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| "Better Things" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by The Kinks | ||||
| from the album Give the People What They Want | ||||
| B-side |
| |||
| Released | 19 June 1981 (UK) 28 November 1981 (US) | |||
| Recorded | April 1981 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London | |||
| Genre | Pop[1] | |||
| Length | 2:59 (single version) 2:44 (LP version) | |||
| Label | Arista ARIST 415 (UK) Arista AS 0649 (US) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ray Davies | |||
| Producer(s) | Ray Davies | |||
| The Kinks UK singles chronology | ||||
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| The Kinks US singles chronology | ||||
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The Kinks - Better Things (Audio) · Channel: TheKinksVEVO · 2m 47s
Title:
1-Better Things
The Kinks - Massive Reductions (Official Audio) · Channel: The Kinks · 3m 15s
Better Things
The Kinks
1981
Single
Discográfica: Arista ARIST 415 (UK)Arista AS 0649 (US) · · Productor: Ray Davies
1981 single by The Kinks
"Better Things" is a song by The Kinks, released as a single in June 1981 in the UK and November 1981 in the US.[2] A slightly shorter version was later released on their album Give the People What They Want.
Leer másReview
1981 single by The Kinks
"Better Things" is a song by The Kinks, released as a single in June 1981 in the UK and November 1981 in the US.[2] A slightly shorter version was later released on their album Give the People What They Want.
Leer másWritten about Ray Davies`s failing marriage, the song originated during the Low Budget sessions. The song was completed in 1981 and released as a single, reaching number 46 in the UK and number 92 in America. The single marked the band`s first appearance in the UK charts since 1972.
In 2011 American Songwriter named "Better Things" their Favorite Break Up Song.[1]
Background
"Better Things" was penned by Ray Davies in New York City about the "impending split" from his second wife, Yvonne.[3] Davies told Jeff Tamarkin of The Aquarian Weekly that the time when the song was written was a "depressing" time for him.[3] Musically, Davies characterized the song as prototypically Kinks-style, explaining, "It`s got a musical phrase in it that makes it a song like `Days`. It`s just going up the scale, but when I reach F sharp, instead of going to a B seven, I go to an F sharp major. It`s just a change, a musical trick".[4]
The song dates back to the sessions of the Low Budget album, during which an early version of the song was attempted.[3] Davies explained, "That song was written in 1979, and it was turned down for Low Budget because the band couldn`t get it together".[4] The song was later recorded for Give the People What They Want in April 1981, with the recording session dubbed by Ray Davies as "a total send-up."[3]
In 1981, Davies named it one of the best tracks on the album and stated, "I really like the song, `Better Things`. It gives me hope. And after a song like `A Little Bit Of Abuse` [the previous song on the album], you need some hope".[4]
Release and reception
The track was released as the lead single for the album in the UK. Initial copies came with a bonus 7" containing live versions of "Lola" and "David Watts" recorded on American tours in 1979 and 1980. The UK B-side was a non-LP song "Massive Reductions" (a different, shorter version of "Massive Reductions" was released on the band`s 1984 album Word of Mouth). Although "Better Things" missed the top 40, it did reach #46 and was their first charting single since "Supersonic Rocket Ship" in 1972.
In the U.S., "Destroyer" was released in September as the album`s lead single with "Better Things" as the second single in November. "Better Things" reached #12 on the Billboard Rock Top Tracks chart and #92 on the Billboard Hot 100, slightly lower than "Destroyer".
In September 2010, Ray Davies released See My Friends, an album of reworked classic Kinks songs, which contains a duet of "Better Things" with Bruce Springsteen.
Chart performance
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[5] | 46 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[6] | 92 |
Covers
- Pearl Jam recorded a version of the song and released it on side A of their 2011 fan club single.
- The American punk-rock band Bouncing Souls covered the song in their album The Gold Record.
- Dar Williams covered the song on her album End of the Summer.
- Fountains of Wayne covered the song on Late Night with Conan O`Brien ten days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Their version of the song later appeared on This Is Where I Belong - The Songs of Ray Davies & The Kinks, a tribute CD released on 2 April 2002.
- Members of Counting Crows covered the song on their live "Devil and the Bunny Show" at New Orleans` Shim Sham club on 5 May 2003. The recording exists on various bootlegs but was never publicly released.
- Frank Black recorded a cover version in 1996 as a B side from "The Marsist" 7" (from his album The Cult of Ray)
- Marky Ramone and The Intruders included their own version in their 1996 debut album of the same name.
1981 single by The Kinks
"Better Things" is a song by The Kinks, released as a single in June 1981 in the UK and November 1981 in the US.[2] A slightly shorter version was later released on their album Give the People What They Want.
Written about Ray Davies`s failing marriage, the song originated during the Low Budget sessions. The song was completed in 1981 and released as a single, reaching number 46 in the UK and number 92 in America. The single marked the band`s first appearance in the UK charts since 1972.
In 2011 American Songwriter named "Better Things" their Favorite Break Up Song.[1]
Background
"Better Things" was penned by Ray Davies in New York City about the "impending split" from his second wife, Yvonne.[3] Davies told Jeff Tamarkin of The Aquarian Weekly that the time when the song was written was a "depressing" time for him.[3] Musically, Davies characterized the song as prototypically Kinks-style, explaining, "It`s got a musical phrase in it that makes it a song like `Days`. It`s just going up the scale, but when I reach F sharp, instead of going to a B seven, I go to an F sharp major. It`s just a change, a musical trick".[4]
The song dates back to the sessions of the Low Budget album, during which an early version of the song was attempted.[3] Davies explained, "That song was written in 1979, and it was turned down for Low Budget because the band couldn`t get it together".[4] The song was later recorded for Give the People What They Want in April 1981, with the recording session dubbed by Ray Davies as "a total send-up."[3]
In 1981, Davies named it one of the best tracks on the album and stated, "I really like the song, `Better Things`. It gives me hope. And after a song like `A Little Bit Of Abuse` [the previous song on the album], you need some hope".[4]
Release and reception
The track was released as the lead single for the album in the UK. Initial copies came with a bonus 7" containing live versions of "Lola" and "David Watts" recorded on American tours in 1979 and 1980. The UK B-side was a non-LP song "Massive Reductions" (a different, shorter version of "Massive Reductions" was released on the band`s 1984 album Word of Mouth). Although "Better Things" missed the top 40, it did reach #46 and was their first charting single since "Supersonic Rocket Ship" in 1972.
In the U.S., "Destroyer" was released in September as the album`s lead single with "Better Things" as the second single in November. "Better Things" reached #12 on the Billboard Rock Top Tracks chart and #92 on the Billboard Hot 100, slightly lower than "Destroyer".
In September 2010, Ray Davies released See My Friends, an album of reworked classic Kinks songs, which contains a duet of "Better Things" with Bruce Springsteen.
Chart performance
| Chart (1981) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[5] | 46 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[6] | 92 |
Covers
- Pearl Jam recorded a version of the song and released it on side A of their 2011 fan club single.
- The American punk-rock band Bouncing Souls covered the song in their album The Gold Record.
- Dar Williams covered the song on her album End of the Summer.
- Fountains of Wayne covered the song on Late Night with Conan O`Brien ten days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Their version of the song later appeared on This Is Where I Belong - The Songs of Ray Davies & The Kinks, a tribute CD released on 2 April 2002.
- Members of Counting Crows covered the song on their live "Devil and the Bunny Show" at New Orleans` Shim Sham club on 5 May 2003. The recording exists on various bootlegs but was never publicly released.
- Frank Black recorded a cover version in 1996 as a B side from "The Marsist" 7" (from his album The Cult of Ray)
- Marky Ramone and The Intruders included their own version in their 1996 debut album of the same name.
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