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Mister Pleasant

"Mister Pleasant"
Mister Pleasant cover.jpg
Single by The Kinks
A-side "Autumn Almanac" (UK)
B-side "This is Where I Belong" (Europe)
"Harry Rag" (US)
Released 21 April 1967 (Europe)
24 May 1967 (US)
Format 7" single
Recorded February/March 1967
Pye Studios (No. 2), London
Genre Rock, pop, music-hall
Label Pye 7N 17314 (Europe)
Reprise 0587 (US)
Songwriter(s) Ray Davies
Producer(s) Shel Talmy
The Kinks singles chronology
"Dead End Street"
(1967)
"Mister Pleasant"
(1967)
"Waterloo Sunset"
(1967)
"Dead End Street"
(1967)
"Mister Pleasant"
(1967)
"Waterloo Sunset"
(1967)

"Mister Pleasant" (usually spelled as Mr. Pleasant) is a song recorded by British rock group The Kinks in 1967, written by Ray Davies. It was released as a single in the US and mainland Europe but not in the UK. It was released in the UK six months later as the B-side to "Autumn Almanac". The song is now available as a bonus track to their album Face to Face, and an alternate version was also released as a bonus track on the 2011 deluxe reissue of Something Else by the Kinks.

"Mister Pleasant" is lyrically somewhat similar to the earlier track "A Well Respected Man", as it satirizes the heedless complacency of a nouveau riche who, for all his newfound worldly success, is but a foolish cuckold. Musically, the song has strong English Music Hall influences and a "trad jazz" backing that features a trombone and ragtime-style piano (played by Nicky Hopkins).

Due to the Kinks' absence from American touring and the single's noncommercial sound, "Mister Pleasant" did not fare well in the US, only managing a peak of number 80—their poorest showing since "See My Friends" failed to reach the Hot 100 in 1965—despite being tapped as likely Top 20 material by Billboard magazine. The publication characterized it as a "clever novelty" piece, which "should skyrocket the group back up to the top of Hot 100 once again." "Mr. Pleasant" was much more successful in Europe, particularly the Netherlands (where it reached number 2) and Belgium (number 3).

While US B-side "Harry Rag" was included on the upcoming Something Else by The Kinks album (released in September), European B-side "This is Where I Belong" remained unavailable in the UK or US. The track had been recorded with the sessions for Face to Face but not included (although it is currently available on the CD reissue, along with "Mister Pleasant"). It was made available in the US on The Kink Kronikles in 1972 but was only released in the UK in 1984.


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Wikipedia

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