"Muswell Hillbilly" is a track recorded by

British rock British rock describes a wide variety of forms of music made in the United Kingdom. Since around 1964, with the "British Invasion" of the United States spearheaded by the Beatles, British rock music has had a considerable impact on the develop ...

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 ...

. It served as the title track to their 1971 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 ...

''.

Lyrics and music

The lyrics of the track "Muswell Hillbilly" see the singer being forced from his London home and into

Muswell Hill Muswell Hill is a suburban district of the London Borough of Haringey, north London. The hill, which reaches over above sea level, is situated north of Charing Cross. Neighbouring areas include Highgate, Hampstead Garden Suburb, East Finchl ...

, a sterilized suburban community. He says his farewells to his friends, including Rosie Rooke, who "wore her Sunday hat so she'd impress he singer. The singer says that "they're gonna try and make imchange isway of living, but they'll never make imsomething that

e's is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and drawn by Satoru Yuiga. It was originally serialized in ''Monthly GFantasy'' from 1997 through 2005, and later published in 16 ''tankōbon'' volumes by Square Enix from March 18, 2003 to Februa ...

not," likely referring to the government. He goes on to say, "I'm a Muswell Hillbilly boy, but my heart lies in old West Virginia. Never seen New Orleans, Oklahoma, Tennessee, utstill I dream of the Black Hills that I ain't never seen." He explains that "they're putting us in little boxes, No character, just uniformity. They're trying to build a computerised community," but vows that "they'll never make a zombie out of me." The song, like most of the ''

'' album, has a country rock flavor. It also has an antiquated style, mostly attributed to the fact that the entire album was recorded with ten-year-old equipment. Ray Davies handles the lead vocal.

Release

Prior to its release, Kinks member

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 ...

intended for the track to be the opening track of a possible film adaptation of the album. However, RCA refused to finance this project, and it was scrapped. "Muswell Hillbilly" was first released on the ''

'' album in 1971, where it was the twelfth and final track. The following year, "Muswell Hillbilly" was released as a single in Japan, backed with "

Oklahoma U.S.A. Oklahoma U.S.A. is a song written by Ray Davies and performed by British rock band The Kinks on their 1971 LP ''Muswell Hillbillies''. Synopsis The lyrics describe a young woman who leads a monotonous working class life, and imagines in her dr ...

". It has since appeared multiple times on other albums, including ''

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 ...

''. It also appeared in live format on ''

Everybody's in Show-Biz ''Everybody's in Show-Biz'' is the eleventh studio album released by the English rock group the Kinks, released in 1972. A double album, the first disc features studio recordings, while the second disc documents a two-night Carnegie Hall stand. ...

'' (the follow-up to ''

'') and '' To the Bone''.

Reception

"Muswell Hillbilly" has generally received positive reviews. Thomas Kitts wrote in his book, ''Ray Davies: Not Like Everybody Else'', that "'Muswell Hillbilly' brings together he ''Muswell Hillbillies'' album'svarious musical and thematic motifs." ''

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 ...

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 ...

cited the track as a highlight from the ''Muswell Hillbillies'' album. However, in a more critical analysis of the song, Mike Saunders 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, "The country stuff n ''Muswell Hillbillies''is another matter. A portion of it is fine, but some of the songs are so positively uninspired and unenergetic it drives me up the wall. Such as things like the Kinks nasally whining 'I'm a Muswell hillbilly boy, But my heart lies in old West Virginia.'"

References

{{authority control The Kinks songs 1971 songs 1972 singles Songs written by Ray Davies Song recordings produced by Ray Davies Country rock songs Blues rock songs