"Living on a Thin Line" is a track written by

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 ...

and performed 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 ...

on their 1984 album, ''

Word of Mouth Word of mouth, or ''viva voce'', is the passing of information from person to person using oral communication, which could be as simple as telling someone the time of day. Storytelling is a common form of word-of-mouth communication where one pe ...

''.

Background

"Living on a Thin Line" is one of two songs on ''Word of Mouth'' written by

(the other being "

Guilty Guilty or The Guilty may refer to: * Guilt (emotion), an experience that occurs when a person believes they have violated a moral standard Law *Culpability, the degree to which an agent can be held responsible for action or inaction *Guilt (law) ...

"). In his biography ''Kink'', Davies said that the track was influenced by

' long and difficult career, along with his hatred of politicians. The song was also influenced by the deterioration of

English identity A national identity of the English as the people or ethnic group dominant in England dates to the Anglo-Saxon period. The establishing of a single English ethnic identity dates to at least AD 731, as exemplified in Bede's ''Ecclesiastical Histor ...

in the 20th century and Davies' longing for a return to "days of old".

Release

"Living on a Thin Line" was first released on ''Word Of Mouth'', but has since been released as a 12-inch promotional radio single (backed with "Sold Me Out") in America, and on numerous compilation albums, such as ''Come Dancing with the Kinks'', ''

Lost & Found (1986-1989) 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 ...

'', '' The Ultimate Collection'', 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 ...

''. The song has also been played live by both The Kinks and Dave Davies.

Reception

"Living on a Thin Line" has been praised as one of Dave Davies's greatest songs. David Fricke of ''

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 ...

'' said that "in 'Living on a Thin Line' – a dark variation on Ray's own death-of-England's-glory songs – brooding, goose-stepping chords and moping

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic music, psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philo ...

synths underscore the desperate effectiveness of Dave's nervous croon."

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

said, in his review of ''

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 ...

'', that the track is the "second-best" on the album (to "

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 ...

"), and "'There's no England now,' he opines, which explains a lot." The track is featured three times in a 2001 episode of ''

The Sopranos ''The Sopranos'' is an American Crime film#Crime drama, crime drama television series created by David Chase. The story revolves around Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini), a New Jersey-based American Mafia, Italian-American mobster, portraying h ...

,'' titled "

University A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

". ''Sopranos'' producer

Terence Winter Terence Patrick Winter (born October 2, 1960) is an American writer and producer of television and film. He is the creator, writer, and executive producer of the HBO television series ''Boardwalk Empire'' (2010–14). Before creating ''Boardwal ...

has said that it is the series' most asked-about song. The song was also used during the credits in the series finale of the

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

series ''

Vice Principals ''Vice Principals'' is an American dark comedy television series starring Danny McBride, Walton Goggins, Kimberly Hébert Gregory, Dale Dickey, Georgia King, Sheaun McKinney, Busy Philipps and Shea Whigham. The co-creators were Danny McBride and ...

''.

References

{{authority control The Kinks songs 1984 singles Songs written by Dave Davies Song recordings produced by Ray Davies 1984 songs Arista Records singles