"Life Goes On" is a song by the British rock 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 ...

. Appearing on their album '' Sleepwalker'', it was written by the band's main songwriter,

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 ...

Background

At a concert, Ray Davies described the song as being about "a man who tries to commit suicide and fails," jokingly calling it "a nice, happy sort of song."

' guitarist,

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 ...

, said of the song's guitar solo, "Ideally, if I'm emotionally stimulated, I feel like I can play anything. With 'Life Goes On', we sat down and Ray just started playing it. It was the song that was really important: the emotion it created, the hollowness of it, but the fullness, as well. Those kinds of things really get me going. It just came out, because it was still that period where you could go into a studio and make a decent recording in a couple of days; you didn't have to spend three weeks just trying to get a sound on a drum computer. You could actually go in and do a song and the solos at the same time. I play off Ray's vocals, the way he expresses himself. Although I love guitar, it's still only an instrument that should help the song. That's my musical role, in a way."

Release

"Life Goes On" was released as the ninth and final track on The Kinks' 1977 album ''Sleepwalker''. Following the album release, the song was released as the B-side to the American version of ''Sleepwalker'' second single, " Juke Box Music", in May of that year (in the U.K. and Germany, the song "Sleepless Night" was used instead.) The single failed to chart. The song has since appeared on the box set ''The Arista Years''.

Critical opinion

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 Denise Sullivan said, "A gentle acoustic guitar riff and organ lead into the touching story of 'Life Goes On' from the Kinks' 1977 album, ''Sleepwalker''. As Ray Davies tells the story about a friend's suicide in an admonishing voice full of yearning, whining, and disbelief, brother Dave plays along empathetically with his layered rhythm guitar lead. It's an epic song filled with beautiful harmonies and musical touches that match the lyric. Plus, it closes out the album – as was the habit with the Kinks – with a song that sums up the action preceding it, musically and lyrically. Yet, it also stands entirely on its own and serves as the perfect segue to the follow-up album, in this case, ''

Misfits Misfits or The Misfits may refer to: Film and television * ''The Misfits'' (1961 film), a film starring Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, and Montgomery Clift * ''The Misfits'' (2011 film), a Mexican film * ''The Misfits'' (2021 film), an American ...

''. It's a feat worth noting when one song serves such multi-purposes." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' writer Billy Altman said that "in 'Life Goes On', we are warned that 'life'll hit you when you least expect it.' Yet in the end, there always remains a faint glimmer of hope: 'Take that frown off your head/'cause you're a long time dead.

References

{{authority control 1977 songs The Kinks songs Songs written by Ray Davies