"Misfits" is the title track for

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 ...

' 1978 album, ''

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 was 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 ...

Lyrics

The lyrics of "Misfits" detail the many so-called "losers" and "failures" who are "lost without a crowd yet

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heir Inheritance is the practice of receiving private property, titles, debts, entitlements, privileges, rights, and obligations upon the death of an individual. The rules of inheritance differ among societies and have changed over time. Officiall ...

own way." It goes on to say that "You're a misfit, afraid of yourself, so you run away and hide" and that "you've been a misfit all your life." The lyrics, however, embrace these misfits, with lyrics such as "misfits are everywhere" and "why don't you join the crowd and come inside." "Yes it's true what they say, every dog has his day," Davies sings, suggesting that these misfits will have their time.

Release and reception

Ray Davies said of the song's appeal, "I was trying not to be a hit machine - and we've certainly achieved that with a few albums. But we wanted to expand and find a new fan-base - and hopefully, we'd still be excited by the music. Things like "Misfits" and "

A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy "A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy" is the lead single and fourth track from The Kinks' 1978 album ''Misfits''. Written by Ray Davies, the song was inspired by the band's then-tumultuous state at the time, with two members leaving the band during the rec ...

" a bit later were attempts to do both; music we got a kick out of, and also improve the fan-base." "Misfits" was first released on the album of the same name on May 19, 1978. Although it was not released as a single, it was used as the B-side to the Black Messiah single. It also served as the title track of an EP named "The Kinks Misfit Record". "Misfits" has been often praised as one of the best songs on the album of the same name.

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 ...

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 ...

called the track "a classic outsider rallying cry" and labelled it as one of the two "touchstones" of the album. ''

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s Ken Emerson said that "Misfits" is "a fitting introduction to the Kinks' most intimate album".

American EP

"The Kinks Misfit Record" was the first American Kinks EP created, despite the unpopularity of EPs in the U.S. The EP features "Misfits" as well as "

A Rock 'N' Roll Fantasy "A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy" is the lead single and fourth track from The Kinks' 1978 album ''Misfits''. Written by Ray Davies, the song was inspired by the band's then-tumultuous state at the time, with two members leaving the band during the rec ...

", " Black Messiah", and "Permanent Waves" (all from ''

''). Although "

" was released as a single in the United States, the other three tracks made their non-album debut in America on the EP.

Track listing

All tracks written by

References

{{authority control The Kinks songs 1978 songs Songs written by Ray Davies Song recordings produced by Ray Davies Arista Records singles