"Tired of Waiting for You" is a song by the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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 ...

. It was released as a single on 15 January 1965 in the UK and on 17 February 1965 in the USA. The single reached number one in the UK and number six in the US. It then appeared on their second studio album, '' Kinda Kinks''. It was the group's highest-charting single in the US - tied with "

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 ...

", which achieved the same chart position eighteen years later in 1983.

Background

According to Ray Davies, the music for "Tired of Waiting for You" was written on the train to the recording studio and the words were written at a coffee shop during a break in the session. The track was a leftover from the sessions of the band's 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 ...

''. During the recording sessions for the song, the band felt that the guitar sound evident on their previous two singles ("

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 ...

" and " All Day and All of the Night") was missing.

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 ...

said: Davies also said of the song, "It was a change of style for us, we got a bit posher! Our material started to get a bit more melodic after that." The song was recorded late August 1964 at

Pye Studios 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 ...

(No. 2), London, with additional guitar overdub at

IBC Studios The IBC Recording Studios were independent recording studios located at 35 Portland Place in London, England. In the 1960s and 1970s, the studios become internationally famous after being used by recording artists like the Kinks, the Who, Bee Gee ...

, London on 29 December 1964. "Come On Now" was recorded 22 or 23 December 1964 at Pye Studios (No. 2).

Release

"Tired of Waiting for You" was written before "All Day and All of the Night," but "All Day and All of the Night" was released first due to its similarities to the band's first UK hit, "

." It reached No. 1 on both the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

and ''

Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, by Leicester-born ...

'', becoming the band's second UK chart-topper since "You Really Got Me." The single also reached No. 6 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, the highest charting Kinks single in the US until the band's 1983 hit "

" tied it. ''

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 ...

'' described the song as "a hot follow -up to 'All Day and All of the Night.'" ''

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 ...

'' described it as "a medium-paced,

shuffle-beat In music, the term ''swing'' has two main uses. Colloquially, it is used to describe the propulsive quality or "feel" of a rhythm, especially when the music prompts a visceral response such as foot-tapping or head-nodding (see pulse). This sens ...

lament about a guy who gets annoyed waiting for his girl to prepare herself for their dates." According to Ray Davies, the band received a telegram from London in New York telling them of the success on ''Melody Maker'', but while the rest of the band went partying, the elder Davies brother ordered a bottle of champagne and enjoyed his success.

Personnel

According to band researcher Doug Hinman: The Kinks *

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 ...

lead vocal, electric guitar *

backing vocal, electric 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 ...

bass Additional musician * Bobby Graham drums

Chart performance

References

Sources

* *

External links

The Official Ray Davies Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tired Of Waiting For You 1965 songs 1965 singles The Kinks songs UK Singles Chart number-one singles Song recordings produced by Shel Talmy Songs written by Ray Davies Pye Records singles Reprise Records singles