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)
Lavender Hill
The Kinks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In through the land of make believe.
And watch the clouds roll over me,
And let the sun shine down on me.
The only place that I want to be,
Lavender Hill for me.
Wish I could live on sugar and milk,
Then I could live on Lavender Hill.
And let the sun saturate me with love.
I want to walk you up Lavender Hill,
Everybody loves Lavender Hill.
Even the bird that sits in the tree,
Seems to sing sweet melodies.
Even the breeze is whispering,
Lavender Hill for me.
While people eat their biscuits with tea,
They dream of daffodils that sway in the breeze.
And every Sunday afternoon,
Tidy ladies shine their shoes.
And every little lady dreams,
Lavender memories.
Lavender Hill for me.
Lavender Hill for me.
I want to walk you up Lavender Hill.
I want to walk you up Lavender Hill.
The lyrics of The Kinks' song Lavender Hill paint a vivid picture of a utopian land of make-believe that the singer wants to live in forever. He wants to bask in the warmth of the sun, watch the clouds roll by, and be surrounded by the sweet scent of lavender. He wishes that he could live on "sugar and milk" so that he could remain in this idyllic place forever. The singer wants to share this paradise with someone special, taking them on a walk up Lavender Hill, a place where even the birds sing sweet melodies and the breeze whispers the name of the place.
The song has a nostalgic feel to it, evoking a simpler time when people enjoyed tea and biscuits on a lazy afternoon and polished their shoes to look their best. The singer yearns for the innocence of those days, dreaming of lavender memories and wishing that he could live in that world forever. The use of lavender as a recurring motif adds to the dreamlike quality of the song, suggesting a place where everything is perfect and nothing can go wrong.
Overall, Lavender Hill is a beautiful song about a world that we all wish we could live in, a place of peace and tranquility where we could walk forever with someone we love.
Line by Line Meaning
I want to walk eternity,
I desire to take a never-ending journey.
In through the land of make believe.
In a world of imagination.
And watch the clouds roll over me,
Observing the natural beauty of the sky.
And let the sun shine down on me.
Feeling the warmth of the sun.
The only place that I want to be,
The only location I desire to be at.
Lavender Hill for me.
My ideal destination is Lavender Hill.
Wish I could live on sugar and milk,
I wish for a life of pure joy and abundance.
Then I could live on Lavender Hill.
If my wish was granted, I would choose to live on Lavender Hill.
Then I could raise my head to the sky,
If I lived on Lavender Hill, I would look up at the sky with appreciation.
And let the sun saturate me with love.
Bathing in the warm love of the sun.
I want to walk you up Lavender Hill,
I desire to share my love for Lavender Hill with someone else.
Everybody loves Lavender Hill.
It is a universally loved location.
Even the bird that sits in the tree,
Even the birds adore Lavender Hill.
Seems to sing sweet melodies.
They sing sweet songs in appreciation.
Even the breeze is whispering,
The wind also seems to speak of Lavender Hill.
Lavender Hill for me.
Again, Lavender Hill is the ideal destination for me.
While people eat their biscuits with tea,
As people have their daily routines.
They dream of daffodils that sway in the breeze.
They imagine the beauty of nature.
And every Sunday afternoon,
Every week, on Sunday afternoons,
Tidy ladies shine their shoes.
Ladies take care of their appearance.
And every little lady dreams,
Even young girls have aspirations.
Lavender memories.
They too dream of Lavender Hill.
Lavender Hill for me.
Once again, Lavender Hill is my ideal destination.
Lavender Hill for me.
Reiterating my love for the location.
I want to walk you up Lavender Hill.
Once again, I desire to share Lavender Hill with someone else.
I want to walk you up Lavender Hill.
Concluding with the same desire to share this special location with a loved one.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: RAY DAVIES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Grouchy Jelly
I swear to god, Ray Davies can put any chords together and make it beautiful.
Doc Savage
Didn't work on this one
axs203
If I'd wrote one song in my life as lovely as this I would feel like job done
Kelechi
For The Kinks it was a forgotten outtake!
Mr. Mark
Great track from The Great Lost Kinks Album. Bought that album on vinyl at a yard sale about 20 years ago for a quarter. Then spent about 2 months playing it incessantly. A bunch of outtakes and rejects that would be highlights on most other groups albums. Most of the tracks are now available on deluxe editions of the Kinks cd's from the '66-'70 Era, but there is something awesome about having them in one place on the same album. Thanks!!!
Stephanie Dutton
song in my head today - love it!
rotanal
a hidden masterpiece
Doc Savage
Where? Not this song
MonkeyTennis74
Ray should have let Dave put more songs on the albums. Lord have mercy.
Barry Cross
Just looking for vids of this song and a lot of folks are posting that "this previously unreleased song is now available on the Great Lost Kinks Album"
I confess to not having heard of that Kinks Album. But I have Lavender Hill as an extra song on a version of the Kinks Album Village Green Preservation Society. Its the Special Deluxe Edition, a 3 disc collection, and Lavender Hill is on Disc 3 Rarities.