"Stop Your Sobbing" is a song 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 ...

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 ...

' debut album, ''

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 was later covered by

the Pretenders Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Fa ...

as their first single.

Background

The Kinks recorded "Stop Your Sobbing" on ''

'', which was rushed out in order to capitalize on the success of "

You Really Got Me "You Really Got Me" is a song written by Ray Davies for English rock band the Kinks. The song, originally performed in a more blues-oriented style, was inspired by artists such as Lead Belly and Big Bill Broonzy. Two versions of the song wer ...

." Kinks biographer Rob Jovanovic writes that "Stop Your Sobbing" was supposedly written by Ray about a former girlfriend who, fearing that fame would change him, broke down in tears upon seeing how popular he had become. Davies biographer Thomas Kitts instead suggests that the song may have been inspired by Davies having recently broken up with an old girlfriend. The song has the singer upset that his girlfriend cries too much, and he wants her to stop. The singer's pleas fail and by the end of the song he remains frustrated at the unresolved situation.

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 ...

's Tom Maginnis described the track as "grounded more heavily in the classic 50s style of songwriting and playing," and said that "'Stop Your Sobbing' is a far cry from the wild aggression of ”You Really Got Me”." Music critic

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. ...

described it as "a hidden gem in the Kinks canon." Rogan praises how Davies' "fragile vocal" works well with the theme. It was not released as a single. A live version of the song appeared on ''One for the Road'', and the studio version appeared on ''The Ultimate Collection''.

The Pretenders version

In 1979,

released their version of "Stop Your Sobbing" on their self-titled debut album. The recording of this cover of the song led to the relationship between

and

Chrissie Hynde Christine Ellen Hynde (born September 7, 1951) is an American musician. She is a founding member and the lead vocalist, guitarist, and primary songwriter of the rock band the Pretenders, and one of the band's two remaining original members alon ...

of the Pretenders, which eventually resulted in the birth of a child. The Pretenders' version of "Stop Your Sobbing" was one of three demos given to

Nick Lowe Nicholas Drain Lowe (born 24 March 1949) is an English singer-songwriter, musician and producer. A noted figure in power pop and new wave,''Billboard'' Hot 100. This version of the song was one of many examples of songs initially recorded by the Kinks that were covered by other bands during the late seventies and early eighties. Other examples include the version of " David Watts" recorded by

the Jam The Jam were an English mod revival/ punk rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey. They released 18 consecutive Top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 198 ...

, " The Hard Way" by

the Knack The Knack was an American rock band based in Los Angeles that rose to fame with its first single, "My Sharona", an international number-one hit in 1979. History Founding (1977–1978) Singer Doug Fieger was a native of Oak Park, Michigan, a no ...

, and "

I Go to Sleep "I Go to Sleep" is a song written by Ray Davies, main songwriter for The Kinks, and first released by The Applejacks. It was never recorded by The Kinks, but Ray Davies's demo can be found in reissue bonus tracks of their second studio album ' ...

," an unreleased track written by Ray Davies, which, like "Stop Your Sobbing," was covered by the Pretenders. ''

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 ...

'' critic Ken Tucker calls the Pretenders' "Stop Your Sobbing" "ideal radio fare," describing it as having "'' Labour of Lust's'' feathery pop feel" and that "echoed to enhance Davies' wistful melancholy, Hynde sounded like a solo Mamas and the Papas, but her tone surged at the ends of choruses to imply enormous resentment at even having to think about sobbing." ''

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 ...

'' said that "Lowe's

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

captures the jangling guitars perfectly and Chrissie Hynde's vocals are confident yet sensual."

Other versions

*"Stop Your Sobbing" was the B-side of the single "Love Was on Your Mind" with the Swedish group

Ola & the Janglers Ola & the Janglers were a garage rock and beat group, founded in Stockholm, Sweden in 1962. Its lead member was Ola Håkansson. Guitarist Claes "Clabbe" af Geijerstam wrote many of their hits. He was later a member of the duo Nova (Swedish name ...

in 1966 (Gazell Records C-175). *"Stop Your Sobbin was released as a bonus live track on the

Pete Yorn Peter Joseph Yorn (born July 27, 1974) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He first gained international recognition after his debut record, '' Musicforthemorningafter'', was released to critical and commercial acclaim in 2001. He is ...

and

Scarlett Johansson Scarlett Ingrid Johansson (; born November 22, 1984) is an American actress. The world's highest-paid actress in 2018 and 2019, she has featured multiple times on the ''Forbes'' Celebrity 100 list. ''Time'' magazine named her one of the 100 ...

album ''

Break Up A relationship breakup, breakup, or break-up is the termination of a relationship. The act is commonly termed "dumping omeone in slang when it is initiated by one partner. The term is less likely to be applied to a married couple, where a bre ...

'' in 2009.

References

Sources

* * {{Authority control 1964 songs The Kinks songs 1979 debut singles The Pretenders songs Songs written by Ray Davies Song recordings produced by Shel Talmy Sire Records singles Song recordings produced by Nick Lowe