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)
Full moon
The Kinks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's only me, dear, in my midnight disguise.
Pay no attention if I crawl across the room.
It's just another full moon.
Don't be afraid of me when I'm walking in my sleep.
Don't get alarmed, dear, when I start to crawl and creep.
Try not to listen when I mumble like a loon.
It's just another full moon.
You see before you a truly broken man.
'Cause when it gets to midnight, I don't know who I am.
Full moon's a-callin', and it's put a curse on me,
And it will never set me free.
The full moon's still up there,
Like a great white balloon.
The owls are a-callin',
And they're singin' my tune.
The night keeps a-callin'.
I wish the day would come soon,
To get away from another full moon.
Here comes another full moon.
If your hands start shakin'
When night starts to fall,
If you're scared of the moonlight
And the shadows on the wall,
If the face in the mirror
Isn't you at all,
It's just another full moon.
It's just another full moon.
La la la la la la.
La la la la la la.
La la la la la la.
La la la la la la.
It's just another full moon.
The Kinks’s song Full Moon captures the essence of a man who is suffering from an unknown disorder, which seems to be intensified by the full moon. The lyrics, “Haven’t you noticed a kind of madness in my eyes? It’s only me, dear, in my midnight disguise” and “If your hands start shakin’ When night starts to fall, If you’re scared of the moonlight And the shadows on the wall” suggest that the singer's actions and emotions are a direct result of the presence of the full moon. The singer is trying to tell his loved ones that he is not himself during this time and implores them not to be afraid and to ignore his odd behavior.
As the song progresses, we learn that the full moon has put a curse on him and that he is powerless to avoid its effects. The lyrics, “You see before you a truly broken man. ‘Cause when it gets to midnight, I don’t know who I am. Full moon’s a-callin’, and it’s put a curse on me, And it will never set me free” express a sense of hopelessness and desperation. The singer is trapped in a cycle that he cannot escape, rendering him helpless and at the mercy of the moon's power.
Overall, Full Moon is a haunting and atmospheric song that showcases Ray Davies’s lyrical prowess. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a person toiling with an inexplicable illness that worsens with the arrival of the full moon.
Line by Line Meaning
Haven't you noticed a kind of madness in my eyes?
I seem to be behaving unusually and it might appear that I've gone insane
It's only me, dear, in my midnight disguise.
My behavior may seem alarming, but it's just how I act at nighttime
Pay no attention if I crawl across the room.
Don't worry if I'm acting strange or doing things out of the ordinary
It's just another full moon.
My behavior is the result of the full moon's influence
Don't be afraid of me when I'm walking in my sleep.
I might be sleepwalking and it's okay if you're not used to it
Don't get alarmed, dear, when I start to crawl and creep.
I might be acting erratically, but don't worry about it
Try not to listen when I mumble like a loon.
Sometimes I might be talking incoherently and it's not important
It's just another full moon.
My behavior is due to the full moon's influence
You see before you a truly broken man.
I'm feeling really down and lost
'Cause when it gets to midnight, I don't know who I am.
Late at night, I feel like I'm not myself
Full moon's a-callin', and it's put a curse on me,
The full moon's power is affecting me in a negative way
And it will never set me free.
I'll always be affected by the full moon's influence
The full moon's still up there,
The moon is still in the sky
Like a great white balloon.
It looks big and round, like a balloon
The owls are a-callin',
The sound of owls can be heard
And they're singin' my tune.
Their sounds seem to match my mood
The night keeps a-callin'.
The night seems endless
I wish the day would come soon,
I hope the morning arrives soon
To get away from another full moon.
So I can escape the influence of the full moon
Here comes another full moon.
Another full moon is approaching
If your hands start shakin'
If you suddenly feel shaky
When night starts to fall,
As the sun sets
If you're scared of the moonlight
If you feel afraid of the moon's light
And the shadows on the wall,
And the shadows that the light creates
If the face in the mirror
If the reflection in the mirror
Isn't you at all,
Doesn't seem like it's really you
It's just another full moon.
Your behavior might be because of the full moon's influence
La la la la la la.
The sound of the singer's voice
La la la la la la.
The sound of the singer's voice
La la la la la la.
The sound of the singer's voice
La la la la la la.
The sound of the singer's voice
It's just another full moon.
The theme of the song is centered around the full moon's influence
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: RAY DAVIES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@terrypussypower
There’s very few songs that can bring a tear to my eye…but this is one. Ray Davies is a songwriting genius!
@trudylonetto1965
Sleepwalker, the best album and this is THE BEST song ever. To all you people who think the kinks are underrated, I totally agree
@HughMorristheJoker
People sometimes confuse what underrated means. They'll say, kinks aren't overrated-- they're critically acclaimed. But they are underrated commercially
@davidmcdonald7667
This is one of the albums that I had to purchase a second copy because it got played so much. Love every song.
@ricopolo1000
One of their greatest albums...with actual lyrics you can understand!! Ray Davies is a genius.
@415JayTee
Great tune...underrated album.....awesome band.
@terrypussypower
"Sleepwalker" is so great, one of the best Kinks albums, and "Full Moon" tops it off beautifully.
@sisselhansen3915
Misfits... Schooldays... A night at the opera,,, Low budget... It's all Prima Música. Lola.. you Really Got Me... Black Messiah.. Songs which run in our veins forever &EVER!! Thanks, Ray Davies, Dave Davies and The Links🙏💝♾️💝 🎼❤️❤️♾️❤️❤️🇧🇻
@janinegreenwald3780
The most underrated Kinks song...the background vocals make this song exquisite!
@JD-zw4pz
I totally agree..the whole album was so underrated