In Ray Davies' satirical style, the lyrics juxtapose the grim realities of life in Britain during the 19th century ("Sex was bad, and obscene/And the rich were so mean") with the paternalist aspirations of the British Empire in the Victorian age ("From the West to the East/From the rich to the poor/Victoria loved them all"), and expresses the simple adulation of queen and country by the downtrodden working class ("Though I am poor, I am free/When I grow I shall fight/For this land I shall die").

The production begins with a simple heavy rock electric blues guitar riff, carried through each verse and chorus, while the "Land of hope and gloria" bridge and raucous background vocals from Dave Davies build to an exultant climax of brass, played by a group not generally known for being anywhere near that patriotic.

In the US, "Victoria" was the lead single from Arthur, backed with album track "Brainwashed", and reached #62 on the Billboard Hot 100 - their highest position there since their top 20 hit "Sunny Afternoon" in 1966. In the UK, The Kinks' previous two singles had failed to chart. "Victoria" was released as the third and final single from the album in December (backed with "Mr. Churchill Says"), returning them to the UK singles chart, reaching a peak of #33. In Canada, the song was a hit in the greater Toronto area, reaching #9 on the CHUM Top 30 on 21 March 1970, and staying in the charts for a number of weeks. In Australia, it spent 7 weeks in the charts, peaking at 57.

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