,
And I know that ev'rybody be happy,
As happy as you and me.
Cause I know, I know.
Come on baby let me tell you
All the things I wanna say
All the things I wanna say, and
Ev'rybody's gonna be happy,
Which means you and me, my love
Ev'rybody's gonna be happy,
Which means you and me, my love
And I know, and I know,
And when I see ya walking down the street
Well it makes me happy to see you walkin'
It makes my life complete
Cause I know, I know.
Come on baby let me tell you
All the things I wanna say
Come on baby let me tell you
All the things I wanna say, and
Ev'rybody's gonna be happy,
Which means you and me, my love
Ev'rybody's gonna be happy,
Which means you and me, my love
And I know, and I know,
And I know that you and me,
And I know that you and me be happy,
As happy as we can be.
Cause I know, I know.
Come on baby let me tell you
All the things I wanna say
Come on baby let me tell you
All the things I wanna say, and
Ev'rybody's gonna be happy,
Which means you and me, my love
Ev'rybody's gonna be happy,
Which means you and me, my love
Ev'rybody's gonna be happy,
Which means you and me, my love
Ev'rybody's gonna be happy,
Which means you and me, my love
And I know, and I know,
And I know, and I know,
And I know...
The Kinks' song "Everybody's Gonna Be Happy" is a simple, cheerful ode to happiness and love. Through repetitive lyrics and upbeat guitar riffs, the band tries to capture the importance of happiness and how it spreads around like wildfire. The singer acknowledges the positives in the world and the happiness that surrounds us, emphasizing the fact that it's something that everyone can achieve.
The chorus, "Everybody's gonna be happy, which means you and me, my love," is repeated several times to highlight the unifying nature of happiness. The lyrics suggest a utopian world in which happiness is ubiquitous and everyone is content. The song can be seen as a celebration of the beauty of life, and the joyful emotions that come with it.
Overall, “Everybody's Gonna Be Happy” is a lighthearted and hopeful song that encourages people to embrace happiness and spread positivity. It is a perfect representation of The Kinks' sound which is often characterized as upbeat, jangly, and quintessentially British.
Line by Line Meaning
Nd I know, and I know,
I understand and am fully aware of what is going on.
And I know that ev'rybody,
I am aware that everyone is involved in this situation.
And I know that ev'rybody be happy,
I believe that everyone can find happiness regardless of circumstances.
As happy as you and me.
Just as content as we are.
Cause I know, I know.
Because I am certain of what I am saying.
Come on baby let me tell you
Please allow me to express myself to you.
All the things I wanna say
Everything that is on my mind and in my heart.
Ev'rybody's gonna be happy,
I am confident that everyone will find joy.
Which means you and me, my love
And this means that you and I will be happy together.
And when I see ya walking down the street
Whenever I catch sight of you strolling along.
Well it makes me happy to see you walkin'
It brings me immense happiness to observe you in motion.
It makes my life complete
Seeing you walk fulfills me to the fullest extent.
And I know that you and me,
I am certain that you and I.
And I know that you and me be happy,
Will be able to find happiness alongside each other.
As happy as we can be.
As joyous and blissful as humanly possible.
Ev'rybody's gonna be happy,
Every single person will experience happiness.
And I know, and I know,
I am completely certain.
And I know, and I know,
I am well-aware and confident.
And I know...
I am completely positive.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, BROADWAY MUSIC CORPORATION, Kassner Associated Publishers Ltd
Written by: RAY DAVIES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
spudsapoppin
The Kinks will always be eternally rocking and one of the greatest bands of all time.
StevenJ. In LA
In my life I was in over a dozen bands, and almost every band covered at least one Kinks song.
This high energy infectious
R & B raver was one of them.
It's the kind of song that when it's over you've got to immediately play it again.
TooleManTV
This is the best mix. It's all up front, right there. And the bass is rockin'!
Willie Stratton
man, seriously, this song just makes me want to get up and do a go-go dance.
Doug Johnson
This is simple, yet SOOOO complicated. Ray Davies' seamless use of modulation is just unbelievable. Brian Wilson is the only other person I know of who can do that.
sauquoit13456
On this day in 1965 {April 16th} the Kinks performed "Everybody's Gonna Be Happy" on the British ITV network television program, 'Ready Steady Go!'....
At the time the song was at position #22 on the United Kingdom's Top 50 Singles chart, the following week it would peak at #17 {for 1 week} and it spent eight weeks on the Top 50...
Between 1964 and 2007 the London-based quartet had twenty-nine records on the UK Singles chart, fourteen made the Top 10 with three* reaching #1, "You Really Got Me" {for 2 weeks in 1964}, "Tired of Waiting For You" {for 1 week in 1965}, and "Sunny Afternoon" {for 2 weeks in 1966}...
They just missed having a total of six #1s when three of their records peaked at #2, "All Day and All of the Night" {for 2 weeks in 1964}, "Waterloo Sunset" {for 2 weeks in 1967}, and "Lola" {for 1 weeks in 1970}...
Original bassist Peter Quaife passed away at the age of 66 on June 23rd, 2010...
May he R.I.P
Soyhan Egitim
The Kinks are one of the greatest bands of all time yet they are a textbook of how not to do it in terms of management and marketing.
Jeremy Feit
They have many excellent songs, this is one of their best.
Paul Druzba
Great jazz rock. Great bass. Great early Kinks! One of my mid 60's favorites!
pistol goo
Underrated band