"Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy" is a song by

Ray Davies Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist, and main songwriter for the rock band the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother Dave on lead guitar and backing voca ...

, released as a UK single by

the Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, north London, in 1963 by brothers Ray and Dave Davies. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British rhythm ...

in 1965. As the follow-up to the number-one hit "

Tired of Waiting for You "Tired of Waiting for You" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks. It was released as a single on 15 January 1965 in the UK and on 17 February 1965 in the USA. The single reached number one in the UK and number six in the US. It then appear ...

", and having their previous three singles all chart among the top two, it was less successful, reaching number 17. It broke a run of what would have been thirteen consecutive top-ten singles in the UK. The song was written as a musical experiment, rather than as an intended single, according to Davies in an interview, where he also claimed that the demo became the master version of it.

Background

Both sides of the single were recorded in December 1964 in the same session as the B-side and final overdubs for "Tired of Waiting for You". "Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy" drew inspiration from the

Earl Van Dyke Earl Van Dyke (July 8, 1930 – September 18, 1992) was an American soul musician, most notable as the main keyboardist for Motown Records' in-house Funk Brothers band during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Career Van Dyke, who was born in Detr ...

trio, whom the Kinks had previously toured with. Upon hearing the playback, the Kinks producer

Shel Talmy Sheldon Talmy (born August 11, 1937) is an American record producer, songwriter and arranger, best known for his work in the UK in the 1960s with the Who, the Kinks and many others. Talmy arranged and produced hits such as "You Really Got Me" ...

was skeptical of the single's release, as he did not like the sound, in contrast to Davies who was convinced that it would become a hit. Following the disappointing performance in the UK,

Reprise In music, a reprise ( , ; from the verb 'to resume') is the repetition or reiteration of the opening material later in a composition as occurs in the recapitulation of sonata form, though—originally in the 18th century—was simply any repea ...

held off releasing the single in the US. They did release follow-up " Set Me Free" but when the next UK single "

See My Friends "See My Friends" (sometimes titled "See My Friend") is a song by the English rock band the Kinks, written by the group's singer and guitarist, Ray Davies. Released in July 1965, it reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart, ''Record Retailer'' c ...

" was judged to be even less suitable, they flipped the "Ev'rybody..." single with "

Who'll Be the Next in Line "Who'll Be the Next in Line" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks. It was written by Ray Davies. Release "Who'll Be the Next in Line" was first released as the B-side to "Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy", a Kinks single released in Britain. ...

" as the A-side, releasing it four months after the UK version. Although only a moderate hit, reaching number 34, it was more successful than "See My Friends" which, when it was eventually released in the US in September, failed to reach the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 (peaking at #111). As well as being the US B-side, "Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy" was included as the first track on side 2 of the US version of the ''

Kinda Kinks ''Kinda Kinks'' is the second album by English rock band the Kinks, released in 1965. Recorded and released within two weeks after returning from a tour in Asia, Ray Davies and the band were not satisfied with the production. The single "Tired o ...

'' album. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' described it as a "catchy, high-spirited, rhythmic multi-beat teen-oriented terpsichorean item."

Personnel

According to band researcher Doug Hinman: The Kinks *

lead vocal, piano *

Dave Davies David Russell Gordon Davies (born 3 February 1947) is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the English rock band the Kinks, which also featured his elder brother Ray Davies. He was ind ...

backing vocal, electric guitar *

Pete Quaife Peter Alexander Greenlaw Quaife (born Kinnes; 31 December 1943 – 23 June 2010) was an English musician, artist and author. He was a founding member and the original bass guitarist for the Kinks, from 1963 until 1969. He also sang backing voca ...

backing vocal, bass *

Mick Avory Michael Charles Avory (born 15 February 1944) is an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer and percussionist for the English rock band the Kinks. He joined them shortly after their formation in 1964 and remained with them until 1984, ...

drums Additional musicians *Rasa Davies backing vocal *Unidentified girlfriends of band members backing vocals

Charts

References

Sources

External links

The Official Ray Davies Web Site
{{authority control 1965 singles The Kinks songs Song recordings produced by Shel Talmy Songs written by Ray Davies Pye Records singles 1965 songs Reprise Records singles