"Starstruck" is a song by the English 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 ...

from their 1968 album '' The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society''. Written and sung 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 was recorded in . The song was issued as the album's

lead single A lead single (also known as a debut single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. Release s ...

continental Europe Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

in November1968 and in the United States in January1969. The European release was accompanied by a promo film shot in

Waterlow Park Waterlow Park is a park in the south east of Highgate Village, in north London. It was given to the public (''i.e.'' the London County Council) by Sir Sydney Waterlow, as "a garden for the gardenless" in 1889. Description The park is set on ...

Highgate Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross. Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisati ...

. The song failed to chart anywhere besides the Netherlands, where it reached on the Veronica Top 40 and on the Hilversum 3 Top 30. An example of

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 ...

and

beat music Beat music, British beat, or Merseybeat is a British popular music genre that developed, particularly in and around Liverpool, in the late 1950s and early 1960s. The genre melded influences from American rock and roll, rhythm and blues, skiffle ...

, "Starstruck" features a

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...

which duplicates the sound of a string section. The lyrics are directed towards a female listener whom the singer politely chastises for failing to distinguish between stardom and real life. Retrospective commentators dispute the song's level of thematic cohesion with the others on ''Village Green''; some suggest a lack of relation to the album's themes, while others contend it fits in with notions of

escapism Escapism is mental diversion from unpleasant or boring aspects of daily life, typically through activities involving imagination or entertainment. Escapism may be used to occupy one's self away from persistent feelings of depression or genera ...

and a contrasting of rural and urban life.

Background and recording

said in 2002 that he wrote "Starstruck" as a tribute to his favourite

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

groups, including the

Four Tops The Four Tops are an American vocal quartet from Detroit who helped to define the city's Motown sound of the 1960s. The group's repertoire has included soul music, R&B, disco, adult contemporary, doo-wop, jazz, and show tunes. Founded as the ...

and

the Temptations The Temptations are an American vocal group from Detroit, Michigan, who released a series of successful singles and albums with Motown Records during the 1960s and 1970s. The group's work with producer Norman Whitfield, beginning with the Top ...

., quoted in . Author Andy Miller writes that while Davies's suggested Motown connection is difficult to discern, it has a slight resemblance to the Four Tops' 1965 single "

It's the Same Old Song "It's the Same Old Song" was recorded by the Four Tops for the Motown label. It was released in 1965 as the second single from their second album. Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song is toda ...

", particularly the melody and "the snap of

Mick Avory Michael Charles Avory (born 15 February 1944) is an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer and percussionist for the English rock band the Kinks. He joined them shortly after their formation in 1964 and remained with them until 1984, ...

's snare drum". Author

Johnny Rogan John Rogan (14 February 1953 – 21 January 2021) was a British author of Irish descent best known for his books about music and popular culture. He wrote influential biographies of the Byrds, Neil Young, the Smiths, Van Morrison and Ray Davies. ...

writes Davies may have written the song for a

groupie The term groupie is a slang word that refers to a fan of a particular musical group who follows the band around while they are on tour or who attends as many of their public appearances as possible, with the hope of meeting them. The term is usu ...

, but adds that the singer's "delicate and polite chastising" makes it an unlikely possibility.

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 ...

recorded "Starstruck" in July1968 in Pye Studio 2, one of two basement studios at

Pye Records Pye Records was a British record label. Its best known artists were Lonnie Donegan (1956–1969), Petula Clark (1957–1971), the Searchers (1963–1967), the Kinks (1964–1971), Sandie Shaw (1964–1971), Status Quo (1968–1971) and Brotherhoo ...

' London offices. Davies is credited as the song's producer, while Pye's in-house

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the l ...

Brian Humphries operated the four-track

mixing console A mixing console or mixing desk is an electronic device for mixing audio signals, used in sound recording and reproduction and sound reinforcement systems. Inputs to the console include microphones, signals from electric or electronic inst ...

.: (operated four-track); : (Humphries). The recording features a typical Kinks line-up of

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, ...

, bass, drums, piano, vocal harmonies and

handclaps A clap is the percussive sound made by striking together two flat surfaces, as in the body parts of humans or animals. Humans clap with the palms of their hands, often quickly and repeatedly to express appreciation or approval (see applause), b ...

, with Davies singing lead vocals. It also includes a

– a tape-loop-based keyboard instrument – played by either session keyboardist

Nicky Hopkins Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins (24 February 1944 – 6 September 1994) was an English pianist and organist. Hopkins performed on many popular and enduring British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, most notably ...

or Davies to duplicate the sound of a string section. Davies mixed the recording quickly in August1968, but remixed it in lateOctober after the release of '' The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society'' was delayed by two months.

Composition

Music

Rogan writes "Starstruck" musically displays "a distinct

Acapulco Acapulco de Juárez (), commonly called Acapulco ( , also , nah, Acapolco), is a city and major seaport in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific Coast of Mexico, south of Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semicircular bay and has bee ...

-flavouring", indicating Davies's continued interest in

calypso music Calypso is a style of Caribbean music that originated in Trinidad and Tobago during the early to the mid-19th century and spread to the rest of the Caribbean Antilles and Venezuela by the mid-20th century. Its rhythms can be traced back to We ...

, while he thinks its vocal harmonies are influenced by the contemporary American band

the Turtles ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. Critic

Jonathan Cott Jonathan Cott (born December 24, 1942) is an American author, journalist, and editor. Much of his work focuses on music, embracing both classical and rock. He has been a contributing editor at ''Rolling Stone'' since the magazine's founding, ...

instead suggests the song was inspired by musician

Buddy Holly Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...

. Author Christian Matijas-Mecca writes the song is based in

and has a "tight

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

feel", while author

Jon Savage Jon Savage (born Jonathan Malcolm Sage; 2 September 1953 in Paddington, London) is an English writer, broadcaster and music journalist, best known for his history of the Sex Pistols and punk music, ''England's Dreaming'', published in 1991. ...

considers it one of the album's

songs.

Lyrics

In the song's lyrics, the singer politely chastises a female listener for failing to distinguish between stardom and real-life and further warns her about the risks of city life. Davies later expressed surprise that the song appeared on ''Village Green'', suggesting it sounds like something "that should be on somebody's solo album". Retrospective commentators dispute the song's level of thematic cohesion with the others on the album. Matijas-Mecca describes the song as "an awkward fit", and Rogan thinks it and "

Monica Monica may refer to: People *Monica (actress) (born 1987), Indian film actress *Monica (given name), a given name (including a list of people and characters with the name) *Monica (singer) (born 1980), American R&B singer, songwriter, producer, ...

" are "distinctly un''-Village Green'' compositions". Author Nick Hasted contends the album's loose concept allowed for the song's inclusion, while author Thomas M. Kitts asserts it fits with the theme of

. Miller writes the song's warning about city life is similar thematically to other songs Davies was writing around the same time, like "

Village Green A village green is a commons, common open area within a village or other settlement. Historically, a village green was common pasture, grassland with a pond for watering cattle and other stock, often at the edge of a rural settlement, used for ...

" (1968), "

Berkeley Mews "Berkeley Mews" is a song by the English rock band the Kinks. It was released on a non-album single in June1970, as the B-side to "Lola". Written and sung by bandleader Ray Davies, the song was recorded in early1968 during the sessions for '' The ...

" (1970)" and "

Polly Polly is a given name, most often feminine, which originated as a variant of Molly (a diminutive of Mary). Polly may also be a short form of names such as Polina, Polona, Paula or Paulina. People named or nicknamed Polly Female *Caresse Crosby ...

" (1968), and author Ken Rayes writes its comparison helps contrast "rural with urban, spirituality with materialism, and the natural with the manufactured". Kitts also compares the song to other Davies compositions, particularly in its theme of "crushed female innocence", which he thinks has precedent in songs like " Little Miss Queen of Darkness" (1966), "Polly" and "

Big Black Smoke "Big Black Smoke" is the B-side to The Kinks' single "Dead End Street", written by Ray Davies. The song was not originally included on any album, but has since appeared as a track on the popular 1972 '' Kink Kronikles'' compilation and as a bonus ...

" (1966).

Release and reception

Davies included "Starstruck" on both the twelve- and fifteen-track editions of ''The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society'', sequenced on the second side in both cases. Pye first released the twelve-track edition in Sweden and Norway on 9 October 1968, while the UK release of the album with fifteen tracks followed on 22 November. In his preview of the album for ''

New Musical Express ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' magazine, critic Keith Altham described the song's use of the Mellotron as "extremely clever". "Starstruck" was issued as a single in November1968 in parts of

, including

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

and Scandinavia, backed with "

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 ...

". To promote the release, the Kinks filmed a

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

promotional film in . The film depicts them walking around

on a cold day and is similar in style to the photographs taken for ''Village Green'' album cover in mid-August. The Dutch

NCRV NCRV (Nederlandse Christelijke Radio Vereniging) (English: Dutch Christian Radio Association) was a public radio and television broadcaster in the Netherlands, mostly transmitting on NPO 1 and NPO 2. On 1 January 2014, NCRV merged with KRO to for ...

television programme ''Twien'' first broadcast it on 27 December 1968. In the Netherlands, the single reached on the Veronica Top 40 and on the Hilversum 3 Top 30. The song also appeared on the

Ultratip Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium. Ultratop is a non-profit organization, created on the initiative of the Belgian Entertainment Association (BEA), the Belgian member organization of ...

bubbling under chart in Belgium's French-speaking region of

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

. In the US,

Reprise Records Reprise Records is an American record label founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operates through Warner Records, one of its flagship labels. Artists currently signed to Reprise Records include Enya, Michael ...

issued "Starstruck" as ''Village Green''

on , again backed with "Picture Book", though its release may have been delayed until the 15th. The single initially received little critical attention, as Reprise neglected to send review copies to American magazines. A reviewer in the New York syndicated-radio newspaper ''Go!'' described the song as "a nice, light happy sound" which would contrast well against the heavier sound of contemporary music. Reviewers in both ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' and ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' predicted the single would help the Kinks return to each magazine's chart, though it ultimately failed to position in any American chart. In his review of ''Village Green'' for ''

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the crea ...

'',

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 ...

counted "Starstruck" as a strength on the album for seeming to have been written for a real person. English filmmaker

Edgar Wright Edgar Howard Wright (born 18 April 1974) is an English filmmaker. He is known for his fast-paced and kinetic, satirical genre films, which feature extensive utilisation of expressive popular music, Steadicam tracking shots, dolly zooms and a ...

included the song in ''

Last Night in Soho ''Last Night in Soho'' is a 2021 British psychological horror film directed by Edgar Wright and co-written by Wright and Krysty Wilson-Cairns. It stars Thomasin McKenzie, Anya Taylor-Joy, Matt Smith, Rita Tushingham, Michael Ajao, Terence St ...

'', a 2021 film set in 1960s

Swinging London The Swinging Sixties was a youth-driven cultural revolution that took place in the United Kingdom during the mid-to-late 1960s, emphasising modernity and fun-loving hedonism, with Swinging London as its centre. It saw a flourishing in art, mus ...

, and it was included on the associated soundtrack album.

Personnel

According to band researcher Doug Hinman, except where noted: The Kinks *

lead vocal, piano,

; producer *

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 ...

backing vocal, acoustic guitar *

Pete Quaife Peter Alexander Greenlaw Quaife (born Kinnes; 31 December 1943 – 23 June 2010) was an English musician, artist and author. He was a founding member and the original bass guitarist for the Kinks, from 1963 until 1969. He also sang backing voca ...

backing vocal, bass *

drums *Unidentified (played by the Kinks) handclaps Additional musician and production *

Mellotron *Brian Humphries

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

Charts

Notes

References

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

External links

* {{The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society , state=autoexpand 1968 singles 1969 singles The Kinks songs Songs written by Ray Davies Song recordings produced by Ray Davies Pye Records singles Reprise Records singles Beat music songs