Agreed. Another great song by the Kinks is 20th Century Man. "This is the age of machinery, A mechanical nightmare, The wonderful world of technology, Napalm hydrogen bombs biological warfare."
@@su-rv2uq Because you were looked at strangely by both blacks and whites if you showed fondness for "white music"( at least where I lived in the late 70's, North Carolina).You must be quite young to ask me such an obvious question.
@@tdsims1963 The Kinks did some really interesting songs that weren't just about love or girlfriends. Low Budget, Celluloid Heroes (love that line about Mickey Rooney) and Better Things. I still listen to them too, but I'm a bit older than you!
Ray used to sing 'mucked up' or 'fucked up' , instead of 'muddled up' sometimes. Just for a change. In fact, I don't think I heard 'muddled up' in the various times that I saw them, or just Ray, live.
@Dr. Krieger Such a great line. As a kid, I heard it as though Lola was also glad that the singer was a man. Then later, when my friend told me what it was about, I heard it the other way -- Lola is also a man. I think that is incredibly clever, although, as they said in "Spinal Tap', it's a fine line between clever and stupid. ;-)
The Who's "I'm a Boy" came out in 1966, and Pink Floyd's "Arnold Layne in 1967, so while "Lola" is a fantastic song it wasn't breaking new ground on that score.
Love that song. It's hilarious. My kids heard it for years on radio but never really listened to the lyrics until I made them do it one day. They couldn't believe it. And it was pretty funny.
I've heard this song since i was very little but it wasn't actually till a few months ago I finally stopped to listen to the lyrics, and I was like "wow." i think i actually like the song even more now that i know what it's about
Usually by "God" though....................as Hughie Green would say " Friends,Friends just write God on the bottom of your postcard and we will know exactly who you mean :)
I always found this song endearing. It's got a catchy tune, fun lyrics, a buildup of emotion, tells a story, and makes you pause to think. It's one of the best songs.
I was about 12 when I first heard this song. I understood that the singer fell for Lola and then realized what she was. What I always took from this song was that love can be found in unexpected places.
@@christophermorris2434 It's remarkably lacking in cruelty for a song apparently about mocking someone over such a taboo subject. Plus it's really neat that he's shifted it to the first person, which really softens the impact of any sort of teasing - whatever the origin, it seems to have been quite thoughtfully put together and the result is a curiously positive representation of queerness (if not transness) in pop culture.
"I'm not the world's most masculine man, but i know what I am, I'm a man, I'm a man, and so is Lola" There's no misinterpreting that line lol. This song was years ahead of its time, pure genius.
LOL but you did misinterpret it. It's a great ambiguous line. "I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man and so is Lola". It can be read as Lola is also glad I'm a man, but it likely confirms what the rest of the song hints at, that Lola is a trans woman.
Actually it is a double entendre...It's I'm GLAD I'm a man and so is Lola. Now: if Lola were a heterosexual woman she would ALSO be glad he was a man....The key lines are elsewhere in the song...low voice, almost breaking his spine, looks like a woman but talks like a man...
One of the most obvious lyrics that everyone misses. "Im not the world's most masculine man but i know what i am, I'm a man, I'm a man, and so is Lola"
Back then it was an risky putting out such a song. Great lyrics, double meanings, cutting edge. Keep em coming India, Love your expressions and take on the vibe.
Ray Davies is a literary genius. Ray is definitely straight but he sees the deeper meaning in everything. This starts out in a club in Soho (London) which in those days was the gay area London or one of them anyway. Brilliant song. I try to never pick my favorite of anything but.... The Kinks Waterloo sunset would be my favorite song if I had one.
One of many great songs penned but Ray Davies and preformed by the Kinks. Ray was always ahead of the curve with his songs. I implore everyone who is not familiar with the Kinks, get familiar, you will not be disappointed.
@@rhwinner All great songs. The passion in Ray's voice on "Celluloid Heroes" is just breathtaking, it brings tears to my eyes. He is master of emotions. Then there is Dave's mastery of the rock n roll guitar riff. "You really got me" comes to mind.
Oh yeah, the Kinks were a very special band. Good reaction, I like how you actually listen to the lyrics. I agree with the previous commentators, do "Apeman". It's a very "groovy" song.
One of my favorite things about the Kinks, and in particular Ray Davies, was their sense of humor. They loved to push the boundaries and see what they could get away with. Ray hinted at a homosexual encounter in, Life On The Road, and waxed poetically about a married man who liked to cross dress in, Out Of The Wardrobe. I loved your reaction as you listened and began to take in what this song was all about. That was fun.
Yours are truly one of these channels that makes me believe this is really the first time you heard the song. The subtle facial reactions with the understanding of the lyric is spot on honest.!! Keep 'em coming, India.
Or just a simple cross-dresser, as the song likely would’ve implied at the time of it’s initial release. Today, this song could take on a number of different meanings.
Sweet! The Kinks wrote a lot of great songs. To change gears, check out "Come Dancing" from 1982 or "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman" from 1979. One of my favorites is "Victoria" from 1969. "Waterloo Sunset" from 1967 is also a treat. And of course, don't forget their biggest hits, "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night" from 1964 and "Destroyer" from 1981, which you could think of as a sort of punk rock proto rap song, sort of. [grin]
The Kinks were so underrated. Lyrical geniuses, Ray and Dave both. I like to listen to "Better things" when I'm having a bad day, such a positive song.
Lola is a classic song. I wish somebody would react to "Come Dancing", by the Kinks (the Pally is the local dance hall). Another story set to music. Other great songs are You Really Got Me/All Day and All of the Night / Days / Waterloo Sunset/ Apeman/ Sunny Afternoon ..there are so many good ones. Dedicated Follower Of Fashion is a must to hear too.
I loved Sunny Afternoon - so dark and sinister but sexy - my girlfriend's run off with my car....telling tales of drunkeness and cruelty... but I'm just sipping on my ice cold beer! Come Dancing is brilliant. Their songs always told a story. And Waterloo Sunset is searingly beautiful. Low Budget is another fav.
When I was a kid almost a baby I could hear everyone singing this at the top of there lungs on tv around the world in general no one Couldn't stop it ahhhhhh good times!
So many terrific Kinks songs, you can't go wrong digging into more of these! I grew up listening to my dad's albums with All Day and All of the Night, You Really Got Me, and loved them into my generation with Come Dancing. Terrific band.
LOL! It took me years (recently in fact) to realize Lola was a guy. What a great song. Very positive. You should do The Kinks' Come Dancing, it has a great story about it too. These guys rocked on for many generations. They're great!
Im always amazed when people would hear this for years and would finally catch the line Im a man, Im a man, and so’s Lola, after years of them hearing the song.
It's "And I'm glad I'm a man and so is Lola". Ray expects anyone listening to the song already understands what's going on, without having to have it explained. Remember, this was the era of Take a Walk On the Wild Side. This was nothing shocking or mysterious. We all knew what Lola was.
The line's brilliance is its ambiguity. The "so is Lola" is intentionally unclear: does it mean Lola is also a man or that Lola is also glad he's a man? Davies leaves that to us.
From South Africa of Indian origin, was twelve years great song one of my favourite songs, fortunate to have experience the music of swinging sixties and seventies music was something to treasure we had the music Motown,Rythym and Blues,Pop,Rock,Rock and Roll,Country and Western glad to have being growing up in that era, Great musicians and bands
Thanks for posting India Reacts... Released summer 1970... A worldwide smash for The Kinks... Featured on their album "Lola versus Powerman", released autumn 1970, which was a success in the USA... Was 17 when this came out... My favorite Kinks album... Ray Davies, a true genius... The Kinks are a great British institution..! Being a Londoner like The Kinks, they were so important in putting London on the map with many of their songs, yet they became quite big in the USA...
Love the reaction, thanks. Ray Davies (sorry, Sir Raymond, to address him correctly) is easily one of the greatest songwriters ever and The Kinks are really the beginnings of real rock music. People credit Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin with the creation of rock but if you listen to The Kinks - the melodies, the lyrics, the chord progressions, Dave Davies' solos and guitar distortion, you can really hear the birth of rock right there.
This. As time has gone on more experts have recognized that The Kinks had really established the foundation of rock music. Unfortunately, they are largely forgotten by many music fans these days. They were innovative and amazing musicians.
@@2011littlejohn1 No, I was talking more specifically about the start of "heavy rock" or "heavy metal" as opposed to rock 'n' roll in general. Fuzz boxes origins are also well before the Kinks, going back to the Chicago bluesmen of the 50s, but Dave Davies' sound was a bit different to that. For example, part of his sound was created by actually cutting the speaker cone in his speaker cab rather than just overdriving the valves in the amplifier to obtain distortion.
I totally love the Kinks...and so many other bands of that time but, please, Rock didn't start with the Kinks or anyone else in the Sixties...it started in 1955/6 from an embryo of RnB, Country and Gospel...am so fed up of people telling us it began with the Beatles etc in 1963/4...just bullshit!...am gonna be 77 next month...I was there at the birth!
The Kinks have been around as long as the Beatles. Listened to them a lot when I was a teenager (58 yrs old now). Especially love their song "Low Budget". Thank you India!
You really got me predated Helter Skelter by 4 years. Another one that is considered one of the first metal songs is Steppenwolf-Born To Be Wild . "heavy metal thunder". which also came out around same time as Helter Skelter.
Born to be wild is Steppenwolf. Though it has been covered plenty of times. But that came out i n 68 or 69. You really got me by the kinks came out in 64.that or maybe Louie Louie might have been the first metal song. And both predate helter Skelter and born to be wild.
Once again you bring me back in time, this time I was in a small boat with some friends with some big vawes.. we just made it to shore to make it to the city to party.. We all sang to this when we was in trouble in the water :)
I grew up in the 70's and remember this song well. Didn't quite understand the lyrics as a 6-year old...but I loved the melody and energy of this song. I named my yorkie Lola after this song. Whenever she heard it on the radio, she would perk her ears up.
No maybe about it. In the immortal words of Austin Powers: "That's a man, man." Also Kinks: "Do It Again" - "Missing Person" - "Superman" - Don't Forget To Dance" - "Destroyer" - "Death Of A Clown" - of course, "You Really Got Me" and so SO many more.
@@scottwa Even the chorus sounds a lot like another Kinks song "All Day and All of the Night": "Girl, I want you here with me But I'm really not as cool as I'd like to be"
I'm 66 and grew up with this song. At my age when it came out it was one of these risque songs dealing with subjects that had never been written about. Today it would be just another song but it was definitely ahead of its time back in the sixties. This was the only song of this type that I've ever remember the Kinks recording. They did Regular rock and roll music also.
Your face - that's such a picture, 1960;s - 70,s Britain was way ahead of the USA in musical terms. to us, back then the Kinks were avant garde, what's seen as risque, these days is just, same old same old - to us. Love your reaction :)
The first rock song on the topic of transvestism, done as only Ray Davies can imagine and the Kinks can play. An absolute classic. The Kinks were one of the very best rock/pop bands in history, putting out great songs from 1964 into the '90s. Every one of their albums from the '60s and '70s are amazing.
I have always loved this song, a real barrier breaker .... It still took us 40 years to catch up , and we still have more to go , however, This one and others like Walk On The Wild Side opened doors. Thank you Ray and Lou Be Well India D.K.
I am a black woman who has loved The Kinks since childhood (I'm almost 60)!
Agreed. Another great song by the Kinks is 20th Century Man.
"This is the age of machinery,
A mechanical nightmare,
The wonderful world of technology,
Napalm hydrogen bombs biological warfare."
Why does your race matter as to what group you like?
@@su-rv2uq It's perfectly cool as a Black woman, she loves the Kinks.
@@su-rv2uq Because you were looked at strangely by both blacks and whites if you showed fondness for "white music"( at least where I lived in the late 70's, North Carolina).You must be quite young to ask me such an obvious question.
@@tdsims1963 The Kinks did some really interesting songs that weren't just about love or girlfriends. Low Budget, Celluloid Heroes (love that line about Mickey Rooney) and Better Things. I still listen to them too, but I'm a bit older than you!
"Girls will be boys, and boys will be girls
It's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world
Except for Lola" - one of the greatest lines in rock and roll.
@Dr. Krieger *And I'm glad I'm a man...
And so is Lola
Ray used to sing 'mucked up' or 'fucked up' , instead of 'muddled up' sometimes. Just for a change. In fact, I don't think I heard 'muddled up' in the various times that I saw them, or just Ray, live.
@Dr. Krieger Such a great line. As a kid, I heard it as though Lola was also glad that the singer was a man. Then later, when my friend told me what it was about, I heard it the other way -- Lola is also a man. I think that is incredibly clever, although, as they said in "Spinal Tap', it's a fine line between clever and stupid. ;-)
Ray is one of best lyric writers of rock. Legendary.
Gotta give it to Ray Davies for getting a song about transvestites on the radio in '72....
Even Lou Reed did it with "Walk On The Wild Side". . .
@@mortensen1961 great choice Brother
1970
@@mortensen1961 Beatles did it too with get back
The Who's "I'm a Boy" came out in 1966, and Pink Floyd's "Arnold Layne in 1967, so while "Lola" is a fantastic song it wasn't breaking new ground on that score.
Love that song. It's hilarious. My kids heard it for years on radio but never really listened to the lyrics until I made them do it one day. They couldn't believe it. And it was pretty funny.
I was sort of like your kids too. I had heard the song many times and one day I just listened to the words. LOL.
Same with Arnold Lane Pink Floyd,
I've heard this song since i was very little but it wasn't actually till a few months ago I finally stopped to listen to the lyrics, and I was like "wow." i think i actually like the song even more now that i know what it's about
It’s not funny. Unless you think a trans woman is something to laugh at. It is an amazing song though.
I just had a similar experience with Blondie's One Way or Another. Finally realized it was a song about a crazy stalker girlfriend....
This is 2022 , this song was 55 years ahead of the curve . Gotta watch the video , " Lola " should have got an Oscar.
Back in the seventies when this song came out my sister hated it with a purple passion. Her name is Lola.
Awks...
Had a girlfriend in the 70s called sally, she hated the song " lay down sally " by God or Eric Clapton ( he went under both names ).
Usually by "God" though....................as Hughie Green would say " Friends,Friends just write God on the bottom of your postcard and we will know exactly who you mean :)
😂
I can out-weird that: My mother's name was Lola.
Genius isn't a term I throw around lightly but Ray Davies definitely is one.
AGREED
And Dave, as well!
53 years old song. Still one of the coolest rock song
Thank you for the great reaction
Truly one of the greatest rock songs of all time...
I remember laughing my head off the first time I heard this. The Kinks were one of the great bands of the sixties. Great reaction.
I always found this song endearing. It's got a catchy tune, fun lyrics, a buildup of emotion, tells a story, and makes you pause to think. It's one of the best songs.
Can't go wrong with any Kinks song.
Seriously.
Bryan Burton absolutely, never released a bad recording in their career👍👍👍
Bryan Burton Unless a live version, in which case eeeeeeeeeeeek!
I keep searching, "Somewhere "Round the Dial" to find a bad one. Can someone help me find ir?
@PurelyAfrican .
Amen brother
I was lucky enough to see the Kinks at our local Dance Hall 1964, a great band and a great night.
I was about 12 when I first heard this song. I understood that the singer fell for Lola and then realized what she was. What I always took from this song was that love can be found in unexpected places.
True story about thier manager picking up a tyranny. It was to make fun of him
@@christophermorris2434 It's remarkably lacking in cruelty for a song apparently about mocking someone over such a taboo subject. Plus it's really neat that he's shifted it to the first person, which really softens the impact of any sort of teasing - whatever the origin, it seems to have been quite thoughtfully put together and the result is a curiously positive representation of queerness (if not transness) in pop culture.
@@storageheater
Extremely accurate.
"I'm not the world's most masculine man, but i know what I am, I'm a man, I'm a man, and so is Lola"
There's no misinterpreting that line lol.
This song was years ahead of its time, pure genius.
You literally have done just that.
The line is, I'm glad I'm a man and so is lola
LOL but you did misinterpret it. It's a great ambiguous line. "I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man and so is Lola". It can be read as Lola is also glad I'm a man, but it likely confirms what the rest of the song hints at, that Lola is a trans woman.
congrats, you missed the entire point and double meaning of that line
Actually it is a double entendre...It's I'm GLAD I'm a man and so is Lola. Now: if Lola were a heterosexual woman she would ALSO be glad he was a man....The key lines are elsewhere in the song...low voice, almost breaking his spine, looks like a woman but talks like a man...
This is the Coca Cola version from the LP. The single release was sung Cherry Cola.
I also remember they sang, " we sparked to electric candle light" not "under electric candle light".
Correct me if I'm wrong but I heard somewhere along the way that they changed the lyrics from Coca to Cherry after a threatened law suit from Coke.
@Arry Cane Well, I asked to be corrected if I'm wrong. Thanks for the education.
Live too usually was CHERRY COLA
He sang "Cherry Cola" to satisfy the BBC rules about advertising and product placement.
One of the greatest bands of all time
The Kinks have always been my favorite band from across the pond.
“Electric candlelight”. Anyone else notice that little touch of artifice in a song about a guy who cannot tell a man from a woman?
One of the most obvious lyrics that everyone misses. "Im not the world's most masculine man but i know what i am, I'm a man, I'm a man, and so is Lola"
"I'm glad I'm a man and so is Lola"
Which they bsed the censors with the cover the story of Lola loving that he's a man.
Yeah, she totally missed it.
Lol funnily this would be banned now for exact opposite reasons. That its offensive to trans women to call them man
What's clever about that lyric is that it skates by because the "and so's Lola" could be taken to mean that Lola is also glad he's a man!
It also has "Coca-Cola" whereas other version has "Cherry-Cola because of copyright...
Back then it was an risky putting out such a song. Great lyrics, double meanings, cutting edge. Keep em coming India, Love your expressions and take on the vibe.
I absolutely love this song. And all the lyrics.
Great song from my teenage years. Liked the song and the lyrics pushed the envelope back in the day.
A classic, and made a huge fuss when it first came out. Still makes me smile!! TY India
"I'd never ever kissed a woman before". And after all that, he still hadn't.
😂
Technically he did since he kissed a trans woman
@@thomasthenextwalt2739 Biologically he didn't
Nearly fifty years old, considered shocking, funny, daring and "liberated" at the time, Lola has aged well... the song, I mean!
They want to ban it from being played on the radio for being anti tranny
Ray Davies is a literary genius. Ray is definitely straight but he sees the deeper meaning in everything. This starts out in a club in Soho (London) which in those days was the gay area London or one of them anyway. Brilliant song. I try to never pick my favorite of anything but.... The Kinks Waterloo sunset would be my favorite song if I had one.
I love Lola (the song!) and Waterloo Sunset. So many good Kinks songs.
Waterloo Sunset is one of the greatest songs.....ever!
Waterloo sunset is also my favourite Kinks song!
One of many great songs penned but Ray Davies and preformed by the Kinks. Ray was always ahead of the curve with his songs. I implore everyone who is not familiar with the Kinks, get familiar, you will not be disappointed.
My faves are Misfits, Father Christmas and Celluloid Heroes
@@rhwinner All great songs. The passion in Ray's voice on "Celluloid Heroes" is just breathtaking, it brings tears to my eyes. He is master of emotions. Then there is Dave's mastery of the rock n roll guitar riff. "You really got me" comes to mind.
Oh yeah, the Kinks were a very special band. Good reaction, I like how you actually listen to the lyrics.
I agree with the previous commentators, do "Apeman". It's a very "groovy" song.
The Kinks are a legend!
One of my favorite things about the Kinks, and in particular Ray Davies, was their sense of humor. They loved to push the boundaries and see what they could get away with. Ray hinted at a homosexual encounter in, Life On The Road, and waxed poetically about a married man who liked to cross dress in, Out Of The Wardrobe. I loved your reaction as you listened and began to take in what this song was all about. That was fun.
Saw them do this live! Great band! Awesome song!
The Kinks really got me back in the day and still do. Girl you are so cute!
Yours are truly one of these channels that makes me believe this is really the first time you heard the song. The subtle facial reactions with the understanding of the lyric is spot on honest.!! Keep 'em coming, India.
"that he was attracted to somebody that was maybe a transexual, maybe"
As the British would say, "Got it in one"
Actually we don't know if Lola was a transexual or a transvestite.
Sure sounds that way though
Or just a simple cross-dresser, as the song likely would’ve implied at the time of it’s initial release. Today, this song could take on a number of different meanings.
saw the kinks live in the 80s...they rocked the place...Thanks Dave, Ray and India...
Sweet! The Kinks wrote a lot of great songs. To change gears, check out "Come Dancing" from 1982 or "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman" from 1979. One of my favorites is "Victoria" from 1969. "Waterloo Sunset" from 1967 is also a treat. And of course, don't forget their biggest hits, "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All of the Night" from 1964 and "Destroyer" from 1981, which you could think of as a sort of punk rock proto rap song, sort of. [grin]
The Kinks were so underrated. Lyrical geniuses, Ray and Dave both. I like to listen to "Better things" when I'm having a bad day, such a positive song.
Destroyer may be the best engineered recording I've ever heard.
I love "Victoria." And "Destroyer."
Love Wish I Could fly like Superman.
Come dancing is awesome!
👑 Miss India with another winner 👍 love this song sooo much.
Lola is a classic song. I wish somebody would react to "Come Dancing", by the Kinks (the Pally is the local dance hall). Another story set to music. Other great songs are You Really Got Me/All Day and All of the Night / Days / Waterloo Sunset/ Apeman/ Sunny Afternoon ..there are so many good ones. Dedicated Follower Of Fashion is a must to hear too.
Yes, Apeman is a good one.
Village Green Preservation Society, Low Budget, and Superman are other really good Kinks songs!
@@AdrianDeVore Powerman, The Moneygoround, Strangers, Super Sonic Rocketship, Come Dancing
I loved Sunny Afternoon - so dark and sinister but sexy - my girlfriend's run off with my car....telling tales of drunkeness and cruelty... but I'm just sipping on my ice cold beer! Come Dancing is brilliant. Their songs always told a story. And Waterloo Sunset is searingly beautiful. Low Budget is another fav.
A lot of their songs were micro-stories.
The Kinks are beyond amazing. Best British band ever. Try Postcard From London. That always makes me cry.
I envy people who get to hear these songs for the first time. Love your channel
Wonderful lyrics completely neutral ! No bad vibes or judgement exceptional ! 😉👍
Yes I love that! I mean it makes a bit fun over how sheltered and inexperienced the guy is though but in a sweet way.
Young people: text Lol
Old People: What does that mean? Oh you mean Lola don't you?
@@52BuickBoi No we don't.
@@52BuickBoi oh you mean L o l a Lola.
@@daistoke1314 sure
Two essential Kinks songs are, 'Waterloo Sunset' and 'Sunny Afternoon'. Amazing songs by amazing songwriters. :)
yeah Both Classics my fave is sunny afternoon also dedicated follower of fashion
“Days” as well
Lot's of kinks music used on Sopranos TV show..
that was full. a huge sound. makes me want to listen to it over and over.
When I was a kid almost a baby I could hear everyone singing this at the top of there lungs on tv around the world in general no one Couldn't stop it ahhhhhh good times!
That was great and your reaction was great too!! That song is like 50 years old clearly way ahead of its time! Excellent job with it!
"But I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man
, And so is Lola" It really is surreal when you find out the "girl" wasn't.
Thats right.
Didnt bother us in the 70's, just a great love song.
You sooo darling and real. I truly appreciate you listening the music of my generation. Big love from Beth in Mancos CO
Yes!! Cool. Such a uniquely distinctive sound these guys had.
Every time I hear someone named Lola, I chuckle and always am reminded of this song.
This brings back memories. It was the first ever record I bought as a kid, i was about 11 or 12. I loved the kinks.
Always loved this song. It was the gateway song to what became one of my favorite bands of all time.
Always happy to see someone’s response to hearing this song for the first time.
So many terrific Kinks songs, you can't go wrong digging into more of these! I grew up listening to my dad's albums with All Day and All of the Night, You Really Got Me, and loved them into my generation with Come Dancing. Terrific band.
The line" I know what I am I'm a man and so is lola" should be a clue. Lol
LOL! It took me years (recently in fact) to realize Lola was a guy. What a great song. Very positive. You should do The Kinks' Come Dancing, it has a great story about it too. These guys rocked on for many generations. They're great!
Your facial expressions in these reactions are the absolute best.
Watching your face as the story develops made my day. Thank you :)
Im always amazed when people would hear this for years and would finally catch the line Im a man, Im a man, and so’s Lola, after years of them hearing the song.
It's "And I'm glad I'm a man and so is Lola". Ray expects anyone listening to the song already understands what's going on, without having to have it explained. Remember, this was the era of Take a Walk On the Wild Side. This was nothing shocking or mysterious. We all knew what Lola was.
“I’m glad I’m a man, and so’s Lola.”
Ambiguity! She might be glad he’s a man.
Wow !! have loved the KINKS since I was about 8 years old ... Around '74 ...THEY WERE MY FIRST CONCERT AT 9 YEARS OLD !
best line in the lyrics:
But I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man
And so is Lola
The line's brilliance is its ambiguity. The "so is Lola" is intentionally unclear: does it mean Lola is also a man or that Lola is also glad he's a man? Davies leaves that to us.
@@andan04 Not all that ambiguous after the line "Girls will be boys and boys will be girls!"
One of my all time favorite musical progressions. The lyrics? I just roll my eyes and say: "it's the Kinks".
classic. And the kinks were hanging it out there in the early 70's
From South Africa of Indian origin, was twelve years great song one of my favourite songs, fortunate to have experience the music of swinging sixties and seventies music was something to treasure we had the music Motown,Rythym and Blues,Pop,Rock,Rock and Roll,Country and Western glad to have being growing up in that era, Great musicians and bands
We had this on a 45 rpm single when I was a weeeee lad. I didn't get it then, but when I figured things out, I got it. :P
OMG! First time to hear Lola :) I TOTALLY LOVE this song since 1970 :)
Every time I hear this song I can't help but think of Weird Al Yankovic parody to this song. He called it Yoda. Lol
Thanks for posting India Reacts... Released summer 1970... A worldwide smash for The Kinks... Featured on their album "Lola versus Powerman", released autumn 1970, which was a success in the USA... Was 17 when this came out... My favorite Kinks album... Ray Davies, a true genius... The Kinks are a great British institution..! Being a Londoner like The Kinks, they were so important in putting London on the map with many of their songs, yet they became quite big in the USA...
Love the reaction, thanks. Ray Davies (sorry, Sir Raymond, to address him correctly) is easily one of the greatest songwriters ever and The Kinks are really the beginnings of real rock music. People credit Black Sabbath or Led Zeppelin with the creation of rock but if you listen to The Kinks - the melodies, the lyrics, the chord progressions, Dave Davies' solos and guitar distortion, you can really hear the birth of rock right there.
This. As time has gone on more experts have recognized that The Kinks had really established the foundation of rock music. Unfortunately, they are largely forgotten by many music fans these days. They were innovative and amazing musicians.
The birth of rock was long before the 60's or are you talking about fuzz boxes?
@@2011littlejohn1 No, I was talking more specifically about the start of "heavy rock" or "heavy metal" as opposed to rock 'n' roll in general. Fuzz boxes origins are also well before the Kinks, going back to the Chicago bluesmen of the 50s, but Dave Davies' sound was a bit different to that. For example, part of his sound was created by actually cutting the speaker cone in his speaker cab rather than just overdriving the valves in the amplifier to obtain distortion.
I totally love the Kinks...and so many other bands of that time but, please, Rock didn't start with the Kinks or anyone else in the Sixties...it started in 1955/6 from an embryo of RnB, Country and Gospel...am so fed up of people telling us it began with the Beatles etc in 1963/4...just bullshit!...am gonna be 77 next month...I was there at the birth!
The Kinks have been around as long as the Beatles. Listened to them a lot when I was a teenager (58 yrs old now). Especially love their song "Low Budget". Thank you India!
"I know what i am is a man and so he is she" missed that part! Right near the end, about one minute before the end.
india ! you are hilarious - you caught on really quick and that half smile during the first verse gave you away ....
The song that really got them recognize was You Really Got Me. Considered one of the first metal songs.
Along with Helter Skelter.
You really got me predated Helter Skelter by 4 years. Another one that is considered one of the first metal songs is Steppenwolf-Born To Be Wild . "heavy metal thunder". which also came out around same time as Helter Skelter.
Yep. Everyone has heard Van Halen's cover as well as "Dance the Night Away". Right?
@@matthewdrake4385 Born to be Wild!!
Born to be wild is Steppenwolf. Though it has been covered plenty of times. But that came out i n 68 or 69. You really got me by the kinks came out in 64.that or maybe Louie Louie might have been the first metal song. And both predate helter Skelter and born to be wild.
Once again you bring me back in time, this time I was in a small boat with some friends with some big vawes.. we just made it to shore to make it to the city to party.. We all sang to this when we was in trouble in the water :)
That entire album is a classic masterpiece.
Seeing your face as it dawned on you what that song was about was worth the price of admission.
Love to see you do "Animal Farm" or "Victoria" by the Kinks too.
He wrote so many great songs and this was just one of them you have to go and listen to the others to learn about the kinks
How does someone make it to 2019 without hearing "Lola"?
I can’t fathom how anyone can’t have heard the majority of songs she reacts to....
@@Gboz90 She does sometimes look like she's listening to something that was dropped here by aliens.
But I like her reactions especially when song has twist ending I know by heart.
FredK…..conversely how many Nas, Public Enemy, Notorious BIG, or Tupak albums have you heard?
TheTestingGrounds None. I prefer music.
I grew up in the 70's and remember this song well. Didn't quite understand the lyrics as a 6-year old...but I loved the melody and energy of this song. I named my yorkie Lola after this song. Whenever she heard it on the radio, she would perk her ears up.
No maybe about it. In the immortal words of Austin Powers: "That's a man, man."
Also Kinks: "Do It Again" - "Missing Person" - "Superman" - Don't Forget To Dance" - "Destroyer" - "Death Of A Clown" - of course, "You Really Got Me" and so SO many more.
🤣🤣😭😭😭
Don't forget "Sunny Afternoon" and "A Well Respected Man"!
Or as Aerosmith said, "Dude looks like a lady".
Yes India may have found one of the kinkiest songs in early rock history but that's really not what, "The Kinks" were about. Excellent suggestions.
Kinks have written some great songs, Lola is a classic.
Lola appears in another great Kinks song - "Destroyer"
Met a girl called Lola and I took her back to my place
Feeling guilty feeling scared hidden cameras everywhere
First song I hear in my mind after this one. Then I have to remind myself, ""Paranoia may destroy ya!"
@@centuryrox Stop! Hold on... stay in control... Loved that song when it came out.
@@scottwa Even the chorus sounds a lot like another Kinks song "All Day and All of the Night":
"Girl, I want you here with me
But I'm really not as cool as I'd like to be"
I'm 66 and grew up with this song. At my age when it came out it was one of these risque songs dealing with subjects that had never been written about. Today it would be just another song but it was definitely ahead of its time back in the sixties. This was the only song of this type that I've ever remember the Kinks recording. They did Regular rock and roll music also.
You need to react to Apeman it is on the same album.
Yeah.
Might as well react to Powerman as well. What a solid album
One of my "Kinks" favorites. How about "Super Man"?
Your face - that's such a picture, 1960;s - 70,s Britain was way ahead of the USA in musical terms. to us, back then the Kinks were avant garde, what's seen as risque, these days is just, same old same old - to us. Love your reaction :)
Named my German Shepard after this song ❤️
My little Yorkie is also named after this song.
Had a friend with a Rottie by that name. A real schytzo. Lol. Bit me once. Not too bad but she wasn't getting a second chance!
One of the all time great songs. Most interesting message.
Hell yea, All kinks, all the time!
The first rock song on the topic of transvestism, done as only Ray Davies can imagine and the Kinks can play. An absolute classic. The Kinks were one of the very best rock/pop bands in history, putting out great songs from 1964 into the '90s. Every one of their albums from the '60s and '70s are amazing.
Her Adam's apple caught my eyes -- La La Lola. 😂😂 ( my own third verse)
I subscribed to you because it is fascinating to me to see your reaction to thing I've been listening too since I wss a kid. Love ya girl, keep it up
I'd say it's a tongue-in-cheek but positive song about a subject that was still pretty taboo at the time.
Ray often had his tongue planted firmly in his cheek.
These are the most clever lyrics ever. Loved your reaction!
The whole album is a masterpiece btw. Hot tracks include This Time Tomorrow and Strangers. Brilliant
I concur... this time tomorrow is beautiful...
Love the kinks! First concert I saw and it was electric!
It was the 70s. Ya hadda be there....
Great song. Keep going with these classic songs.
🎵🎶 I'm a man, I'm a man and so's Lola🎶🎵 I was totally expecting her face to crack then but I think she missed it 🤣
I think you.re right, and I too was ready to see that expression. She was definitely picking up on all the hints leading up to it though.
I'm glad I'm a man and so's Lola.
I have always loved this song, a real barrier breaker .... It still took us 40 years to catch up , and we still have more to go , however, This one and others like Walk On The Wild Side opened doors. Thank you Ray and Lou Be Well India D.K.