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)
Hatred
The Kinks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Of making your life misery
But if that's not abusing me, what isn't
You wanna be my friend, well it's too late
My love for you has turned to hate
And I think that it's a permanent condition
You say you wanna make the peace
Smile and turn the other cheek
Now I'm willing to accept this fate
You and me just can't cohabitate
We agree to hate and that's our fast decision
Hatred, hatred
Is the only thing that keeps us together
Hatred, hatred
Is the only thing that lasts forever
Driven by hate, driven by hate
Driven by hate, driven by hate
ON the surface I'm a mild-mannered person
That's until you scratch the animal inside
Then you bring out all my animal aggression
I gotta hatred for you that is never gonna die
Driven to hate, driven to hate
Driven to hate, driven to hate
[Chorus]
Hatred, hatred
Is the only thing that lasts forever
Hatred, hatred
Is the only thing that keeps us together
While races try to integrate
Nations try to gravitate
Towards equal rights, regardless of religion
Politicians might decree
For the sake of humanity
Love and peace instead of a collision
You and me accept reality
There's no way that we can agree
The world can't make us alter this position
At least you and I know where we stand
We can't be friends, walk hand in hand
My hostility for you defies description
Hatred, hatred
Is the only thing that keeps us together
Hatred, hatred
Is the only thing that lasts forever
Driven by hate, driven by hate
Driven by hate, driven by hate
Hate's the only thing we have in common
There's no escape, we'll always be this way
So we might as well just learn to live together
'cause we're gonna be this way till our dying day
Driven by hate, driven by hate
Driven by hate, driven by hate
[Chorus]
If you keep on putting me down
Rub my name into the ground
I'll drag the dirt all over town about you
And if you spread the filth on me
I'll only have one remedy
I'll spill the beans, you'll see I've got a mouth, too
[Chorus: x2]
Yeah, hatred
Your attitude is downright rude
Your jokes appall me, they're so crude
Why don't you just drop dead and don't recover
I'm the mirror to your mood
You hate me and I hate you
So at least we understand each other
Hatred, hatred is the only thing that lasts, what is it?
Hatred, hatred
Hatred, hatred
Is the only thing that lasts forever
Hatred, hatred
Is the only thing that lasts forever
The Kinks's song Hatred is a straightforward depiction of a relationship gone sour. The lyrics reveal an underlying sense of bitterness and animosity towards the object of the singer's affection. The singer accuses the other person of accusing them of causing misery in their life. The singer then talks about the switch that happened within them turning their love into hate and that no matter what they do or who they try to be in front of others this feeling of hate will never go away. It highlights their own hatred, which keeps them together, thereby making the song sound like a sarcastic commentary on the state of their relationship.
The chorus, which repeats the word 'hatred' several times, serves as a reminder that this ugly feeling is the only thing they share moving forward. The song speaks of race integration and equal rights, implying that they both understand the significance of these causes but cannot come together because of their mutual dislike. There is no resolution to their relationship, and they maintain their feelings of dislike towards each other, only able to coexist in a world where their only commonality is hatred.
Line by Line Meaning
You keep on accusing me
You constantly blame me for everything
Of making your life misery
Saying that I am responsible for all the bad things in your life
But if that's not abusing me, what isn't
If you think that's not abuse, then what is?
You wanna be my friend, well it's too late
You want to be friends but it's too late for that now
My love for you has turned to hate
I used to love you but now I hate you
And I think that it's a permanent condition
I believe that this hatred is going to last forever
You say you wanna make the peace
You say you want to make peace
Smile and turn the other cheek
You suggest that I should forgive you and forget about what you did
I can't put myself in such a weak position
I can't make myself vulnerable by forgiving you
Now I'm willing to accept this fate
I have come to terms with the fact that we can't be friends
You and me just can't cohabitate
We can't live together in peace
We agree to hate and that's our fast decision
We both accept that our hatred for each other is the only thing that we share
Hatred, hatred
This hatred that we have for each other
Is the only thing that keeps us together
Is the only thing that binds us
Driven by hate, driven by hate
Our hatred motivates us
ON the surface I'm a mild-mannered person
At first glance, I appear to be calm and peaceful
That's until you scratch the animal inside
But once you provoke me, my violent nature comes out
Then you bring out all my animal aggression
You trigger my violent impulses
I gotta hatred for you that is never gonna die
I have an intense hatred for you that will never go away
While races try to integrate
While different ethnic groups try to coexist
Nations try to gravitate
Countries try to come together
Towards equal rights, regardless of religion
To achieve equality regardless of one's religious beliefs
Politicians might decree
Leaders may make a proclamation
For the sake of humanity
For the benefit of all people
Love and peace instead of a collision
To promote love and peace instead of conflict
You and me accept reality
We accept the fact that we can't get along
There's no way that we can agree
We have irreconcilable differences
The world can't make us alter this position
The world can't force us to change the way we feel
At least you and I know where we stand
At least we both know how we feel about each other
We can't be friends, walk hand in hand
We can't be friends or work together
My hostility for you defies description
I hate you so much that words can't describe it
Your attitude is downright rude
Your behavior is extremely disrespectful
Your jokes appall me, they're so crude
Your jokes are offensive and vulgar
Why don't you just drop dead and don't recover
I wish you were dead and never came back to life
I'm the mirror to your mood
I reflect your negative attitude towards me
You hate me and I hate you
I despise you just as much as you despise me
So at least we understand each other
At least we both know how we feel about each other
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: DAVIES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Chedgey
on Do It Again
Great song but also a memorable music video. Why is it unavailable?