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)
Juke Box Music
The Kinks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On the jukebox ev'ry day.
All day long she plays the same old songs,
And she believes the things that they say.
Other ladies like to prance around
And flirt and dance the whole night through,
But she just sits and listens to here juke box records,
She sings along with all the saddest songs,
And she believes the stories are real.
She let's the music dictate the way that she feels.
It's only juke box music,
Only juke box music.
It's only music,
Only juke box music,
Only juke box music.
Seems to me she's in a fantasy.
She's livin' in a world of her own.
And we all agree that she's a mystery,
Because she'd rather be all alone.
Ev'ry guy will do his best to try
To put that music out of her head.
Forget all the songs,
And just dance to the music instead.
It's only juke box music,
Only juke box music.
It's only music,
Only juke box music,
Only juke box music.
It's all because of that music
That we're slowly driftin' apart.
But it's only there to dance to,
So you shouldn't take it to heart.
Music, only juke box music.
Only music, only juke box music.
(repeat)
The Kinks's "Juke Box Music" discusses a woman who spends her days listening to the same old songs on the jukebox. She believes that the lyrics are real, and she sings along with every sad song. The singer describes how this woman appears to be living in a fantasy, isolated from others because she prefers to listen to the music over engaging with others. Everyone around her, particularly the men, wants her to dance to the music instead of listening to the sad songs all day.
The lyrics suggest that the jukebox music is a form of escapism for the woman, a way of detaching herself from the outside world and retreating into her own fantasy world. The singer implies that this is not a good thing, as it causes her to drift apart from others. The repeated refrain, "It's only jukebox music, only music," reinforces the message that the songs are not real life, and should not be taken too seriously.
Overall, "Juke Box Music" is a commentary on the power of music and the way it can affect people. It reflects on the different ways in which people engage with music, and how it can be both a form of escapism and a way of bringing people together.
Line by Line Meaning
There's a lady plays her fav'right records
There is a woman who plays her favorite songs on the jukebox every day.
On the jukebox ev'ry day.
She plays music on the jukebox every day.
All day long she plays the same old songs,
She listens to and plays the same songs repeatedly.
And she believes the things that they say.
She takes the lyrics of the songs to heart and believes them.
Other ladies like to prance around
Other women like to dance and socialize.
And flirt and dance the whole night through,
Other women dance and flirt all night long.
But she just sits and listens to her jukebox records,
The woman prefers to sit and listen to her favorite songs.
'Cause that's all that she wants to do.
Listening to music is her only desire.
She sings along with all the saddest songs,
She sings along to the songs that have a melancholic tone.
And she believes the stories are real.
She believes the lyrics of the songs are portraying real-life stories.
She lets the music dictate the way that she feels.
She uses music to influence her emotions.
It's only jukebox music,
The music she listens to is just songs played on a jukebox.
Only jukebox music.
The music on the jukebox is not extraordinary.
It's only music,
The music does not hold any special significance.
Only jukebox music,
The jukebox contains common, ordinary music.
Only jukebox music.
The music on the jukebox is nothing more than background noise.
Seems to me she's in a fantasy.
The woman is living in a make-believe world.
She's living in a world of her own.
The woman is isolated from reality and is consumed by her music.
And we all agree that she's a mystery,
Others can't understand the woman's behavior.
Because she'd rather be all alone.
The woman prefers to be alone with her music.
Every guy will do his best to try
Men will try to get her out of the music's grasp.
To put that music out of her head.
Men will try to get her to stop listening to music.
Forget all the songs,
Men think that the woman should forget about the songs.
And just dance to the music instead.
The men suggest that she should just dance to the music without obsessing over it.
It's all because of that music
Their relationship strain is due to the woman's obsession with music.
That we're slowly drifting apart.
The woman's love for the music is driving them apart.
But it's only there to dance to,
The music's main purpose is to be danced to.
So you shouldn't take it to heart.
People should not take the music too seriously.
Music, only jukebox music.
The music playing on the jukebox is average music that's not worth obsessing over.
Only music, only jukebox music.
The only music present is the common music on the jukebox.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: RAY DAVIES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
David Chedgey
on Do It Again
Great song but also a memorable music video. Why is it unavailable?