You Really Got Me
| "You Really Got Me" | ||||||||||
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Dutch single sleeve
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| Single by The Kinks | ||||||||||
| from the album Kinks | ||||||||||
| B-side | "It's All Right" | |||||||||
| Released | 4 August 1964 | |||||||||
| Format | 7-inch 45 rpm single | |||||||||
| Recorded | July 1964 | |||||||||
| Studio | IBC, London | |||||||||
| Genre | ||||||||||
| Length | 2:14 | |||||||||
| Label | Pye | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | Ray Davies | |||||||||
| Producer(s) | Shel Talmy | |||||||||
| ISWC | T-010.160.498-1 | |||||||||
| The Kinks singles chronology | ||||||||||
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| "You Really Got Me (live)" | ||||
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| Single by The Kinks | ||||
| from the album One for the Road | ||||
| B-side | "Attitude" | |||
| Released | 29 October 1980 | |||
| Format | 7-inch 45 rpm single | |||
| Recorded | 6 March 1979 | |||
| Venue | Lowell Memorial Auditorium, Massachusetts | |||
| Length | 3:35 | |||
| Label | Arista | |||
| Writer(s) | Ray Davies | |||
| Producer(s) | Ray Davies | |||
| The Kinks US singles chronology | ||||
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| "You Really Got Me" | |||||||||
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| Single by Van Halen | |||||||||
| from the album Van Halen | |||||||||
| B-side | "Atomic Punk" | ||||||||
| Released | 28 January 1978 | ||||||||
| Format | 7-inch 45 rpm single | ||||||||
| Recorded | September–October 1977 | ||||||||
| Genre | |||||||||
| Length | 2:35 | ||||||||
| Label | Warner Bros. | ||||||||
| Writer(s) | Ray Davies | ||||||||
| Producer(s) | Ted Templeman | ||||||||
| Van Halen singles chronology | |||||||||
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"You Really Got Me" is a song written by Ray Davies for English rock band the Kinks. The song, originally performed in a more blues-oriented style, was inspired by artists such as Lead Belly and Big Bill Broonzy. Two versions of the song were recorded, with the second performance being used for the final single. Although it was rumoured that future Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page had performed the song's guitar solo, the myth has since been proven false.
"You Really Got Me" was built around power chords (perfect fifths and octaves) and heavily influenced later rock musicians, particularly in the genres of heavy metal and punk rock. Built around a guitar riff played by Dave Davies, the song's lyrics were described by Dave as "a love song for street kids."
"You Really Got Me" was released on 4 August 1964 as the group's third single, and reached number one on the UK singles chart the next month, remaining for two weeks. The song became the group's breakthrough hit; it established them as one of the top British Invasion acts in the United States, reaching number seven there later in the year. "You Really Got Me" was later included on the Kinks' debut album, Kinks. The song was covered by American rock band Van Halen in 1978, reaching the Billboard Top 40.
[The original demo version of 'You Really Got Me'] had very way-out words and a funny sort of ending that didn't. We did it differently on the record because [this original version] was really rather uncommercial.
"You Really Got Me" was written by Ray Davies, the Kinks' vocalist and main songwriter, sometime between 9 and 12 March 1964. Created on the piano in the front room of the Davies' home, the song was stylistically very different from the finished product, being much lighter and somewhat jazz-oriented. Ray said of the song's writing, "When I came up with ['You Really Got Me'] I hadn't been writing songs very long at all. It was one of the first five I ever came up with."
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Wikipedia