It started with a knitting needle. Not a high-tech studio processor or a fancy boutique pedal. Just Dave Davies, a frustrated teenager in North London, shoving a knitting needle through the speaker cone of his Elpico amplifier. He wanted it to sound "nasty." He got what he wanted. That jagged, distorted sound became the backbone of The Kinks You Really Got Me Going, a track that basically invented the power chord and, by extension, paved the way for heavy metal and punk.
Honestly, the music world in 1964 wasn't ready. The Beatles were still wearing matching suits and singing about holding hands. Then came The Kinks. They sounded like they were breaking something.
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Why The Kinks You Really Got Me Going Still Hits Different
Most people think "You Really Got Me" is just a simple love song. It’s not. Well, it is, but the delivery is what matters. Ray Davies wrote it on a piano initially, influenced by jazz and blues. But when they got into the studio, it transformed.
It’s raw.
The song captures a specific kind of teenage desperation that feels universal even sixty years later. When you listen to that opening riff, you aren't hearing a polished pop product. You're hearing a DIY experiment. That distorted tone—often called "fuzz"—wasn't a setting on an amp back then. You had to physically damage your equipment to get it.
The Secret History of the "Green Amp"
Dave Davies’ little Elpico amp, which he affectionately called the "fart box," was plugged into a larger Vox AC30. This "slave" setup created a saturated, overdriven sound that most engineers at the time would have considered a technical failure.
Shel Talmy, the producer, knew better. He let the red lights bleed.
The recording session at IBC Studios in London was actually the third attempt to get the song right. The first version was slow, bluesy, and frankly, a bit boring. Ray Davies insisted they re-record it, even though the record label was breathing down their necks about costs. If they hadn't fought for that second session, rock history would look completely different.
Breaking the Power Chord Myth
There’s a lot of debate among musicologists about who "invented" the power chord. Some point to Link Wray’s "Rumble" in 1958. Others look at blues legends. But The Kinks You Really Got Me Going was the first time that specific, root-and-fifth chord structure was used as a primary, driving hook in a Top 40 hit.
It simplified everything.
Suddenly, you didn't need to be a virtuoso to start a band. You just needed an attitude and a few fingers. Pete Townshend of The Who famously admitted that early Who records were basically just trying to sound like The Kinks.
- The riff is built on G and F.
- It moves with a rhythmic stutter that feels like a heartbeat.
- It lacks the "pretty" third of a chord, making it sound neutral but aggressive.
This simplicity is why the song is a staple for every kid picking up a guitar for the first time. It’s accessible, yet it feels dangerous.
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The Van Halen Factor and the Song’s Second Life
In 1978, a young band from Pasadena decided to cover the track for their debut album. Eddie Van Halen’s version of "You Really Got Me" took the Kinks’ blueprint and turned it into a high-octane spectacle.
It’s interesting.
The Van Halen cover is technically superior in every way. The solo is faster. The production is cleaner. The drums are massive. But many purists still prefer the original because it has a certain "clatter." The original Kinks version sounds like it might fall apart at any second. It has a nervous energy that Eddie’s confident shredding can't quite replicate.
Ray Davies famously joked that he made more money from the Van Halen cover than his own version, but he also noted that it helped keep The Kinks relevant to a new generation of American fans who were more interested in arena rock than the British Invasion.
Misconceptions About Jimmy Page's Involvement
For years, a rumor circulated that Jimmy Page played the lead guitar on the track. It’s one of those rock myths that refuses to die. Even though Page was a prolific session musician at the time and did play on some Kinks tracks (like the soundtrack to "Beat Girl"), both Ray and Dave Davies have been adamant: Dave played the solo.
Page himself has confirmed this in multiple interviews. He played rhythm guitar on some tracks, but that frantic, piercing solo on "You Really Got Me" is pure Dave Davies. It’s chaotic and slightly out of tune, which is exactly why it works. A polished session pro wouldn't have played it that way.
Impact on the London Scene
The Kinks were always the outsiders. They weren't the "cute" ones like the Beatles or the "dangerous" ones like the Stones. They were the weird ones. They were from Muswell Hill. They wore hunting capes.
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The Kinks You Really Got Me Going gave them the leverage to experiment. Because it was such a massive hit, the label gave Ray Davies the freedom to start writing more complex, observational songs like "Waterloo Sunset" and "A Well Respected Man."
Without the commercial success of that distorted riff, we might never have gotten the sophisticated storytelling that defined the later half of their career. They proved that you could be loud and smart at the same time.
Technical Legacy: The Birth of Grunge?
If you listen to the proto-punk bands of the 70s or the grunge explosion in the 90s, you can hear the echoes of that Elpico amp. Kurt Cobain’s "Smells Like Teen Spirit" shares the same DNA—a simple, repetitive, distorted riff that triggers an immediate physical reaction.
It’s about the "chug."
The Kinks figured out that if you mute the strings slightly and hit them hard with a lot of gain, you get a percussive sound that’s more about rhythm than melody. This changed the way guitarists approached the instrument. It stopped being a lead voice and started being a battering ram.
Essential Listening and Next Steps
To truly understand why this track matters, you have to listen to it in context. Don't just stream it on a tiny phone speaker. Put it on a real set of speakers or a decent pair of headphones.
- Listen to the Mono Mix: The stereo mixes from the 60s are often weirdly panned. The mono mix is where the power is. It hits you right in the chest.
- Compare it to the 1964 Charts: Look at what else was popular that week. Songs like "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" were the norm. When you hear The Kinks in that lineup, the sonic violence of the track becomes much more apparent.
- Explore the "Kinkkontroversy" Era: After "You Really Got Me," the band leaned even harder into this sound with "All Day and All of the Night" and "Till the End of the Day." These three songs form the "Holy Trinity" of early garage rock.
The real lesson of The Kinks isn't about gear or theory. It’s about the fact that if you don't like the sound the world is giving you, you should take a needle to it and make your own. They showed that imperfection is often more memorable than polish. That's a lesson that applies to more than just music.