Last of the Steam-Powered Trains
| "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains" | |
|---|---|
| Song by the Kinks | |
| from the album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society | |
| Released | 22 November 1968 |
| Recorded | July 1968 |
| Studio | Pye, London |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:03 |
| Label | |
| Songwriter(s) | Ray Davies |
| Producer(s) | Ray Davies |
"Last of the Steam-Powered Trains" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks. It first appeared on their 1968 album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. It was written by the Kinks' principal songwriter, Ray Davies.
"Last of the Steam-Powered Trains" was inspired by "Smokestack Lightnin'", a rhythm and blues track by Howlin' Wolf. The track, first released in 1956, became a standard number for blues bands at the time to perform (including The Kinks). However, as time passed, R&B began to lose its appeal, with pop music taking over. In "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains", Davies not only references the blues musically, but acknowledges this situation lyrically.
When talking about "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains", Ray Davies said, "Again, like the 'Walter' song it's really about not having anything in common with people. Everybody wanted to know about steam trains a couple of years ago, but they don't any more. It's about me being the last of the renegades. All my friends are middle class now. They've all stopped playing in clubs. They've all made money and have happy faces. Oddly enough, I never did like steam trains much."
"Last of the Steam-Powered Trains" was one of the final tracks recorded for The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, being recorded after the original 12-track version of the album was pulled from shops at Ray Davies's insistence. Also recorded at this point in time was "Big Sky", the track that followed it on the final 15-track version of The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society.
The lyrics of "Last of the Steam Powered Trains", the singer takes the role of an antique steam-powered train. The singer calls himself "the last of the blood and sweat brigade," " the last of the good old renegades," and "the last of the good old fashioned steam-powered trains." He says, "I don't know where I'm going, or why I came," and that all of his friends are "middle class and grey." He "live[s] in a museum, so [he's] okay," but then goes on to say, "all this peaceful living is drivin' me insane." These lyrics can be taken literally, but they also compare the dwindling popularity of blues with these now obsolete steam-powered trains.
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