"Heart of Gold" is a song by the British

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

band

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 ...

. Written 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 ...

, the song appeared on the band's 1983 album ''

State of Confusion ''State of Confusion'' is the twentieth studio album by the England, English rock music, rock group, the Kinks, released in 1983. The record features the single "Come Dancing (song), Come Dancing", which hit #6 on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billb ...

''.

Background

"Heart of Gold" is an acoustic

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

half-time In several team sports, matches are played in two halves. Half-time (also written halftime or half time) is the name given to the interval between the two halves of the match. Typically, after half-time, teams swap ends of the field of play in or ...

. Music critic John Mendelsohn describes it as being

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

-ish. ''

Musician A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

'' magazine finds the guitar work reminiscent of the Kinks earlier album ''

Muswell Hillbillies ''Muswell Hillbillies'' is the tenth studio album by the English rock group the Kinks. Released in November 1971, it was the band's first album for RCA Records. The album is named after the Muswell Hill area of North London, where band leader Ra ...

''. It was, according to Ray Davies, written about the birth of his and

Pretenders Pretenders may refer to: * The Pretenders, a rock band ** ''Pretenders'' (album), the 1980 debut album by the group * ''Pretenders'' (TV series), a 1972 British television series * ''The Pretenders'' (play) (Norwegian: ''Kongs-Emnerne''), an 18 ...

front woman

Chrissie Hynde Christine Ellen Hynde (born September 7, 1951) is an American musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band the Pretenders, and one of the band's two remaining original members alon ...

's daughter, Natalie, in 1983. According to Davies, it was also inspired by a comment by

Anne, Princess Royal Anne, Princess Royal (Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise; born 15 August 1950), is a member of the British royal family. She is the second child and only daughter of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and the only sister of ...

in which she told intrusive photographers to "naff off." Davies has stated that "I wrote about it imagining I was a photographer, but really it was about Chrissie having her first baby. Both she and Princess Anne seem to be quite anonymous people at times." However, Mendelsohn does not find the claim that the song was inspired by Princess Anne to be very credible. ''

'' describes the song's protagonist as being "tough but tender." Mendelsohn describes her as having "an abrasive exterior and a new baby daughter." The song was recorded in early 1983, at the same time as "Young Conservatives" (which precedes the song in ''State of Confusions running order).

Release and reception

"Heart of Gold" was first released as the ninth track on ''State of Confusion'' (eighth on non-cassette versions of the album.) It has since appeared on compilation albums such as ''

Come Dancing with The Kinks The Kinks, an English rock band, were active for over three decades, from 1963 to 1996, releasing 24 studio albums and four live albums. The first two albums are differently released in the UK and the US, partly due to the difference in popular ...

'' and ''

Picture Book A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...

'', as well as the box set ''The Arista Years''. The song was cited as a highlight from ''State of Confusion'' by ''

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'' critic

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

, who also described it as "charming." ''

'' also found it to be one of the "best moments" from the album. Music critic John Mendelsohn claimed that "in a better world, 'Heart of Gold'...would have been an even bigger hit than '

Come Dancing ''Come Dancing'' is a British ballroom dancing competition show that ran on and off on the BBC from 1949 to 1998. Unlike its follow-up show, ''Strictly Come Dancing'', contestants were not celebrities. The show was created by Eric Morley, the ...

.'" Mendelsohn particularly praised the "bright

acoustic guitar An acoustic guitar is a musical instrument in the string family. When a string is plucked its vibration is transmitted from the bridge, resonating throughout the top of the guitar. It is also transmitted to the side and back of the instrument, ...

s and grin-inducing

Davies brothers Davies is a patronymic surname of English or Welsh origin. There are two main theories concerning its beginnings, neither of which has been definitively proven. The first theory contends that it may be a corruption of "Dyfed", the name of a medie ...

harmonies on the choruses."

References

{{Authority control The Kinks songs 1983 songs Songs written by Ray Davies Song recordings produced by Ray Davies Songs about parenthood