"I'm Not Like Everybody Else" | ||||
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Single by The Kinks | ||||
A-side | "Sunny Afternoon" | |||
Released | 3 June 1966 (UK) July 1966 (US) |
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Format | 7" single (45 RPM) | |||
Recorded | 12 May 1966; Pye Studios (No.2), London | |||
Genre | Rock | |||
Length | 3:29 | |||
Label |
Pye 7N 17125 (UK) Reprise 0497 (US) |
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Writer(s) | Ray Davies | |||
Producer(s) | Shel Talmy | |||
The Kinks singles chronology | ||||
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"I'm Not Like Everybody Else" is a song written by Ray Davies and first recorded by The Kinks in 1966 and released that year as the B-side of "Sunny Afternoon". The lead vocal is sung by Dave Davies, with occasional parts vocalized by his brother Ray, the band's usual lead singer. The song is a defiant anthem of non-conformity. It has been covered by various artists, notably the Chocolate Watchband in their 1968 rendition of the song.
Davies had written the song for The Animals, but it was turned down, so the Kinks released their own version with guitarist Dave Davies on lead vocals. This went against the norm where each brother usually sang songs they had written themselves. Later performances of the song were sung by Ray, with Dave providing backing vocals and Eric Clapton influenced guitar solos. Both the Davies brothers continue to perform the song in their solo concerts.
Dave Davies described the song as "a Kinks fans favorite." He also said, "[T]t was never a hit for The Kinks, but over the years every true Kinks fan relates to that particular song, and it's funny, because that particular version is one of the only songs where Ray and I actually swap lead vocals. Elsewhere, when he sings lead I do the octave harmonies, or where I sing lead he's doing background vocals. Ray and I have very different ranges, fortunately, and our textures are different, which really helps for distinctive harmonies."
The song is a defiant anthem of non-conformity, and its lyrics exhibit sentiments of frustration, accompanied by the outsider perception of being different from the rest, while yearning to seek and find, as well as assert, one's own individual identity. The song begins with an opening signature played somewhat menacingly on a twelve-string electric guitar in the key of A-minor, punctuated by subtle drum beats, which then shifts into a key of G-major when the lyrics begin, highlighting the song's angry stance.
Yet the mood also conveys a sense of sadness, and in the third verse expresses love and a sense of remorse, but with a cautious warning:
As the song progresses into its last bars, it builds up to a cathartic finale with intense playing from all of the members of the Kinks and then comes to a crashing close.
The song was first released as the B-side to their single "Sunny Afternoon" but soon became a favourite and was often part of the Kinks live act. Ray Davies continues to play the song regularly and used the song as an opening number in his 2006-2008 solo live appearances.