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About This Track
“Lola” is a song written by Ray Davies and performed by The Kinks which details a romantic encounter between a young man (presumably in his late teen years) and a transvestite he meets in a Soho, London club.
One of The Kinks’ best-known songs, the single was taken from the album Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround, Part One, which was released in June, 1970, and reached #2 in the UK charts and #9 in the US. It was ranked 422nd on the List of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It is famous for its C-D-E power riff.
In the book The Kinks: The Official Biography, Ray Davies says that he was inspired to write this song after the band manager Robert Wace had spent the night dancing with a transvestite. Davies said,
“ I remembered an incident in a club… in his apartment Robert Wace had been dancing with this black woman, and he said, ‘I’m really on to a thing here.’ And it was okay until we left at six in the morning and then I said, ‘Have you seen the stubble?’ He said ‘Yeah,’ but he was too pissed to care, I think. ”
Accounts also indicate a similar incident occurred at about the same time during a Kinks European tour in the mid-1960s, cementing the song’s scenario in Davies’ mind for later use.
In late 1969, Davies’ father encouraged him to focus his energy on writing another worldwide hit single after a long dry spell for the band, and “Lola” was the result. Davies and the Kinks spent extra time and effort recording and crafting the song at Morgan Studios in London during early 1970.
One of The Kinks’ best-known songs, the single was taken from the album Lola Versus Powerman And The Moneygoround, Part One, which was released in June, 1970, and reached #2 in the UK charts and #9 in the US. It was ranked 422nd on the List of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. It is famous for its C-D-E power riff.
In the book The Kinks: The Official Biography, Ray Davies says that he was inspired to write this song after the band manager Robert Wace had spent the night dancing with a transvestite. Davies said,
“ I remembered an incident in a club… in his apartment Robert Wace had been dancing with this black woman, and he said, ‘I’m really on to a thing here.’ And it was okay until we left at six in the morning and then I said, ‘Have you seen the stubble?’ He said ‘Yeah,’ but he was too pissed to care, I think. ”
Accounts also indicate a similar incident occurred at about the same time during a Kinks European tour in the mid-1960s, cementing the song’s scenario in Davies’ mind for later use.
In late 1969, Davies’ father encouraged him to focus his energy on writing another worldwide hit single after a long dry spell for the band, and “Lola” was the result. Davies and the Kinks spent extra time and effort recording and crafting the song at Morgan Studios in London during early 1970.
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Albums featuring this track
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To the Bone (disc 2)
The Kinks
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Lola vs Powerman And The Moneygoround
The Kinks Buy- Download Album
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- Amazon $249.99
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The Ultimate Collection (disc 1)
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One for the Road
The Kinks Buy- Download Album
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Shouts
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lefthandedmoth wrote:
I like this version quite a lot. Stripped-down takes are always cool to hear.
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oldiesfanjohn wrote:
yawn...overplayed to death
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BlueOclock wrote:
nicorebel, Still on that diet I see....lookin' great!
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xtwntraphq wrote:
great version
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nssworld wrote:
Love this track....la la la la LOLA!!!
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mental-mystics wrote:
lololololola
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Drazba wrote:
piano and guitar only on this one
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mrsongbird wrote:
Clever lyrics ! recorded version is better !!
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gnotehead wrote:
yeah it rocks
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starrman28 wrote:
I too adore this song....;o)
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nicorebel wrote:
Great tune. Reminds me of so many young effiminate men based in London these days.
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MarchOfClouds wrote:
I have no desire to procreate, but I will have a child just so I can name it Lola. The best part is, it doesn't even matter if the kid is male or female.
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instant-radness wrote:
I adore this song more than everything
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TinmanHavoc wrote:
Probably one of the best songs ever written.
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Jaje73 wrote:
great tune
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xxcristalena wrote:
someone told me this song was "so me" i was insulted and delighted. (:
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Robertakadad wrote:
Reminds me of "Bloom County" and Billy and the Biongers "Lola Granola" :-) always a great classic
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ben2flens wrote:
i like the old song from the kinks
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Elodave wrote:
Damn right cinnamomma-you've got it on the money there.Classy as hell.
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cinnamomma wrote:
Boy, can Ray Davies paint a picture with words....Kinks can do no wrong
Track Stats
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363,709 Listeners
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Recent Activity
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i4harless52, kyled26, jimpark1066 and 4 other people loved The Kinks – Lola. 7 hours ago
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Rick5512 tagged Lola with ‘kinks’. yesterday afternoon
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davnic14 added Lola to the playlist. yesterday afternoon
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smammmrtttttt1, tmerrima, Ecadia and 10 other people loved The Kinks – Lola. yesterday morning
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leedscounty tagged The Kinks – Lola with oldies, british, 60s and one other tag. Thursday afternoon
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kjclay, kacper_piotr, Merk0579 and 9 other people loved The Kinks – Lola. Thursday afternoon
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tondee12 added Lola to tondee12’s library. Wednesday afternoon
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hoarse_morning and LinzDanA loved The Kinks – Lola. Wednesday afternoon
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Average_Fury added Lola to the playlist. Wednesday afternoon
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